Oregon Ducks 4-Star Signee Makes Shocking Recruiting Move, Flips Back to BYU Cougars

Oregon Ducks four-star offensive tackle signee Alai Kalaniuvalu has flipped back to the BYU Cougars once again. A product of prestigious Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, it's a big recruiting loss for coach Dan Lanning. Oregon's 2025 recruiting class now ranks No. 4 in the country behind No. 1 Texas Longhorns, No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks down during the second half as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks were hit with two major blows to their 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes on Tuesday.

Around the same time that On3's Chad Simmons reported that Oregon five-star star edge commit Richard Wesley would be decommitting, the BYU Cougars announced the signing of Oregon four-star signee Alai Kalaniuvalu, who has flipped from the Ducks to head to Provo for his freshman season.

It's been a rollercoaster recruiting journey for Kalaniuvalu. A product of prestigious Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, he committed to Oregon on July 10 before decommitting on Nov. 2 to flip to BYU. However, Kalaniuvalu then decommited about a month later in order to re-commit to Oregon before the most recent decision to stay with BYU after all.

Sep 28, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Oregon Ducks Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James (20) celebrates scoring a second quarter touchdown with tight end Patrick Herbert (88) and offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. (76) against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

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Oregon's 2025 recruiting class now ranks No. 4 in the country behind No. 1 Texas Longhorns, No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs and No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide.

Kalaniuvalu received offers from teams like the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, USC Trojans, Georgia Bulldogs, Auburn Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Miami Hurricanes, Texas A&M Aggies, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ole Miss Rebels, San Diego State Aztecs, Florida Gators, Michigan State Spartans, Alabama Crimson Tide, Colorado Buffaloes, Arizona State Sun Devils and many more,

The losses of Kalaniuvalu and Wesley are just the latest decommitments for Oregon this offseason. The Ducks have also lost commitments from players like four-star receiver Dallas Wilson in the 2025 class and more recently in the 2026 class four-star quarterbacks Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Jonas Williams, four-star offensive tackle Bott Mulitalo and four-star defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui.

Despite the loss of Kalaniuvalu, the rest of Oregon's 2025 recruiting is still littered with talent. The Ducks have incoming elite five-star players in wide receiver Dakorien Moore and Na'eem Offord along with four-stars like safety Tre McNutt, cornerbacks Brandon Finney and Dorian Brew, offensive lineman Ziyare Addison, quarterback Akili Smith Jr., offensive tackle Douglas Utu, edge Matthew Johnson, linebackers Nasir Wyatt and Gavin Nix, athlete Dierre Hill and more.

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning speaks in a press conference after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

According to the scouting report from 247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins, Kalaniuvalu projects as a future NFL offensive lineman.

"He’s one of the strongest players in the country, a dominant run blocker and someone who can manhandle opposing nose guards and tackles at the HS level," Biggins wrote. "Is light on his feet, moves extremely well laterally and can get to the second level with ease. Has strong hands, can stay attached to blockers and is a tough kid with a nice edge in his game. Has enough length to him to project as a high end Power 4 prospect and a future NFL player as well. High football IQ player who understands the position and has the football intelligence needed to play and excel at the center position."

Oregon will kick off its 2025 regular season slate at home from Autzen Stadium against the Montana State Bobcats on Aug. 30.