Torres' Take: What to Make of Oregon's Splash During the Early Signing Period
Wow. Just wow. What an absolutely insane couple of days it's been for Oregon on the recruiting trail.
As I sat in my hotel room I couldn't write fast enough to keep up with the seven commitments that Oregon would land on Wednesday to kick off the early signing period.
Now that things have slowed down just a bit, I wanted to touch on some of the biggest names that dominated the storylines of Oregon football recruiting and talk about what they mean for Dan Lanning and the Ducks.
EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei (Bellflower, CA)
Even though Austin Novosad's commitment received a ton of attention--and rightfully so, this was the commitment that took the cake for me. I've covered Uiagalelei's recruitment pretty closely this season, but I never felt like Oregon was the clear-cut favorite to secure his commitment.
Even after landing in his top three, I still thought USC and Ohio State had the best chances. But I never said the Ducks were out, and knew that this staff would keep pushing until the pen met paper.
Why is Uiagalelei such a huge addition?
This is the type of recruit that you bring in Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi to land. Despite having some solid players in the trenches the past couple years, the defensive line and front seven have been severely lacking for Oregon. You need multiple guys that can get after the quarterback to get this team where it wants to go and Matayo is a player that knows how to disrupt an offense.
Beating out Lincoln Riley and USC is an absolute statement for Oregon's battle on the recruiting trail in Southern California, which promises to be entertaining for years to come.
QB Austin Novasad (Dripping Springs, TX)
Novosad quickly stole the headlines after he became priority No. 1 for Will Stein. With Dante Moore defecting to UCLA, the Ducks needed to act fast and they did just that.
Flipping a Texas kid from Baylor is nothing to scoff at. Just look at Notre Dame and Ohio State. They both tried earlier in this cycle and weren't able to pull it off.
Novosad's addition adds to a quarterback room that's severely lacking depth and gives Oregon someone else to learn from Bo Nix and develop in 2023. He may not be the most physically imposing quarterback, but he's got a quick release, is accurate, and put up numbers against top talent in Texas. Hard to ask for much more than that.
WR Jurrion Dickey (East Palo Alto, CA)
Dickey had been a long-time commit, but he certainly wasn't an easy player for the Ducks to hang on to. Tennesse, Texas A&M and Penn State all stayed in the mix, even though some of those schools didn't offer him until he earned his fifth star.
What makes Dickey's signature even more important?
When I spoke with him in October he told me he was leaning more toward signing in February. I kept it close to the vest, but part of the reason for that was because he wanted to take all five of his official visits.
The staff got him on campus last weekend looking to shut things down and then inked their top offensive commit on Wednesday. HUGE.
CB Daylen Austin (Long Beach, CA)
Austin was another recruitment I've tracked very closely since moving to Southern California. His commitment came as no surprise, as he told me Oregon was the school most likely to pull off a flip when I talked to him after his LSU official visit.
However, he was planning to take the process a bit slower since he's a track guy which makes flipping AND signing him during the early signing period feel like double dipping. You have to give Rashad Wadood a ton of credit here, as he continues to establish himself as one of the most important pieces in Oregon's efforts to recruit Southern California.
Austin's addition gives a cornerback group that struggled all season (aside from Christian Gonzalez) a long, athletic playmaker that has an opportunity to make a serious impact in Eugene.
CB Caleb Presley (Seattle, WA)
With Austin flipping, losing Presley doesn't feel too significant for Oregon. I liked Presley and what he brought to the table, but I don't think this hurts the Ducks in the long run.
Washington will gloat about flipping a big-time recruit from their rivals, but Demetrice Martin and the Ducks will be just fine.
RB Jayden Limar (Lake Stevens, WA)
This was another big flip for the Ducks. They didn't really need another running back from a numbers standpoint, but you aren't going to turn away a player like him.
Notre Dame started to feel shaky about his commitment down the home stretch and Carlos Locklyn was in a perfect spot to capitalize. Limar may not get the national buzz he deserves playing in Washington, but he has a ton of upside as a 2,000-yard rusher this year and someone who provides added value catching the ball out of the backfield. The rich get richer in Eugene and the backfield remains loaded despite losing Byron Cardwell (Cal) and Sean Dollars (Nevada).
DB Solomon Davis (Covina, CA)
I won't lie. This commitment fired me up. Davis was the first player I ever predicted to Oregon since I started my career covering recruiting.
Oregon had their eyes on him for a while as one of the top defensive backs in Southern California but he flew under the radar a bit at Charter Oak. This one was going to be tough for the Ducks to lose following his de-commitment from Arizona as the staff really went all-in with multiple home visits and Southern California connections throughout the staff and roster.
Again, another really solid player at a major position of need.
OL Ajani Cornelius (Harlem, NY)
Had to stay up a bit later for this one, but it was worth it. Cornelius was arguably the biggest name at offensive line in the transfer portal and the Ducks put themselves in a great spot to capitalize once they got him on campus for an official.
With all the veterans they're set to lose, the transfer portal gives you the chance to add some proven production here at a position of need. Paring him with Junior Angilau out of Texas, along with five other commits (four signees), Adrian Klemm is making it a point to keep his room stocked with capable players.
EDGE Blake Purchase (Inglewood, CO)
This was another big name to track as the first day of the signing period wound down. Purchase was another guy that had been committed for a while, but things got a little interesting when his letter still hadn't come in after day one.
That's partially because Deion Sanders was making a big push to flip the No. 1 player in Colorado to the Buffaloes. But the Ducks were able to hold on.
I talked earlier about how Oregon's play in the front seven hasn't been anywhere close to where it needs to be. Purchase is a player that people around the program have told me they feel can make a legitimate impact from day one. So you can see why it was so important they kept him in the fold.
S Peyton Bowen (Denton, TX)
I won't spend a lot of time, but I still wanted to touch on Bowen.
I was absolutely shocked when he committed to Oregon on Wednesday. Like, completely floored. I knew the Ducks were in the mix late but I wasn't expecting much to come of the late buzz.
Even though he flipped his commitment to Oklahoma on Thursday, this 2023 class is special and knocking on the door of the best class in Oregon's history. Oh, and did I mention it's Dan Lanning's first full recruiting cycle with the Ducks?
If anything you should view Bowen's commitment, albeit short, as a sign for things to come in Oregon recruiting. Expect them to continue to be in contention for players of his caliber in Texas and across the country on a yearly basis.
So while his loss stings, but this was still an unreal close by this coaching staff. They addressed a ton of needs and they're still in the mix for some elite talent in 2023.
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