Oregon lands Rivals100 TE
Oregon football recruiting is still on a roll they proved again on Wednesday when Henderson (Nev.) Liberty tight end Moliki Matavao made his announcement via social media. Matavoa selected the Ducks from over three dozen offers which included all the top programs from coast-to-coast. The Rivals100 honoree had narrowed his list to a final group of Georgia, Oregon, Penn State and UCLA before selecting the Ducks.
Rivals national and West Coast analyst Adam Gorney gave his thoughts on the new addition for Oregon.
"Matavao did not put up massive numbers like other tight ends in his junior season but that's because he was a victim of an average offense that also ran the ball often," said Gorney. "He's a big-time talent. The four-star tight end has tremendous athletic ability to go along with great size, he makes tough catches look easy and he's surprisingly difficult to tackle as he churns his legs for more yardage.
"He lines up a lot on the outside because he has great speed but on film he's also used on screen plays and comes out of the backfield sometimes. Matavao is one of the best flex tight ends in this class and it's another big commitment for the Ducks."
6-foot-6, 240-pound Matavao became the ninth commitment to the Ducks’ class of 2021 and the first tight end, which was a position of significant need heading into this cycle. Oregon may still be interested in signing another top prospect at the position. They have four other high school TE’s with mutual interest, Terrance Ferguson, Brock Bowers, Jermaine Terry and Isaac Vaha.
Like the rest of the class of 2021, Matavao is scheduled to join the Ducks following the 2020 season, and will join a roster having just graduated the top two tight ends, Cam McCormick and Hunter Kampmoyer. He will be competing for playing time against promising current sophomore Spencer Webb, redshirt freshman Patrick Herbert and converted defensive lineman junior D.J. Johnson.
With the addition of Matavao, Oregon remains the No. 5 class in the nation in average star rating.