The No. 1 player in the Chosen 25 for the Class of 2019, Kayvon Thibodeaux, is headed to Eugene, Oregon.
He announced Saturday that he has committed to the Oregon Ducks.
In Thibodeaux, Oregon gets a 6-foot-5, 230-pound beast at defense end whose quickness and agility allows him to move around and power through double- and triple-teams.
Thibodeaux helped lead Oaks Christian High School (Westlake Village, Calif.) to a 12-1 record behind stifling defense.
He was perhaps at his best statistically as a junior, posting 99 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 20 sacks. This year, Oaks Christian would often pull him when the score got out of hand and Thibodeaux recorded 54 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 18 sacks.
Meanwhile, he got his body into college shape working out with elite trainer Travelle Gaines.
Prior to his commitment, Oregon's 2019 recruiting class already ranked first in the Pac-12 and was No. 7 nationally behind a group largely made up of California kids.
Thibodeaux is the shining medal to show the success the program has in recruiting to the state just south. He is the program's first five-star recruit since Canton Kaumatule in 2015, a player who later transferred to UCF.
The Ducks hope Thibodeaux can bring more.
After posting seven consecutive 10-plus win seasons from 2009 through 2014, the Ducks haven't hit the double-digit mark since. Despite that, they have largely remained competitive, only missing one bowl since 2005.
The team went 8-4 this season and is looking for the piece to get them back to the premier bowls former head coaches Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich and quarterback Marcus Mariota led them to several years ago.
Thibodeaux could be key to that mix.
