Oregon landed the 15th commitment to their class of 2019 on Monday when Rivals250 safety Trikweze Bridges made his announcement. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Lanett (Ala.) standout became the fourth defensive back in the class for the Ducks, joining ATH Jayvaun Wilson projecting at safety and Mykael Wright and Jeremiah Criddell who will start their college career at cornerback.
In this edition of Impact Analysis Rivals Southeast Recruiting analyst Chad Simmons joins Duck Sports Authorities’ A.J. Jacobson assessing the potential impact of the newest Duck.
Winner
With his senior season in front of him as a Panther, Bridges and his teammates are coming off the perfect season. In 2017 Lanett was 15-0, winning the Class 2A State Championship. When he arrives in Eugene, he will be another player in the locker room who has experienced winning football, with ample first-hand experience what it takes to make the wins happen.
Hands
While he did play wide receiver for Lanett, he will be on defense at Oregon. But watching his high school film, he uses his hands plenty, primarily for intercepting the football. Last season he had 11 during the Panther’s championship run. Though the Lanett coaches like to have him play “center field” in most of their defensives you can also see him play some man-to-man.
The reason he gets his hands on the ball so often has a lot to do with instincts. He makes great breaks on the ball, chooses good angles, times his approach to the ball’s flight path very well.
Feet
Bridges’ footwork is already good particularly at free safety. In his junior film he does play man-to-man in a few of their coverages, an area where he is trying to get the footwork down.
“I have worked very hard on man coverage in the off-season,” Bridges told Duck Sports Authority the morning of his announcement. “That is something that is going to be very valuable for me next season and when I get to Oregon.”
In terms of footspeed it is good but not great. Plenty to match up with tight ends and perhaps half of the Pac-12’s wideouts. This is something that will improve as his muscle mass catches up with his 6-foot-3 frame.
Size
The most intriguing aspect of Trikweze Bridges is his length, and the high level of athleticism he has despite it. His length/speed ratio is what makes him such an attractive safety in college. He has the unteachable; length enough to cover all tight ends and wide receivers. In red zone defense, this is particularly valuable.
The 180-pounds he played at as a junior will change by the time he hits the field at Autzen. Even with his lean, muscular frame, 200- or 205- would be a good freshman year target. This is well within reach given that he went from 170- to 180- between sophomore and junior seasons.
Bridges tells Duck Sports Authority he is now up to 185-pounds.
Positions
Certainly, free safety and strong safety will be the primary positions the Ducks will start him at. As he increases his mass and refines his one-on-one game, he can become more and more valuable in nickel and red zone situations.
If he is somehow able to work himself into the position of cornerback, his football career could easily extend past college.
“With my length at cornerback, that would be my ticket into the NFL,” laughed Bridges.
Rivals Southeast analyst Chad Simmons
“Bridges is a long defensive back with the frame to fill out and some good muscle in the years to come. He is a defensive back who can cover a lot of ground in coverage due to size. He plays smart and with good awareness on the back-end of the defense. He takes good angles to the ball, he is always looking to turn the ball over and he is instinctive.
“He has a little burst that surprises some due to his length, but he is more athletic than some may give him credit for. He still needs to add weight, improve his strength and he can work on his overall speed, but he is a defensive back with length, good ball skills and intelligence, so he checks a lot of boxes. He is a true winner as well, so that is another trait to like if you are an Oregon fan.”
Jake’s Take
Even though Bridges is highly ranked as a four-star Rivals250 member, he is a bit of a sleeper recruit nonetheless. Not in the traditional sense of sleeper, just that he might be quite a bit better than his rating. Lanett is a small school, and as a result it is hard to know how good he would look against top competition.
But he is dominant at the Alabama 2A level, and with some refinement of his technique and a national level weight program, he has the natural athleticism, instincts and tools to be an excellent defender. There is a reason he was picking between an elite final group of offers: LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State and Alabama.
