It’s been a great start to Oregon’s National Signing Day. Head coach Dan Lanning will be delighted to have secured the signings of five-star defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei, and traded five-star safety Peyton Bowen from Notre Dame and quarterback Austin Novosad from Baylor. All three recruits put the Ducks in the top ten of the consensus college football recruiting rankings for the upcoming season. They now have three five-star recruits heading to Eugene in 2023.
Great day for the ducks
Dan Lanning would have had plenty of reasons to smile on Wednesday morning. The Oregon Ducks head coach has secured three big signings heading into next season. Defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei, brother of former Clemson QB DJ, safety Peyton Bowen and Austin Novosad, once committed to Baylor, will target Eugene.
Oregon pulled Peyton Bowen and Austin Novasad out of nowhere today.
Matayo Uiagalelei chose Oregon today after the Ducks looked like a distant third place for some time.
Money talks.
— Notre Dame Recruiting (@NDrecruiting01) December 21, 2022
Matayo Uiagalelei is a five-star recruit from California and will stay reasonably close to home. There were rumors that his brother DJ would follow his little brother wherever he ended up, but they are not confirmed yet.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end received offers from 20 of the best schools in the country, including Alabama, USC, Clemson, Michigan and Ohio State. However, he has chosen to practice his trade in Oregon.
Joining him will be five-star recruit Peyton Bowen, who was headed to Notre Dame before Dan Lanning convinced the talented safety to turn around. Bowen is the second-ranked safety and Texas’ second-ranked pick in this draft class. The 6-foot-1 defensive back will help catapult Oregon up the consensus recruiting rankings by 2023. Bowen and Uiagalelei make up two of three five-star recruits helping make Oregon the number one recruiting class in the Pac- 12. They are also one of the top ten recruiting classes overall.
Oregon also managed to get quarterback Austin Novosad out of Baylor. Novosad committed to Baylor around this time last year, but a year later he changed his mind. Novosad is a four-star recruit out of Texas and is the consensus number 10 quarterback in this class.
“The culture and the team that Coach Lanning creates is incredible,” Novosad said. “He’s a very special guy when you meet him and talk to him. Lastly, the offensive adjustment that Oregon brought to the table was hard to pass up. The ability to play big games and pitch big playmakers was also a big part of my decision.”
All three will be great pieces of the team for years to come.
