Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com
Ducks "Raise The Bar" With Recruiting Class
12/19/18 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
First-year head coach Mario Cristobal set a new standard of excellence with his first UO recruiting class, which was universally regarded Wednesday as one of the top 10 in the country.
Even when Oregon was routinely competing for conference titles in the Joey Harrington era, or rocketing into the national-title picture under Chip Kelly, the Ducks never accomplished anything like the recruiting class signed Wednesday by first-year head coach Mario Cristobal.
The UO football program opened the new early signing period by receiving 22 signed letters of intent Wednesday, including from the No. 1-ranked player in the entire country according to ESPN, defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. The class, which can be enhanced over the next two days and again during the traditional signing period in February, was ranked first in the Pac-12 by all the major recruiting services, and No. 5 nationally by both ESPN and 247Sports.
Not since 2011 have the Ducks signed such a prestigious class. That group was ranked No. 9 nationally by Rivals.com, and included that website's No. 5 overall recruit, De'Anthony Thomas. But none of the other recruiting services had Oregon in the top 10 that year. The class signed Wednesday is universally considered one of the 10 best in the nation, comparable to those signed by Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Louisiana State, Oklahoma and Clemson.
In short, Wednesday was "an awesome day to be a Duck," Cristobal said at an afternoon press conference.
"It raises the bar, which we like," said Cristobal, considered one of the top individual recruiters in the country while an assistant prior to joining the UO staff. "We've always surrounded ourselves with people that are high achievers and have high expectations. This is a huge step in that direction, it really is."
The Ducks came out of Wednesday with the top class in the Pac-12 by a comfortable margin. They broke Southern California's long streak of assembling the conference's best class, largely by plumbing the fertile recruiting ground in the Trojans' home region.
"We made it a goal; we'd be lying if we said we didn't make it one of our goals," Cristobal said of leading the Pac-12. "The fact it landed there, that's awesome. … It's a great start. We achieved a goal. And we want to keep elevating that goal."
The class was capped by two additions Wednesday, enhancing the Ducks' depth in the defensive front seven. They signed two players who made official visits to Eugene just this past weekend, defensive end Brandon Dorlus of Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High and junior college linebacker Dru Mathis.
But the headliner remained Thibodeaux, the No. 1 player not only in ESPN's individual player rankings but also those of 247Sports — until just recently, when the latter recruiting service moved Thibodeaux down into the No. 2 spot nationally. Thibodeaux picked the Ducks in a televised ceremony Saturday, during halftime of ESPN2's New Mexico Bowl telecast.
Watching the televised commitment, Cristobal said, "was pretty awesome." But that's nothing compared to the impact Thibodeaux projects to have as an edge defender for the Ducks over the next few years.
"It's what you want — a game changer at defensive end," Cristobal said. "A guy that can play the run, knock back tackles and tight ends, disrupt the offense and get into the backfield, create negative plays. And in any passing situation — especially third down — here's a guy that can change you significantly on third, that's going to require attention. … Here's a guy that can get to the quarterback. And when he gets there, he's going to cause some issues."
Thibodeaux was the crown jewel of Oregon's "CaliFlock," the dozen natives of southern California migrating north to play their college football. The leader of the pack, Cristobal said, was four-star prospect Keyon Ware-Hudson, a top-10 defensive tackle nationally who "was the one; he was that catalyst," the UO coach said.
Ware-Hudson's talents as a player and leadership off the field helped coax two Mater Dei High teammates to join him in the flock, top-rated all-purpose back Sean Dollars and monstrous middle linebacker Mase Funa. The flock also includes the No. 1 cornerback nationally, Mykael Wright, and offensive lineman Jonah Tauanu'u, who could follow Penei Sewell as the second true freshman in as many years to crack Oregon's starting five on the offensive line.
But the Ducks didn't limit themselves to California talent. They signed hometown kid Patrick Herbert, a tight end and the younger brother of UO starting quarterback Justin Herbert. They added the top-rated player from the state of Colorado for the second year in a row, outside linebacker Isaac Townsend. And they went into Washington for their quarterback of the future, Cale Millen, the son of a UW football legacy.
"It validates a lot of things that we already knew and feel strongly about," Cristobal said. "It validates that Oregon is an unbelievable place, an awesome place, and for us the premier place in the country. …. It validates that if you work really hard, it doesn't matter where you're from, where your coaches are from, what your background is. If you work hard and you're genuine and honest and you have passion for the people you work with and you work for, it's going to show. And it's going to attract the right kind of student-athletes and families to want to be a part of it."
The class signed Wednesday has the chance to provide instant impact, helped by the fact a dozen or more could enroll for winter or spring, Cristobal said. Though the Ducks could return all five starting offensive linemen, both Tauanu'u and junior college guard Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu — all 6-foot-6 and 389 pounds of him — are talented enough to crack the rotation. And Oregon's receiving corps will get a jolt from highly regarded slot receiver Mycah Pittman, rangy wideouts JR Waters and Lance Wilhoite, and the elusive Josh Delgado.
There's room for more in this class, too, come February. There's still time for the group to climb even higher in the national rankings — and raise the bar even higher for future UO recruiting classes.
"You always want more, certainly; I don't think you ever leave National Signing Day thinking, 'We got everything we wanted, everything we needed,' " Cristobal said. "But certainly, a big step forward.
"It's something that we want to and need to get used to. … We all feel like we took a really big step in that direction today."
The UO football program opened the new early signing period by receiving 22 signed letters of intent Wednesday, including from the No. 1-ranked player in the entire country according to ESPN, defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. The class, which can be enhanced over the next two days and again during the traditional signing period in February, was ranked first in the Pac-12 by all the major recruiting services, and No. 5 nationally by both ESPN and 247Sports.
Not since 2011 have the Ducks signed such a prestigious class. That group was ranked No. 9 nationally by Rivals.com, and included that website's No. 5 overall recruit, De'Anthony Thomas. But none of the other recruiting services had Oregon in the top 10 that year. The class signed Wednesday is universally considered one of the 10 best in the nation, comparable to those signed by Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, Louisiana State, Oklahoma and Clemson.
In short, Wednesday was "an awesome day to be a Duck," Cristobal said at an afternoon press conference.
"It raises the bar, which we like," said Cristobal, considered one of the top individual recruiters in the country while an assistant prior to joining the UO staff. "We've always surrounded ourselves with people that are high achievers and have high expectations. This is a huge step in that direction, it really is."
The Ducks came out of Wednesday with the top class in the Pac-12 by a comfortable margin. They broke Southern California's long streak of assembling the conference's best class, largely by plumbing the fertile recruiting ground in the Trojans' home region.
"We made it a goal; we'd be lying if we said we didn't make it one of our goals," Cristobal said of leading the Pac-12. "The fact it landed there, that's awesome. … It's a great start. We achieved a goal. And we want to keep elevating that goal."
The class was capped by two additions Wednesday, enhancing the Ducks' depth in the defensive front seven. They signed two players who made official visits to Eugene just this past weekend, defensive end Brandon Dorlus of Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High and junior college linebacker Dru Mathis.
But the headliner remained Thibodeaux, the No. 1 player not only in ESPN's individual player rankings but also those of 247Sports — until just recently, when the latter recruiting service moved Thibodeaux down into the No. 2 spot nationally. Thibodeaux picked the Ducks in a televised ceremony Saturday, during halftime of ESPN2's New Mexico Bowl telecast.
Watching the televised commitment, Cristobal said, "was pretty awesome." But that's nothing compared to the impact Thibodeaux projects to have as an edge defender for the Ducks over the next few years.
"It's what you want — a game changer at defensive end," Cristobal said. "A guy that can play the run, knock back tackles and tight ends, disrupt the offense and get into the backfield, create negative plays. And in any passing situation — especially third down — here's a guy that can change you significantly on third, that's going to require attention. … Here's a guy that can get to the quarterback. And when he gets there, he's going to cause some issues."
Thibodeaux was the crown jewel of Oregon's "CaliFlock," the dozen natives of southern California migrating north to play their college football. The leader of the pack, Cristobal said, was four-star prospect Keyon Ware-Hudson, a top-10 defensive tackle nationally who "was the one; he was that catalyst," the UO coach said.
Ware-Hudson's talents as a player and leadership off the field helped coax two Mater Dei High teammates to join him in the flock, top-rated all-purpose back Sean Dollars and monstrous middle linebacker Mase Funa. The flock also includes the No. 1 cornerback nationally, Mykael Wright, and offensive lineman Jonah Tauanu'u, who could follow Penei Sewell as the second true freshman in as many years to crack Oregon's starting five on the offensive line.
But the Ducks didn't limit themselves to California talent. They signed hometown kid Patrick Herbert, a tight end and the younger brother of UO starting quarterback Justin Herbert. They added the top-rated player from the state of Colorado for the second year in a row, outside linebacker Isaac Townsend. And they went into Washington for their quarterback of the future, Cale Millen, the son of a UW football legacy.
"It validates a lot of things that we already knew and feel strongly about," Cristobal said. "It validates that Oregon is an unbelievable place, an awesome place, and for us the premier place in the country. …. It validates that if you work really hard, it doesn't matter where you're from, where your coaches are from, what your background is. If you work hard and you're genuine and honest and you have passion for the people you work with and you work for, it's going to show. And it's going to attract the right kind of student-athletes and families to want to be a part of it."
The class signed Wednesday has the chance to provide instant impact, helped by the fact a dozen or more could enroll for winter or spring, Cristobal said. Though the Ducks could return all five starting offensive linemen, both Tauanu'u and junior college guard Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu — all 6-foot-6 and 389 pounds of him — are talented enough to crack the rotation. And Oregon's receiving corps will get a jolt from highly regarded slot receiver Mycah Pittman, rangy wideouts JR Waters and Lance Wilhoite, and the elusive Josh Delgado.
There's room for more in this class, too, come February. There's still time for the group to climb even higher in the national rankings — and raise the bar even higher for future UO recruiting classes.
"You always want more, certainly; I don't think you ever leave National Signing Day thinking, 'We got everything we wanted, everything we needed,' " Cristobal said. "But certainly, a big step forward.
"It's something that we want to and need to get used to. … We all feel like we took a really big step in that direction today."
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