Ducks land touted class
No drama.
That was the way Oregon coach Mario Cristobal summed up the first day that Class of 2021 recruits could sign letters of intent.
Except, for longtime followers of the Ducks, landing a class ranked top-10 nationally is plenty dramatic.
Headlined by quarterback Ty Thompson, offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia and wide receiver Troy Franklin, the Ducks' class was ranked sixth in the nation by ESPN and by 247 Sports and fifth by Rivals.
"Now we're getting closer to what the roster needs to look like," Cristobal said.
He described Oregon's approach to recruiting as "a never-ending, foot-on-the-gas process" that required plenty of creativity because of the pandemic.
Cristobal said Thompson and Lebanon linebacker Keith Brown were two signees whose efforts to recruit fellow future Ducks were critical to building the class.
Of the 11 offensive players signed Wednesday, Dec. 16, four are offensive linemen, two are tight ends and three are receivers. Franklin (6-2, 170) is the smallest of the three receivers.
The Ducks still can add several players to this class, and Cristobal noted that transfer opportunities also might play into how the roster is filled out. The coach said 15 or 16 of the 20 high school players signed Wednesday plan to enroll early, and that some of them could have a tremendous impact as freshmen next season.
"We want to be a big, fast, physical football team, at every position," Cristobal said.
Here is the list of players who on Dec. 16 signed letters of intent to play at Oregon:
Darren Barkins CB 6-0 170, Spring Valley, Calif. Mater Dei Catholic HS
Jeffrey Bassa S 6-2 200, Kearns, Utah Kearns HS
Isaiah Brevard WR 6-4 200, Memphis, Tenn. Southaven HS (Miss.)
Keith Brown LB 6-1 220, Lebanon, Ore. Lebanon HS
Brandon Buckner OLB 6-1 234, Charlotte, N.C. Chandler HS (Ariz.)
Daymon David S 6-1 178, Baltimore, Md. Franklin HS
Jaylin Davies CB 6-1 185, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Mater Dei HS
Terrance Ferguson TE 6-5 230, Denver, Colo. Heritage HS
Troy Franklin WR 6-2 170, East Palo Alto, Calif. Menlo-Atherton HS
Jackson Light OL 6-3 284, Draper, Utah Corner Canyon HS
Moliki Matavao TE 6-6 240, Henderson, Nev. Liberty HS
Seven McGee RB 5-8 167, Rochester, N.Y. East HS
Jabril McNeill OLB 6-4 225, Raleigh, N.C. Sanderson HS
Jonah Miller OL 6-7 260, Tucson, Ariz. Salpointe Cathlic HS
Kingsley Suamataia OL 6-5 280, Laie, Hawaii Orem HS (Utah)
Ty Thompson QB 6-4 215, Gilbert, Ariz. Mesquite HS
Dont'e Thornton WR 6-5 185, Baltimore, Md. Mount Saint Joseph HS
Terrell Tilmon OLB 6-4 210, Mansfield, Texas Mansfield Timberview HS
Bram Walden OL 6-4 270, Scottsdale, Ariz. Saguaro HS
Keanu Williams DL 6-5 280, Clovis, Calif. Clovis HS
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