TJ Dudley Brings Elite Talent to Oregon's 2022 Recruiting Class

What are the Ducks getting in their newest commit?

Author:
Max Torres
Publish date:
Jun 28, 2021 1:59 PM EDT

Landing TJ Dudley is a huge recruiting win for Mario Cristobal and his staff. Not only did he go across the country to land him, but he snatched him from the clutches of the Crimson Tide, who don't lose out on top in-state talent very often.

When he was previewing his commitment and talking about UCF, Dudley told me that he would be starting a movement and that other guys would come play with him in Orlando. I think it's very likely we see a similar effect at Oregon, seeing that he is now the school's top commit and he comes from an area loaded with blue-chip recruits.

If you read my piece on Pac-12 recruiting intensifying this month, I said that Oregon ideally would have more commits to show for its recruiting efforts so far this summer. Sir Mells was a huge commit, but I think the Ducks were looking to add a truly elite player to this class for a while and Dudley is just that.

He holds 29 scholarship offers, but turned them all down to come to Eugene. His commitment also serves as a nice answer to USC landing 5-star DL Mykel Williams from Columbus, Ga. UCLA has also started to turn things around by landing solid talent throughout the state of California, which suggests Oregon is facing a stiffer competition to defend its Pac-12 recruiting crown.

With two Alabama recruits in the fold in Dudley and QB Tanner Bailey, the staff will turn its attention to OL Eston Harris Jr., another Alabama prospect that just placed Oregon in his top five following a visit in Eugene.

Analysis from SI All-American's John Garcia Jr.

There is positional versatility, athleticism and length at play, something that projects to the linebacker position independent of base schematics. Dudley is in the 6'3", 220-pound range and lines up at all three levels, with clear impact at each, for Montgomery (Ala.) Catholic High School.

The classic linebacker asks are still relevant in the modern game and Dudley checks the box when it comes to attacking the ball carrier in downhill fashion with some finishing power. Where it fits the 2021 game is how efficient he is at attacking from depth and/or space, playing outside in along with his navigation skill to avoid bigger blockers in time to make a play. The other easy-to-see translation to today's east-west nature of spread football, is how comfortable Dudley is running from sideline to sideline. Sure, him playing safety at times shows just how athletic he is in general, but the instincts to get on his horse in short order project him as a true off-ball prospect to combat the passing extensions of the run game like bubble screens, hitches and even the R-P-O game.

Against the pass, Dudley has some coverage skill in his tool box. We got a fresh look at this at the Under Armour All-America Game camp in Atlanta earlier this year, where he was among the best coverage 'backers in what was a loaded group of Power 5 prospects. There is considerable room for improvement in the technique department, but the natural ability to re-route or run with a back is present at this stage. Should the spacial awareness and frame, which can carry more weight, improve going forward then it isn't a stretch to envision the Alabama native aiding the pass defense in the pass rush game, too.

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