Oregon Football Signee Spotlight: Defensive Lineman Xadavien Sims
They were a lot of gifted players in San Antonio last week for the Adidas All-American Bowl, but one I was most looking forward to seeing was 2024 Durant (Okla.) defensive lineman and Oregon signee Xadavien Sims.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound defensive lineman was ranked the top player in his state and spoke with Ducks Digest about his recruitment and what's next when he enrolls at Oregon.
Sims was born in Alabama and spent his first two high school seasons at Denison High School in Texas before transferring to Durant, where he became a national recruit. One of the many talented defensive linemen set to play for Tony Tuioti, he reflected on what it was like getting recruited by the Ducks.
"As soon as you get on campus you just feel the vibe of the place," he said. "I don't see how somebody could get on campus and not wanna go there. It's like everything you need plus more, plus you have great coaches to coach you and develop you that have been in the NFL and all over the country developing great players and getting all these defensive linemen and defensive players to the League."
Xadavien Sims poses with Tony Washington Jr. (bottom left), Tony Tuioti (left) and Tosh Lupoi (right) during a visit to Oregon.
But Sims wasn't always destined to be a Duck, which makes his addition even more of a recruiting victory for Oregon.
"Originally I wasn't supposed to go to Oregon to take a visit. I had felt like before that I was real locked in with OU (Oklahoma) and I was set in my mind that's where I wanted to go."
Thanks to his trainer, Sean Cooper at C4 Sports Performance, he got eyes on the Ducks, and the rest is history.
"But in my heart I was like me and Coop, my trainer, he was like I gotta go take this Oregon visit so I don't have any second guesses on my mind. I got on campus and I just saw everything, saw and talked with coaches and the meetings and stuff and I was like oh yeah I gotta play here. This is gonna get me more ready for the league than any other school I visited."
Sims is one of four 2024 defensive line recruits the Ducks are bringing in to play on the interior, and he's excited about Tony Tuioti, Tosh Lupoi and Dan Lanning's haul.
"It's no doubt we got the best D-line room in the country," he said in San Antonio. "Me and Jericho [Johnson], and Tionne [Gray], me and Jericho we talk it up like every day. We cool now. Me and Tionne are gonna be roommates and stuff, so just building that bond with the D-linemen that you have around you is a big thing. Especially coming with playing and practicing, you want to have a good relationship with your D-line so you click and play much better."
Xadavien Sims (81) at Adidas All-American Bowl practice in San Antonio.
Max Torres/Ducks Digest
Sims showcased his raw power all week in San Antonio against some of the best offensive linemen in the country and recorded a sack in the All-American Bowl on Saturday.
"I pride myself on power and getting to the quarterback as quick as possible. Coach Tuioti, when I talk to him he tells me a lot there's really two different types of D-linemen: you got the finesse, choppy d-linemen and you got power and speed linemen really. You really don't need to do too much besides---because NFL dudes, they want to see you get to the quarterback as fast as possible.
The Oklahoma product is being added to the Oregon defense in part to help offset a big loss from the 2023 roster.
"Coach Lupoi, Coach Tuitoi told me they basically want me doing the same thing Brandon Dorlus did. And I feel really really good coming in behind him, learning from him and stuff like that. Moving playing inside, playing outside as well."
Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus against the Washington State Cougars.
Darby Winter/Ducks Digest
Getting to the point of signing his national letter of intent was not an easy process, and Sims reflected on what it's like getting recruited in today's era of college football.
"Obviously it was hectic. The best I could describe it was like having ten girlfriends at one time. Trying to be at this place and keep this coach interested, be at this place at one time, stay on the phone with this coach, call this coach and stuff like that. But I just think it's also a blessing."
The massive defensive lineman concluded the interview with a message to Duck fans.
"I just want y'all to know, Oregon we're coming better than ever. We're gonna be the best in the country. We're elevating each and every day. Once this new class comes, Kamar, Aaron, Fox, all these All-Americans that's here, we just getting better. I believe we got the best class in the country so once that time comes they're gonna see we're really gonna get rocking and rolling for real."
