In case you haven’t noticed, Oregon is making a habit of attracting some of the West’s top offensive linemen to Eugene.

In 2018, it was Penei Sewell who made the call for the Ducks after strongly considering Alabama during his recruiting process. That gave Mario Cristobal both his first headline recruit as the head coach at Oregon, and the best player he has ever coached to this point in his coaching career. In 2019, it was Jonah Tauanu’u who pledged to Cristobal and the Ducks, giving the program another cornerstone recruit along the offensive line. The 2020 cycle was light on marquee names in the trenches, but that hasn’t prevented Oregon from going out and landing one of the top offensive tackles in the 2021 class, as Orem (Utah) four-star offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia made the call for the Ducks Tuesday night.

#Oregon #TakeFlight21 class lands another big one!!! 4-Star OL out of national powerhouse Orem UT (same HS as Noah Sewell) commits to the #Ducks over #USC #Utah and others pic.twitter.com/a50jWV5haG

— Axe💬 (@RivalsAxel) September 9, 2020

Ranked as the no. 10 offensive tackle in the country and the top ranked overall recruit in the state of Utah per 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, Suamataia becomes the 19th member of the Ducks’ 2021 recruiting class, and its fourth offensive lineman, joining fellow four-star prospects Bram Walden, Jonah Miller, and Jackson Light.

A close friend and former high school teammate of five-star prospect and 2020 Oregon commit Noah Sewell, Suamataia’s multiple trips to Eugene and the strong bonds he forged with Oregon’s coaching staff over the past several months proved to be enough to push the Ducks over the top for the nation’s no. 59 overall player. Suamataia chooses Oregon over 32 other offers from some of the most high-profile names in college football, including Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, and Florida. His commitment gives Oregon the nation’s third-ranked recruiting class for 2021 according to 247Sports’ Composite Team Rankings.

Below we take a closer look at Suamataia’s game, examining his weaknesses and strengths, as well as projecting how he may make an impact for the Ducks when he ultimately arrives on campus.

Notable weaknesses:

• Can get caught playing a little too upright: Suamataia is very polished for such a young player, but if there’s one area of his game that he may need to be mindful of, it’s his positioning. He can play a little upright at times enabling opposing defensive linemen to get him off balance and use his impressive length against him.
• Developing frame: Listed at 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds, Suamataia has an outstanding frame with which to grow into. And while it’s conceivable he could challenge for a starting job as a true freshman, he will still need to add strength and size in order to hold up against the competition he’ll face at the next level each and every week.

Notable strengths:

• Great athlete: It’s difficult to pick apart Suamataia as a prospect. Not only does he have great size and length, but he combines it with terrific natural athleticism. Suamataia’s feet are perhaps his most notable asset, as he moves with remarkable fluidity and quickness. This enables him to stay in front of speedy pass rushers, get up field with ease as a blocker, while also being strong enough at the point of attack to handle stouter opponents.
• Plays with a mean streak: He’s not all finesse. For all of Suamataia’s physical attributes, he’s an offensive lineman at his core and rarely shies away from an opportunity to bury his opponent. Suamataia plays with ferocity and takes great pride in dominating his one-on-one battles.
• Fundamentally sound: There isn’t a lot of sloppiness when you watch Suamataia on film. He’s an efficient player who plays with great bend, balance, and leverage, which is a testament to the work he’s put into his fundamentals. It’s this area of Suamataia’s game which could put him in position to garner significant playing time as a true freshman.

Overall outlook:

Plainly speaking, this is a home run commitment for Mario Cristobal and the Ducks. As long as Cristobal is in Eugene, the Oregon program will be built from the trenches out, with particular attention being paid to the offensive line. The addition of Kingsley Suamataia speaks to this focus, as he is the highest-rated offensive lineman to ever commit to the Ducks, ahead of names such as Penei Sewell and Jonah Tauanu’u, two players who have been signature offensive line recruits during the early portion of the Cristobal era.

With Sewell announcing his decision to head to the NFL on Monday, the opportunity will be ripe for Suamataia come in and potentially challenge for the starting left tackle job as a true freshman in 2021. He’ll have competition from Tauanu’u, Steven Jones, and the influx of offensive line talent coming into the program from both the 2020 and 2021 classes, but Suamataia will be a difficult player to keep off the field nevertheless.

Like Sewell before him, Suamataia has the look of a future star protecting his quarterback’s blindside, and should be regarded as one of the truly elite prospects in what has become a star-studded 2021 recruiting class for the Ducks.

Top Photo: Orem (Utah) OL Kingsley Suamataia (USC Scoop)