Oregon football makes waves with commitment of 5-star OT Kelvin Banks

If you were out celebrating the Fourth of July in the backyard with family and friends grilling and playing yard games, you probably forgot about the big decisions of a couple of top Oregon football targets.

Kelvin Banks, a five-star offensive tackle from Texas, and JT Tuimoloau, a five-star defensive end from Washington, were both announcing their college decisions on the holiday afternoon and the Ducks were in that top group of both.

All eyes may have been on JTT’s decision because he’ll become part of the upcoming season’s roster as a five-star in the class of 2021 and any team would be lucky to land the nation’s No. 1 recruit.

Oregon made up some serious ground for Banks on his official visit in early June and he spoke highly of the Ducks and their ability to develop elite offensive linemen.

On Sunday, Banks surprised just about everyone who hadn’t been following the trends behind the scenes, picking Oregon over the likes of Texas (the presumed favorite), Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and LSU. The Ducks have now landed a five-star offensive lineman in back-to-back classes, following Kingsley Suamataia last cycle.

It’s safe to say the post-Penei Sewell era is going to be just fine.

Oregon football’s recruiting picking up steam

The Ducks have been on fire to start the month of July, picking up commitments from Michael Wooten, Cameron Williams, and Nicholas Anderson on July 1 and Sunday featured another major win.

Mario Cristobal’s 2022 recruiting class jumped to No. 9 in the team rankings earlier this week and adding Banks to the group is only going to help the overall rating. The Ducks are trending in the right direction and Cristobal is showing that not even a slow start to the class can hold him back.