TJ Dudley Details Oregon Commitment

Catching up with the Ducks' newest commit to learn why Oregon was the call and what's next for the Alabama native.

Author:
Max Torres
Publish date:
Jun 29, 2021 3:00 PM EDT

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound backer made his commitment official on Monday.

What made Oregon the place for him?

"When I got off of that plane and I got off there on that visit it was a different type of feeling. When I left I got that home feeling, but didn’t want to announce too quick--wanted to take my other visits."

Dudley knew Oregon was the place for him after his Alabama visit.

"I didn’t get the type of home feeling I got when I was at Oregon. Bama was awesome."

Dudley's new college teammates, the commits in the Oregon 2022 class, felt like the Ducks would be the call.

"Some of them kind of knew and kind of felt it, even after the visit they could kind of tell," Dudley said. "They were excited too."

Dudley said the upcoming changes to name, image and likeness were a factor in his commitment, but not a final selling point.

"Of course with Phil Knight and it being the home of Nike," he said of what makes Oregon a great place for NIL. "Just the appeal of Oregon and the jerseys and the status they have around the world, just the whole town."

When Mario Cristobal identifies a recruit he really wants, nobody works harder than him and his staff. That's directly reflected in Dudley having a tough time identifying just one coach he feels closest with in Eugene considering he talks with the entire staff every day.

"One thing that was different, every week Coach (Ken) Wilson would push it to make sure I got on a Zoom with the whole staff," Dudley said of how Oregon's recruitment was different from other schools.

"He’s awesome, he’s like a mentor. Every time we talk, sometimes it's about football, but I can talk about anything with him. That shows he really cares about me, not just me athletically."

Dudley joins an Oregon class that is gaining ground on USC in the Pac-12 recruiting rankings after passing UCLA for the No. 2 spot. He sees the class growing.

"We got a lot coming," he said.

One target that would be a major addition is offensive lineman Eston Harris, another Alabama native from Auburn that has the Ducks in his top five along with Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Florida State.

"It’d be huge, considering they got a lot of Bama guys up there," he said of what it would mean to add Harris to the Flock. "It’d be crazy."

What's next for the linebacker?

"Just focusing on things. The main thing is getting my team ready for the season, going after a championship."

Dudley plans to be back in Eugene at the end of July and has the option to take two more official visits after officials to Oregon, Texas and UCF prior to his commitment.

But is he planning on taking other visits?

"As far as visits to other schools, not really recruiting-wise, but I know players playing at other schools that I want to see play."

He wrapped up the interview with a message to Duck fans that are ready to cheer him on when Autzen Stadium is rocking on Saturday's.

"They’re getting a great, well-rounded person. I’m giving my 100% every day on the field and in the classroom."

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