Ducks Digest

Oregon Football Going International With Offer to Mamadou Cissokho From Senegal

Modern recruiting isn't restricted by geography. I sat down with one of the Ducks' recent offers all the way in Africa to discuss his expanding recruitment.

Max Torres

In this story:

Senegal is more than 6,000 miles from Eugene. That equates to about a 13-hour flight. 

Those are some big numbers, but they drive home the fact that modern college recruiting knows no bounds. Oregon sent out an intriguing offer earlier this month to Mamadou Cissokho, an up-and-coming 2023 lineman from Senegal.

Born and raised in Senegal, sports have been a part of Cissokho's life from a young age. But there's one aspect of this offer that stands out--he's never played American football. 

That hasn't stopped more than 20 schools from expressing interest in him as a prospect on the gridiron.

"I grew up playing basketball and rugby which I am really good at both as I’m the youngest on the U19 travel teams," Cissokho said. "My recruiting has just started when I met Brandon Collier of PPI Recruits. Since then I have heard from over 25 schools including Oregon, Texas A&M, Auburn , Penn state, Baylor and many more I had Zoom calls with."

The 6-5.5, 290-pounder projects as either an offensive or defensive lineman, but his experience and background in multiple sports could lead to being moved around the field to find a natural fit. That figures to be an exciting process, and one that should begin once he arrives in the U.S. and finds a home at a new school.

"I never played football before," he told Ducks Digest. "I’m currently playing rugby and basketball, but will go to a high school in the USA soon."

The Ducks have offered him as an offensive lineman, but other schools such as the Auburn Tigers, view him more as a defensive lineman.

Having never played American football and with rugby being the more common sport of choice in Western Africa, Cissokho has a limited knowledge of the game. However, you can tell he's ready to dive in head-first and he's anxious to put on some pads. 

"I started watching YouTube and seeing there were people my size," he said of when football got on his radar. "I was interested and I got in contact with Brandon Collier because he has helped many international kids."

The Senegal native will be touching down in America for the first time in a few short months, as he's scheduled to attend the PPI Recruits Dreamchasers tour in June, a showcase for international prospects that will have representatives from more than 30 college programs in attendance. 

As one might expect, his background knowledge of Oregon Football, as with any program at this point, is fairly limited. 

"I have never heard of Oregon or any football until now, but I think it’s good."

Cissokho has had early communication with the Ducks' staff, and being the first program to show faith in his ability and character could go a long way in his young recruitment. 

"I have talked with the coaches and they are excited about me," he said. "The first scholarship is a huge deal."

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Max Torres
MAX TORRES

Max Torres is the publisher and lead editor of Ducks Digest. He's covered the Oregon football and recruiting beats for four years. He's based out of Long Beach, CA and travels around Southern California and the country covering top high school football prospects.

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