Re-examining Oregon’s recruiting targets to finish out the 2021 cycle: Defense

Fresh off one of the most epic stretches of recruiting success in program history over the past 10 weeks or so, Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal and his Oregon coaching staff deserve to take, at the very least, a momentary breather.

From May 1 to the present day, Cristobal and company have set a remarkable pace in terms of the quality and frequency in which Oregon has landed verbal commitments to its 2021 recruiting class. In that span, Oregon has picked up 12 verbal commitments, eight of which have been four-star rated prospects or higher. This blistering streak has also positioned the Ducks to finish with the top recruiting class in the Pac-12 for the third straight year, while also setting them up for perhaps their best national finish ever, as Oregon currently resides just outside the top five (no. 6 nationally) of 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings at time of publish.

Last Saturday’s commitment from Clovis (Calif.) four-star defensive lineman Keanu Williams is widely expected to end this unprecedented hot streak on the recruiting trail for Oregon, but it’s by no means expected to mark an end to the damage Cristobal and the Ducks look to do between now and the unofficial end of the 2021 recruiting cycle in February.

With a handful of high-value targets still in play for Oregon as a college football-starved nation holds its breath and crosses its fingers for some semblance of a season this fall, WFOD takes a closer look at the top prospects that the Ducks continue to pursue on the defensive side of the ball.

The Commits

(4*) DL Keanu Williams – 6’5″, 290 lbs. – Clovis (Calif.)
(4*) LB Keith Brown – 6’1″, 220 lbs. – Lebanon (Ore.)
(3*) DE/OLB Terrell Tilmon – 6’4″, 210 lbs. – Arlington (Texas) Mansfield Timberview
(3*) DE/OLB Brandon Buckner – 6’1″, 234 lbs. – Chandler (Ariz.)
(3*) CB Jadarrius Perkins – 6’2″, 185 lbs. – Hattiesburg (Miss.) via Perkinston (Miss.) Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
(3*) CB Darren Barkins – 6’0″, 170 lbs. – Chula Vista (Calif.) Mater Dei Catholic
(4*) CB Jaylin Davies – 6’1″, 165 lbs. – Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei

Summary: Oregon’s booming success recruiting the offensive side of the ball has overshadowed (to a degree) their success recruiting the defensive side of the ball, though this is a group with the lurking potential to see its arrow turn up in a major way before the 2021 cycle comes to a close. Williams, Brown, and Davies are the early marquee names for this defensive group, but the quartet of three-star prospects in Tilmon, Buckner, Perkins, and Barkins shouldn’t be slept on, as each could rather easily see their recruiting stock soar should we get football this fall.

The Top Prospects

(5*) DL J.T. Tuimoloau – 6’5″, 277 lbs – Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic

The Oregon defense has come a long way since the end of the 2016 season in which the Ducks were, by just about every major statistical measure, one of the very worst defensive units in the entire country. Since then, however, the Oregon defense has been the primary beneficiary of vastly improved coaching and a year-over-year injection of top shelf talent thanks to this staff’s maniacal recruiting effort spearheaded by the headman himself, Mario Cristobal. With the Ducks once again in thick of it for the best talent on the West Coast, much of the focus of that maniacal recruiting effort has been centered on five-star prospect, J.T. Tuimoloau.

A native of the Seattle area, Tuimoloau has succeeded in drawing the attention of the nation’s blue blood programs to the Pacific Northwest, which has been a mine for blue chip talent in recent cycles despite its traditional rap as an outpost of sorts for Power 5 recruiters from the American Heartland and southern United States. This has only increased the stakes for the nation’s no. 2 overall recruit per 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, as Ohio State and Alabama have joined the pursuit of Tuimoloau alongside Pac-12 powers USC, Washington, and Oregon. In fact, according to many recruiting insiders, the Buckeyes may hold the inside track as of right now, but their ability to hold that perceived advantage may be dwindling thanks to the coronavirus and the inability for prospects to take campus visits.

A star on both the hardwood and the gridiron, the 6-foot-5, 277-pound Tuimoloau possess uncommon athleticism for a player of his size and stature. Moreover, the opportunity for Tuimoloau to continue growing into his impressive frame is both an enticing and frightening thought depending on which side you’re on. With the ability to line up virtually anywhere along the defensive front, Tuimoloau’s potential is practically uncapped. He has the size and strength to be a force along the interior, while also offering great length, agility, quickness, and coordination honed on the basketball court to be a devastating pass-rushing presence off the edge. And if defense somehow proves not to be Tuimoloau’s bag, he has showcased impressive skills as a tight end at the prep level. In many ways, you can consider Tuimoloau to be a bigger version of Oregon 2020 five-star commit, Noah Sewell.

(5*) DL Korey Foreman – 6’4″, 265 lbs. – Corona (Calif.) Centennial

Each full recruiting cycle since Cristobal took over as Oregon’s head coach in December of 2017 has seen the Ducks ink at least two top 50 overall recruits on the defensive side of the ball. In 2019, Kayvon Thibodeaux (the top recruit in program history and no. 2 overall recruit in the 2019 class) and Mykael Wright (no. 41 overall) started the trend. In 2020, Justin Flowe (the no. 2 recruit in program history and no. 6 overall recruit in the 2020 class), Noah Sewell (no. 13 overall), and Dontae Manning (no. 30 overall) raised the bar. And in 2021, the Ducks hope they can carry on tradition while also setting a new standard by adding the top two overall recruits in the country in the aforementioned Tuimoloau and five-star prospect Korey Foreman.

Ranked as the no. 1 prospect in the country for the 2021 class, Foreman has had no shortage of suitors since arriving on the scene as one of the nation’s top underclassmen as a high school freshman. In fact, Foreman was arguably one of the most impressive performers at The Opening in Dallas last summer, going head-to-head against some of the nation’s best competition, many of whom were a full year older than him. Formerly a verbal commit to Clemson, Foreman decommitted from the Tigers in April and has since re-opened his recruitment to include a top seven consisting of Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, USC, Oregon, and Howard. Similar to Tuimoloau, the cloud of COVID-19 has perhaps swung momentum back in favor of regional favorites like Oregon and USC, though Foreman has openly expressed his affinity for the SEC and has lauded the experience he has had in taking unofficial visits to programs such as Georgia, LSU, and Alabama before the onset of the pandemic.

At 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, Foreman is a formidable presence from his defensive end position. His strength and technical ability in bullying his way past offensive tackles and shedding blockers makes him a terrific run defender and a player who can effectively set the edge. Those attributes are only matched by his lightning-quick explosion off the snap and freakish athleticism, making him an equally devastating pocket-collapsing threat. Few players are as polished as Foreman coming from the high school ranks, which should enable him to be a player with instant impact potential regardless of the competition in front of him upon his arrival on campus.

(4*) CB Ceyair Wright – 6’1″, 175 lbs. – Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola

The Ducks are expected to lose at least four defensive backs between now and the start of the 2021 season. Thus, it’s no wonder why Oregon has been as active as it’s been during the 2021 recruiting cycle in addressing the position.

In Jaylin Davies, Jadarrius Perkins, and Darren Barkins, Oregon has three verbal commitments at cornerback that each bring something a little different to the table. With regard to Davies, Ducks cornerbacks coach Rod Chance has a player with exceptional man-to-man cover skills and versatility. In Perkins, he has a player with high-level JUCO experience and NFL measurables who could challenge for significant playing time from day one. And in Barkins, the Ducks have an exciting under-the-radar prospect with alluring raw skills and massive potential given time to develop.

But Chance, Cristobal, and the rest of the Oregon coaching staff won’t be content stopping there. With those three solidly in the fold, the Ducks have set their sights on perhaps the top target on their cornerback board in four-star prospect Ceyair Wright.

At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, Wright is a dynamic all-around talent cut from the same playmaking cloth as current Ducks Mykael Wright (no relation) and Dontae Manning; two of the highest ranked cornerback recruits in program history. Ranked as the no. 5 cornerback in the country and the nation’s no. 72 overall prospect, Wright seemingly samples a little bit of everything from the Ducks’ current 2021 commits at corner, flashing great coverage ability, outstanding ball skills, reliability as a tackler, and a nose for making momentum-shifting plays. On top of all that, Wright is a terrific student to boot. The Ducks will have a fight on their hands contending with like the likes of Stanford, USC, Arizona State, and Notre Dame for Wright’s signature, but recent history has proven that Cristobal’s staff won’t be easily vanquished in a head-to-head battle for a coveted recruit.

Others of note: Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy four-star DL Aaron Armitage, Minneapolis (Minn.) North Senior three-star DE/OLB Davon Townley, Spanish Fort (Ala.) three-star DE/OLB Christian Burkhalter, Houma (La.) Terrebonne five-star Maason Smith, Raleigh (N.C.) Sanderson three-star LB Jabril McNeill, Upland (Calif.) four-star LB Jonathan Flowe, Salt Lake City (Utah) Kearns three-star DB Jeffrey Bassa