2023 QB Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson Talks Oregon Visit

"Marcus Mariota is a big influence on me. He’s the reason I wear number 8."

Author:
Max Torres
Publish date:
Sep 28, 2021 5:29 PM EDT

Oregon continued its pursuit of the quarterback position this weekend, hosting three 2023 quarterbacks in Pierce Clarkson, Jaden Rashada, and Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson for the Arizona game.

Tupou'ata-Johnson spoke with Ducks Digest about the trip and the latest in his recruitment.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback added an Oregon offer following a strong performance at Saturday Night Live earlier this summer and didn't waste time getting back on campus.

"My dad and I were planning to come out and see an Oregon game because I hadn’t seen one at Autzen," he said. "Every time I had, it had been in Northern or Southern California. I wanted to catch up with the coaches and see other recruits."

The California prep has a long-standing interest in Oregon, dating back to when he first started playing and was choosing his jersey number.

"I grew up an Oregon fan. My dad played in high school with Dennis Dixon. Marcus Mariota is a big influence on me. He’s the reason I wear number eight," he said. "I’ve always wanted to be up at Oregon."

During the trip he got to spend time with the staff, as well as other recruits in attendance.

"I talked to Coach [Nate] Costa before the game a little bit, and talked to Coach Cristobal on Saturday morning. During the trip I was really just spending time with the other quarterbacks Jaden Rashada and Pierce Clarkson."

During his time with the staff, the Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) High School product felt a good energy and vibe.

"It’s genuine. I love talking to the coaches. It’s always a genuine question, we could be talking about food or anything and it’ll be flowing and nothing will be awkward about it."

Like many recruits that make their way to the Hatfield-Dowlin complex and the Oregon football facilities for visits, Tupou'ata-Johnson holds Mario Cristobal in high regard.

"I love Coach Cristobal. I love his energy," he said of Oregon's head coach. "You can tell he’s really there for the kids. He’s trying to do the best he can to make our lives better. He’s a great guy."

Autzen Stadium was rocking for the Ducks' win over Arizona, and the energy from the fans and players carries over to the staff and program as a whole. In fact, it's what's standing out the most about the program in his eyes.

"I would say the energy definitely stands out. You can tell everyone is really in to it," he said. "The energy is definitely different. The players and the fans are really into it."

The quarterback reflected on his Autzen experience, highlighted by the thousands of students that were back in town for the start of fall term.

"It was crazy. Especially the student section. The recruits sat right next to them. You could hear the passion they had watching the game. That was a good experience hearing the student section because I heard a lot about them."

Many fans aren't satisfied with the offensive output we've seen through four games, but he came away impressed with what he saw.

"I love the offense. Moorhead really knows what he's doing. He puts the quarterbacks in the right positions and he helps them as much as he can. They take shots and they also take what you give them."

Tupou'ata-Johnson holds seven offers and took trips to Florida State, Arizona State, Cal, Washington and BYU over the summer. As he works through his junior season, more schools will likely come calling.

But for now, BYU and Oregon are among the schools he's hearing from the most.

'I'm talking to Coach Aaron Rodrick (OC/QB's) and Coach Kalani [Sitake]. It's crazy over there too. The fan base is just like Oregon. Tough to compare.

"The head coach really cares. Coach Kalani is genuine too. Him being Polynesian and me being half Polynesian is cool. [I've] Never really met a head coach that is Polynesian. They both played at BYU and you can tell they’re doing everything they can for the program."

Fresh off his visit to Eugene, no future trips are on the docket, but a return trip to see Oregon later this season could be in the works.

"My parents and I were looking in to going to the Oregon vs. Oregon State game, he said of his visit plans." I heard that was the game to go to, so I want to go and experience that. We haven’t talked about anything else."

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