Commit Report: A.J. Tuitele chooses Oregon

The University of Oregon's second football

commit for the 2003 recruiting class is

A.J. Tuitele (6-0, 190, 4.5) from Wilmington (Calif.) Banning. Rick Kimbrel, from

Pac10recruiting, spoke with A.J. and had him comment on why he committed to Oregon.

"I liked their coaching staff," Tuitele said about the Oregon Ducks. "They were very cool and upfront about everything."

"I also chose Oregon because I like their defensive scheme," Tuitele said. "When I was young I always wanted to be an Oregon Duck. When the offer came through, I decided to take it."

Tuitele is a standout on both sides of the ball. As a running back, A.J. rushed for 1,459 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore, then tacked on 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior.

Although Tuitele has the skills to play on the offensive side of the ball, the Ducks recruited him as a safety. That

should come as no surprise since A.J. is widely considered to be one of the West Coast's top safety prospects. As a sophomore, Tuitele picked off seven passes. The opposition wisely tried to avoid A.J. during his junior season, but he still managed to pick off three passes.

Tuitele is a very aggressive football player that also has great leadership skills. "Fierce competitor" and "tremendous hitter" are just a few of the phrases used to describe what A.J. brings to the table. Tuitele was selected all-area, all-city and all-league his junior season and has good strength with a 305 pound bench max.

Combined with the previous commitment from Spanaway (Wash.) Bethel quarterback Johnny DuRocher, the Ducks are off to a terrific start at this early stage of the recruiting process. Interest in the Oregon football program from the West Coast's top

prospects, and top prospects from around the country, is at unprecedented levels.

Inside Duck Sports would like to welcome A.J. Tuitele to the University of Oregon family. We look forward to reporting more on A.J. after we speak with him in the near future.

NOTE: Some of the statistics and other pieces of information found in this article are courtesy of Rick Kimbrel,

from

Pac10recruiting.

Discuss this article and other Duck related topics at the Inside

Duck Sports Forum.