What Kyler Kasper's Commitment Means for the Oregon Ducks
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Oregon made waves on the recruiting trail once again on Sunday when wide receiver Kyler Kasper announced his commitment to the Ducks. As we do with every commitment, we're going to break down what this addition means for Oregon both on the field and on the recruiting trail.
Junior Adams Oregon Spring Practice
© Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Junior Adams' Hot Start With the Ducks
Make no mistake about it, Adams had some very big shoes to fill when he got the job at Oregon. The coach he replaced, Bryan McClendon, quickly lived up to his billing in Eugene as a former 247 Sports National Recruiter of the year (2014) by securing signatures from a trio of All-American recruits in Troy Franklin, Dont'e Thornton and Isaiah Brevard.
Since being formally announced as the wide receivers coach under Dan Lanning on Jan. 3, Adams has secured commitments from UCLA transfer Chase Cota and 2022 in-state product Justius Lowe. Now Adams has quickly added an Adidas All-American to his Oregon resume. Wide receiver is still a very young and relatively inexperienced group for the Ducks, but there's one thing it certainly doesn't lack and that's talent.
Adams helped Washington land some solid prospects during his time in Seattle in Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan but it's not a stretch to say he's already on pace to eclipse that with the brand he now has behind him in Oregon. Kasper is already Adams' second-highest rated commit (according to 247 Sports).
Ducks Beat Out Tennessee
Despite Kasper announcing a top 10 back in February, it looked like this recruitment came down to the Ducks and the Vols. After all, Tennessee got the final visit leading up to the commitment, which is often pivotal in recruiting.
What's more Nico Iamaleava, the Vols' 5-star quarterback commit, was on that trip with Kasper and was no doubt a central part of their pitch. It says a lot about the Ducks that they don't have that centerpiece of their 2023 class right now and they were still able to get this thing done.
The Arizona pipeline
Kyler Kasper Visits Oregon
Kyler Kasper (@KasperKyler on Twitter)/Oregon Athletics
It feels like every year the Ducks are getting players from Arizona. Well, that's because it's one of the most talented up-and-coming states out west. Kasper will join fellow Arizona natives Ty Thompson, Brandon Buckner and fellow commit Cole Martin in Eugene.
The Ducks have some great coaches on this staff with connections to the Grand Canyon State, most notably Offensive Coordinator Kenny Dillingham and Quarterbacks Coach and Analyst Jordan Somerville. Oregon is also in pursuit of other Arizona prospects A'Mauri Washington (DL) and My'Keil Garnder (DL). They would also be wise to pursue tight end Duce Robinson, the state's highest-rated prospect in 2023.
Depth impact in 2022
Kyler Kasper With Marcus Mariota's Heisman Trophy
Kyler Kasper (@kyler.kasper on Instagram)/Oregon Athletics
If you weren't already excited about this commitment, Kasper will be reclassifying from 2023 to 2022, which means he'll be eligible to help this team in the fall.
This team lost a majority of its wide receiver production from a season ago with the departures of Devon Williams and Johnny Johnson III among others, but there's still plenty of talent at the position. Thornton, Franklin and Hutson project to be the main contributors, but expect a healthy dose of Cota, Seven McGee and Isaah Crocker as well.
Kasper is the caliber of player that has the ability to provide an instant impact, and his summer arrival will only serve to further elevate the floor of this largely unproven group.
Eval
To quote Dan Lanning in Kasper's commitment video, perhaps the easiest way to describe him is a game changer.
But let's talk about how.
Standing 6'5" and carrying 195 pounds on his frame, there are the clear advantages that come with that length. High-pointing the ball and having a wider catch radius are a couple that come to mind, which will make him a miss match with a majority of defensive backs in the Pac-12.
But the biggest trait that stands out on tape for me would have to be his sheer athleticism. Doubling as a basketball player for part of his high school career, Kasper has great leaping ability and strong ball skills, making the necessary adjustments to track the ball in the air.
He's also quick off the line of scrimmage and gets going in a hurry. It's because of that that he gives the Ducks added value in the vertical passing game--something Oregon has been lacking for years.
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