The traditional signing day Wednesday merely padded Oregon’s already stellar recruiting class, the best in school history.
The major ranking services all had Oregon’s class in the top 10 nationally, which also put the Ducks atop the Pac-12 Conference.
Oregon got commitments from 21 prospects when the early signing period opened in December. Among them was five-star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was ESPN’s top overall prospect and the highest-ranked signee ever for the school.
The Ducks added three more recruits Wednesday, including defensive tackle Kristian Williams, a four-star prospect out of Memphis, Tennessee, who announced on Twitter last weekend that he had decommitted from Minnesota.
Oregon also added Jamal Hill, a safety from Morrow High School in Georgia, and cornerback DJ James from Spanish Fort High School in Mobile, Alabama.
“You think that a second signing day is a little anticlimactic, but it’s not. It ended up being a really good start to the day. We were able to land the exact prospect we wanted at the exact position that we needed. So for us it’s been an extremely exciting and satisfying morning with the addition of Jamal Hill, DJ James and Kristian Williams,” coach Mario Cristobal said.
The Ducks went 9-4 last season in Cristobal’s first year. The team got a boost heading into the upcoming season when quarterback Justin Herbert decided to stay in Eugene for his senior year. One of the prospects that Oregon signed in December was Herbert’s little brother, tight end Patrick Herbert.
Other things of note across the Pac-12 for Wednesday’s signing day.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Washington capped its recruiting class by landing two of the top defensive players on the West Coast. The Huskies signed safety Asa Turner out of Carlsbad, California, and linebacker Daniel Heimuli from East Palo Alto, California.
Landing Turner capped a lengthy recruiting battle. Turner was expected to commit in December, but decided not to sign then as he considered an offer to play linebacker for Notre Dame. Washington viewed Turner as a defensive back and that ultimately was a deciding factor.
“In our mind it was pretty clear cut,” Washington coach Chris Petersen said of Turner as a safety.
Washington had seemed to be the favorite for Heimuli for most of the recruiting period, but his Menlo-Atherton team advancing to the state title game in California impacted his ability to make a decision in time for the December signing period.
OH, BROTHER: One highly skilled Shenault at wide receiver is tough enough. Two is quite a handful.
La’Vontae Shenault announced his intention to follow his big brother to Colorado.
Last season, Laviska Shenault Jr. caught 86 passes for 1,011 yards and six TDs for the Buffaloes despite missing time with a toe injury. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and was named the team’s MVP.
Like his big brother, La’Vontae Shenault is 6-foot-2 and played at DeSoto High School in Texas. La’Vontae amassed 135 catches for 1,717 yards and 12 TDs over the last two seasons for DeSoto.
LOST ONE BUT GAINED ANOTHER: Southern California added elite receiver Kyle Ford to its recruiting class.
Ford, an Orange County product, had his senior season of high school cut short by a knee injury. He favored the Trojans early in the recruiting process, but Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Michigan pursued him as well.
The abrupt departure of new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury after 34 days shook up the Trojans’ recruiting class and led to the departure of receiver commit Bru McCoy, who spurned USC for Texas.
But Kingsbury’s departure and Graham Harrell’s arrival didn’t sway Ford, who is likely to be the top-rated recruit in USC’s class.
FORGING A NEW PATH: Charles Njoku decided not to follow his two older brothers to the University of Miami. Instead, he is headed west.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound wide receiver from Wayne, New Jersey, signed with UCLA on Wednesday. He is the younger brother of Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku, who was a first-round selection in 2017, and Evidence Njoku, who is at the University of Miami.
Charles Njoku is a four-star prospect, according to Rivals.com. He caught 52 passes for 1,106 yards and 16 touchdowns last year.
SNOW DAY: An intense winter storm that dumped up to a foot of snow on parts of Salt Lake City forced Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to cancel his signing day news conference.
The day had an international flavor with the Utes bringing in 6-foot-7 offensive lineman Bamidele Olaseni, a native of London who played last year for Garden City Community College in Kansas, and fellow 6-foot-7 offensive lineman Luke Felix-Fualalo, a former rugby player in Australia who played last year for prep powerhouse Mater Dei in California.
Pac-12 signing classes
Arizona
Kane Bradford, dt, 6-5, 275, Skyline, Dallas, Texas
Derrion Clark, ilb, 6-1, 215, South Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas
Jalen Curry, wr, 6-2, 208, St Pius X, Houston, Texas
Josh Donovan, ol, 6-6, 310, Trinity Valley CC-College Station (Texas) HS
Maurice Gaines, cb, 6-1, 185, St. Thomas More, Sacramento, Calif.
Grant Gunnell, qb, 6-5, 222, St Pius X, Houston, Texas
Jalen Johnson, wr, 6-2, 170, Eleanor Roosevelt, Corona, Calif.
Jordan Morgan, ot, 6-5, 270, Marana, Marana, Ariz.
Kyle Ostendorp, p, 6-2, 195, Desert Vista, Phoenix, Ariz.
Chris Roland, ath, 6-0, 180, William Knight, Palmdale, Calif.
Eddie Siaumau, s, 6-2, 210, Leone, Pago Pago, Pago Pago
Jaxen Turner, s, 6-2, 175, Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley, Calif.
Kwabena Watson, olb, 6-3, 205, Edison, Fresno, Calif.
Michael Wiley, rb, 5-10, 175, Strake Jesuit, Houston, Texas
Jamari Williams, og, 6-4, 275, Cardinal Gibbons, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Bobby Wolfe, cb, 6-1, 180, Madison, Houston, Texas
Arizona St.
Alijah Bates, ot, 6-8, 235, Doherty, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Jordan Clark, cb, 5-11, 168, University Lab, Baton Rouge, La.
Jayden Daniels, qb, 6-3, 175, Cajon, San Bernardino, Calif.
Roman DeWys, ot, 6-5, 280, Basha, Chandler, Ariz.
Willie Harts, cb, 6-0, 170, Pittsburg, Pittsburg, Calif.
LaDarius Henderson, ot, 6-4, 270, Waxahachie, Waxahachie, Texas
Amiri Johnson, sde, 6-6, 235, Diamond Ranch, Pomona, Calif.
Andre Johnson, wr, 6-3, 185, Tolleson Union, Tolleson, Ariz.
Jordan Kerley, wr, 6-1, 190, McNeil, Austin, Texas
Ethan Long, qb, 6-2, 212, West Linn, West Linn, Ore.
Kejuan Markham, s, 6-1, 180, Long Beach Poly, Long Beach, Calif.
Keon Markham, wr, 6-0, 175, Long Beach Poly, Long Beach, Calif.
Nolan Matthews, te, 6-3, 242, Reedy, Frisco, Texas
Ricky Pearsall, wr, 6-1, 195, Corona Del Sol, Tempe, Ariz.
Ben Scott, ot, 6-5, 290, St. Louis, Honolulu, Hawaii
Connor Soelle, ath, 6-1, 195, Saguaro, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Dohnovan West, oc, 6-3, 290, Bishop Alemany, Mission Hills, Calif.
Stephon Wright, sde, 6-3, 260, Cathedral, Los Angeles, Calif.
Joey Yellen, qb, 6-2, 211, Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, Calif.
California
Blake Antzoulatos, ilb, 6-2, 225, Chaminade, West Hills, Calif.
Spencer Brasch, qb, 6-4, 190, Higley, Gilbert, Ariz.
DeCarlos Brooks, ath, 5-9, 188, Chandler, Chandler, Ariz.
Ben Coleman, dt, 6-3, 300, Linfield Christian School, Temecula, Calif.
Braxten Croteau, wde, 6-5, 240, Liberty, Peoria, Ariz.
Brian Driscoll, ot, 6-4, 278, Torrey Pines, Encinitas, Calif.
Myles Jernigan, olb, 6-3, 209, South Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, Texas
Brett Johnson, dt, 6-4, 273, Desert Vista, Phoenix, Ariz.
Jaylen Martin, cb, 6-2, 170, Eleanor Roosevelt, Corona, Calif.
McKade Mettauer, og, 6-4, 287, The Woodlands, The Woodlands, Texas
Elijah Mojarro, te, 6-4, 225, Orange Lutheran, Orange, Calif.
Orin Patu, olb, 6-4, 200, Rainier Beach, Seattle, Wash.
Makai Polk, ath, 6-3, 174, El Cerrito, El Cerrito, Calif.
Ryan Puskas, olb, 6-3, 210, Liberty, Peoria, Ariz.
Brayden Rohme, ot, 6-6, 270, Perry, Gilbert, Ariz.
Kyle Smith, ilb, 6-3, 215, Los Gatos, Los Gatos, Calif.
Miles Williams, cb, 6-0, 170, Mansfield, Mansfield, Texas
Craig Woodson, s, 5-11, 190, South Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, Texas
Curley Young, olb,b, 6-1, 210, Hendrickson, Pflugerville, Texas
Colorado
Joshia Davis, rb, 5-10, 180, Valor Christian, Littleton, Colo.
Marvin Ham, ilb, 6-1, 217, Belleville, Belleville, Mich.
Braedin Huffman-Dixon, wr, 6-3, 180, Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.
Austin Johnson, og, 6-4, 260, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Colo.
Tarik Luckett, wr, 6-3, 190, J Serra Catholic, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Jaren Mangham, ath, 6-1, 214, Cass Technical, Detroit, Mich.
Lloyd Murray Jr., dt, 6-2, 325, Hirschi, Wichita Falls, Texas
D.J. Oats, ath, 5-10, 180, Grace Preparatory Academy, Arlington, Texas
Trustin Oliver, db, 6-2, 200, Legend, Parker, Colo.
Alec Pell, olb, 6-4, 230, Cherry Creek, Englewood, Colo.
Mark Perry, s, 6-1, 190, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Nikko Pohahau, ot, 6-5, 275, St. Francis, Mountain View, Calif.
Na’im Rodman, dt, 6-2, 290, St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif.
Valentin Senn, ot, 6-7, 285, Austria, Austria, Austria
Vontae Shenault, wr, 6-2, 190, DeSoto, DeSoto, Texas
Jayden Simon, dt, 6-4, 280, Lincoln, Tacoma, Wash.
KJ Trujillo, cb, 6-1, 170, Orange Lutheran, Orange, Calif.
Jake Wiley, og, 6-5, 250, Eaglecrest, Aurora, Colo.
Austin Williams, dt, 6-4, 288, Tift County, Tifton, Ga.
Quinn Perry, lb, 6-1, 240, Marina Del Rey, Calif.-El Camino College
Oregon
Trikweze Bridges, s, 6-3, 175, Lanett, Lanett, Ala.
Josh Delgado, wr, 5-11, 181, IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.
Sean Dollars, apb, 5-10, 185, Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.
Brandon Dorlus, sde, 6-2, 270, Deerfield Beach, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Ge’mon Eaford, olb, 6-2, 230, Deerfield Beach, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Mase Funa, ilb, 6-2, 245, Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.
Patrick Herbert, te, 6-5, 225, Sheldon, Eugene, Ore.
Jamal Hill, s, 6-1, 195, Morrow, Morrow, Ga.
Camden Lewis, k, 6-0, 185, William Amos Hough, Cornelius, N.C.
Treven Ma’ae, wde, 6-4, 240, Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, Nev.
Cale Millen, qb, 6-4, 190, Mount Si, Snoqualmie, Wash.
Mycah Pittman, wr, 5-11, 195, Calabasas, Calabasas, Calif.
Suaava Poti, dt, 6-3, 285, St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif.
Logan Sagapolu, oc, 6-3, 340, Skyridge, Lehi, Utah
Jonah Tauanu’u, ot, 6-5, 327, Narbonne, Harbor City, Calif.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, wde, 6-4, 239, Oaks Christian, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Isaac Townsend, olb, 6-6, 241, Ralston Valley Senior, Arvada, Colo.
Keyon Ware-Hudson, dt, 6-3, 305, Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.
JR Waters, wr, 6-3, 185, Oxnard, Oxnard, Calif.
Lance Wilhoite, wr, 6-2, 186, Franklin Road Academy, Nashville, Tenn.
Kristian Williams, dt, 6-3, 297, Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.
Jayvaun Wilson, ath, 6-2, 210, Valencia, Valencia, Calif.
Mykael Wright, cb, 5-11, 180, Antelope Valley, Lancaster, Calif.
Dru Mathis, lb, 6-3, 235, Ventura, Calif.-Moorpark College
Malaesala Aumavae-laulu, ol, 6-6, 389, Hilo, Hawaii, Navarro College, Texas
Oregon St.
Akili Arnold, ath, 6-1, 190, Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, Calif.
Alex Austin, cb, 6-1, 174, Long Beach Poly, Long Beach, Calif.
Evan Bennett, dt, 6-3, 315, Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.
Cade Brownholtz, wde, 6-2, 221, Jesuit, Carmichael, Calif.
Jackson Cloyd, olb, 6-3, 230, Orange Lutheran, Orange, Calif.
Michael Erhart, olb, 6-1, 212, Chaminade, West Hills, Calif.
Jacob Ferenczi, og, 6-6, 280, North Bend, North Bend, Ore.
Jojo Forest, cb, 5-11, 175, Mission Viejo, Orange, Calif.
Ryan Franke, olb, 6-4, 210, Oaks Christian, Westlake Village, Calif.
Anthony Gould, ath, 5-10, 180, West Salem, Salem, Ore.
Kelsen Hennessy, dt, 6-5, 250, Clackamas, Clackamas, Ore.
Kade Hustler, sde, 6-3, 245, Southridge, Beaverton, Ore.
Taron Madison, rb, 6-1, 205, Banning, Banning, Calif.
Luke Musgrave, te, 6-6, 234, Bend Senior, Bend, Ore.
Wynston Russell, cb, 5-11, 180, Homewood-Flossmoor, Flossmoor, Ill.
Cam Sanders, te, 6-4, 215, Crescent Valley, Corvallis, Ore.
Thomas Sio, oc, 6-4, 330, Bartlett, Elmendorf Afb, Alaska
Omar Speights, ilb, 6-1, 235, Crescent Valley, Corvallis, Ore.
Cory Stover, sde, 6-6, 215, Marshfield Senior, Coos Bay, Ore.
Dylan Black, ls, 6-1, 200, Reno, Nev.
Jackson Chryst, qb, 6-2, 200, Palo Alto, Calif
James Rawls, de, 6-3, 265, Inglewood, Calif.
Tanner Miller, og, 6-4, 300, Valencia, Calif.
Southern Cal
Dejon Benton, dt, 6-2, 260, Pittsburg, Pittsburg, Calif.
Kenan Christon, rb, 5-10, 185, Madison, San Diego, Calif.
Trey Davis, cb, 6-0, 185, Federal Way, Federal Way, Wash.
Kyle Ford, wr, 6-2, 212, Orange Lutheran, Orange, Calif.
Dorian Hewett, s, 5-11, 180, North Shore, Houston, Texas
Tilini Livai, og, 6-3, 300, Narbonne, Harbor City, Calif.
Drake London, wr, 6-4, 200, Moorpark, Moorpark, Calif.
Munir McClain, wr, 6-4, 210, J Serra Catholic, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Ethan Rae, te, 6-4, 240, Orange Lutheran, Orange, Calif.
Jason Rodriguez, ot, 6-6, 326, Oak Hills, Hesperia, Calif.
Maninoa Tufono, ilb, 6-3, 225, Punahou, Honolulu, Hawaii
Jaylen Watson, db, 6-2, 190, Ventura College, Augusta, Ga.
Jayden Williams, s, 6-1, 190, Centennial, Corona, Calif.
Stanford
Bradley Archer, te, 6-4, 240, Livermore, Livermore, Calif.
Colby Bowman, wr, 6-3, 190, St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif.
Branson Bragg, oc, 6-4, 308, Crandall, Crandall, Texas
Aeneas DiCosmo, wde, 6-3, 220, Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J.
Marcus Graham, ath, 6-0, 175, Mountain Island Charter, Mount Holly, N.C.
Stephen Herron Jr., wde, 6-3, 238, Trinity, Louisville, Ky.
Elijah Higgins, wr, 6-3, 214, Bowie, Austin, Texas
Jake Hornibrook, og, 6-4, 275, Malvern Prep, Malvern, Pa.
Austin Jones, rb, 5-10, 195, Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif.
Brock Jones, s, 6-0, 175, Buchanan, Clovis, Calif.
Kyu Kelly, cb, 6-1, 175, Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, Nev.
Wakely Lush, te, 6-5, 240, San Clemente, San Clemente, Calif.
Zahran Manley, cb, 6-2, 176, Upland, Upland, Calif.
Jonathan McGill, s, 5-9, 175, Coppell, Coppell, Texas
Barrett Miller, ot, 6-5, 270, Eaglecrest, Aurora, Colo.
Drake Nugent, oc, 6-2, 275, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Colo.
Joshua Pakola, sde, 6-3, 267, St. Francis, Mountain View, Calif.
Nathaniel Peat, apb, 5-8, 175, Rock Bridge, Columbia, Mo.
Diego Preciado, cb, 5-11, 175, The Classical Academy, Escondido, Calif.
Walter Rouse, ot, 6-5, 276, Sidwell Friends School, Washington, District of Columbia
Ryan Sanborn, p, 6-3, 195, Francis Parker School, San Diego, Calif.
Tristan Sinclair, olb, 6-2, 202, San Ramon Valley, Danville, Calif.
Nicolas Toomer, cb, 6-1, 176, Sandy Creek, Tyrone, Ga.
Salim Turner-Muhammad, cb, 6-0, 170, Episcopal, Alexandria, Va.
UCLA
Josh Carlin, og, 6-4, 277, Sierra Canyon, Chatsworth, Calif.
Duke Clemens, og, 6-3, 268, Punahou, Honolulu, Hawaii
Chase Griffin, qb, 5-10, 186, Hutto, Hutto, Texas
Hayden Harris, ath, 6-5, 225, Eastside Catholic, Sammamish, Wash.
Carl Jones, ath, 6-1, 195, Bakersfield, Bakersfield, Calif.
Noah Keeter, wde, 6-5, 224, F. W. Buchholz, Gainesville, Fla.
Siale Liku, dt, 6-3, 323, Oakland, Oakland, Calif.
Shamar Martin, cb, 5-11, 170, Morse, San Diego, Calif.
Jahmon McClendon, rb, 6-2, 210, Monte Vista, Spring Valley, Calif.
Kain Medrano, ath, 6-4, 205, East, Pueblo, Colo.
William Nimmo, s, 6-1, 190, Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.
Charles Njoku, wr, 6-4, 210, Wayne Hills, Wayne, N.J.
Sean Rhyan, ot, 6-4, 324, San Juan Hills, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Beau Taylor, og, 6-5, 286, Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, Nev.
John Ward, olb, 6-3, 227, Palmdale, Palmdale, Calif.
Utah
Donte Banton, wr, 6-0, 184, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Micah Bernard, rb, 5-10, 187, Gahr, Cerritos, Calif.
Luke Felix-Fualalo, ot, 6-7, 300, Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.
Falcon Kaumatule, ath, 6-8, 245, Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, Nev.
Sataoa Laumea, og, 6-4, 305, Eisenhower Senior, Rialto, Calif.
Ben Lennon, p, 6-2, 185, ProKick Australia, Australia, Australia
Aaron Lowe, s, 6-0, 180, West Mesquite, Mesquite, Texas
JaTravis McCloud, db, 5-11, 186, Union, Tulsa, Okla.
Lacarea Pleasant-Johnson, cb, 6-0, 170, Mountain Pointe, Phoenix, Ariz.
Drew Rawls, db, 6-0, 190, West Brook, Beaumont, Texas
Marist Talavou, og, 6-3, 316, St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif.
Bamidele Olaseni, ol, 6-7, 332, London, England-Garden City CC
Cameron Rising, qb, 6-1, 233, Ventura,Calif.-Texas
Washington
Jacob Bandes, dt, 6-2, 315, Pittsburg, Pittsburg, Calif.
Julius Buelow, ot, 6-8, 331, Kapolei, Kapolei, Hawaii
Joshua Calvert, ilb, 6-1.25, 227, Oaks Christian, Westlake Village, Calif.
Cameron Davis, rb, 6-2, 187, Upland, Upland, Calif.
Taj Davis, wr, 6-1.25, 192, Upland, Upland, Calif.
Kamren Fabiculanan, cb, 6-1.75, 183, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Troy Fautanu, og, 6-3, 289, Liberty, Henderson, Nev.
Timothy Horn, k, 6-0.25, 206, Punahou, Honolulu, Hawaii
Nathaniel Kalepo, ot, 6-6, 341, Rainier Beach, Seattle, Wash.
Laiatu Latu, wde, 6-4, 272, Jesuit, Carmichael, Calif.
Trent McDuffie, cb, 5-11, 187, St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif.
Dylan Morris, qb, 6-0, 188, Graham-Kapowsin, Graham, Wash.
Noa Ngalu, dt, 6-0, 280, Menlo-Atherton, Menlo Park, Calif.
Sama Paama, dt, 6-3, 336, Kaimuki, Honolulu, Hawaii
Bralen Trice, wde, 6-3.25, 220, Sandra Day O’connor, Glendale, Ariz.
Faatui Tuitele, dt, 6-2, 304, St. Louis, Honolulu, Hawaii
Alphonzo Tuputala, ilb, 6-1.75, 249, Federal Way, Federal Way, Wash.
Asa Turner, ath, 6-3, 195, Carlsbad, Carlsbad, Calif.
Cameron Williams, s, 5-11, 183, Bakersfield, Bakersfield, Calif.
Miki Ah You, olb, 6-0.25, 207, Kahuku, Kahuku, Hawaii
Corey Luciano, ol, 6-3, 270, Danville, Calif.-Monte Vista
Washington St.
Armauni Archie, cb, 6-1, 175, El Cerrito, El Cerrito, Calif.
Jouvensly Bazile, apb, 5-10, 180, Golden Gate, Naples, Fla.
Travion Brown, olb, 6-3, 215, Linfield Christian School, Temecula, Calif.
Gunner Cruz, qb, 6-5, 227, Casteel, Queen Creek, Ariz.
Ma’ake Fifita, sde, 6-5, 250, Glacier Peak, Snohomish, Wash.
Tyler Garay-Harris, wde, 6-5, 230, Bishop O’Dowd, Oakland, Calif.
Konner Gomness, ot, 6-4, 270, San Joaquin Memorial, Fresno, Calif.
Gatlin Grisso, ath, 6-1, 185, Aubrey, Aubrey, Texas
Rocky Katoanga, olb, 6-2, 205, El Camino, Oceanside, Calif.
Cosmas Kwete, olb, 6-3, 220, Central, Phoenix, Ariz.
Peni Naulu, olb, 6-1, 210, Kapolei, Kapolei, Hawaii
Donovan Ollie, wr, 6-3, 205, Wylie, Wylie, Texas
Billy Pospisil, wr, 5-11, 190, Pomona, Arvada, Colo.
Simon Samarzich, ls, 6-0, 200, Upland, Upland, Calif.
Jamir Thomas, ilb, 6-1, 215, Washington, Massillon, Ohio
Patrick Utschinski, ot, 6-7, 280, Walla Walla, Walla Walla, Wash.
The Associated Press
