Utah Loses Out On In-State 2021 Prospect Jeffrey Bassa, Who Chose Oregon

Utah's 2021 recruiting class took a hit on Monday night when 3-star in-state prospect Jeffrey Bassa spurned the Utes for Pac-12 rival Oregon, becoming the third top-10 in-state prospect to choose the Ducks

In what's becoming a theme in the 2021 recruiting class, some of Utah's top prospects are heading west. Well, the Pacific Northwest to be exact.

Jeffrey Bassa, a three-star safety out of Kearns High School, chose the Oregon Ducks over fellow finalists Utah and Oklahoma State on Monday night.

C O M M I T T E D 💚💛#ScoDucks 🦆 pic.twitter.com/w9hk0BALqp

— Jeffrey Bassa (@Bassa_21) October 13, 2020

Bassa is third top-10 prospect from the state of Utah to choose the Ducks over the home-state Utes, all of whom had Utah in their final groups. He joins Kingsley Suamataia and Jackson Light, the top two prospects in the state who are also attending Oregon. Voi Tunuufi, the state's No. 4 prospect is also heading to the Pac-12 Northwest to suit up for Washington.

“The hardest part of this journey is taking the time to say no to coaches who have built relationships with me and my family," Bassa said on Instagram Live where he made his announcement. "However, I know exactly where I belong and where I want to be. I have finally chosen to step through the door that God has opened for me.”

According to 247sports composite rankings, Bassa's score of .8648 makes him Oregon's 20th ranked recruit out of its 22 verbal commits. Should he have chosen the Utes, Bassa would've been Utah's sixth-best recruit out of its would-be 12 commits.

JEFFREY BASSA
*3-star, Athlete
*6-foot-1, 198-pounds
*Kearns High School — Salt Lake City, UT

While he's listed as an athlete, I think he's best suited as a hybrid linebacker/safety at the next level. It's a position that's being utilized in the NFL right now like Tyrann Mathieu and Derwin James, or even former Clemson Tiger Isaiah Simmons.

He already pops off as somebody with good size and athleticism, particularly in a shortened area which would make him ideal for that hybrid role. He'll put on good weight in college and could become an absolute nightmare on defense as a swiss army knife.

Bassa is still slightly raw in terms of development, but it's also because he hasn't really had to designate a position as of yet. Once he does, I fully expect him to thrive and begin to tap into his potential.

“Coach Keith Heyward is a mentor on the field and off the field as well,” Bassa told 247Sports recently. “Oregon, really, was a surprise offer when I got that, especially since there was no real spring evaluation period. But it’s a program that is always competing for those championships and a lot of top guys are going there. The class they’re building right now is special.”

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