Kayvon Thibodeaux commits to Oregon: Mario Cristobal lands program-altering recruit

Kayvon Thibodeaux is the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit and he’s headed to Oregon to play his college football.

Ahead of the early signing day period on Wednesday, Dec. 19, Oregon landed the biggest recruit in program history with Kayvon Thibodeaux committing to the Ducks over Alabama, Florida and Florida State.

The 6-4.5, 239-pound defensive end is the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Out of Oaks Christian high school, the Thousand Oaks, CA. native is a huge get for Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal who has a history for being an ace recruiter.

Not only is this big for Oregon to get a player as highly sought after as Thibodeaux, but it’s a win that the Pac-12 can claim as well. The conference known for its offense is getting an impact edge defender who can make his presence felt, and right away, as a freshman too.

Thibodeaux joins an Oregon recruiting class that was already the best in the Pac-12 but is now in the top five recruiting classes in the nation, per 247Sports. These are the types of results Oregon was expecting when they hired Cristobal off Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama. In order for Oregon to return to the top of the Pac-12 and compete for national championships again, they need a pipeline of elite talent coming to Eugene.

The addition of Thibodeaux does that with an exclamation point.

Thibodeaux has the size and skills that could make him a future top-10 pick in the NFL Draft if he’s able to stay healthy and develop at Oregon. His range, speed and agility make him the perfect weak-side defensive end to chase passers in a passing league. Expect Thibodeaux to play early, especially on passing downs for the Ducks, but he is adept at defending against the run too.

He is Oregon’s highest graded recruit in program history, edging out former first round pick and Pro Bowler defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.