With the recruiting dead period finally lifted, commitments for the 2022 class are picking up. One of more coveted players for the current recruiting cycle, linebacker TJ Dudley, made his announcement on CBS Sports HQ on Monday, and it was a big win for the Oregon Ducks and coach Mario Cristobal.
Calling this day a “dream come true,” Dudley said he was wowed by his official visit to Oregon on June 4 from the moment he got off the plane. “It was the communication. They kept up with me every day. I talked to the whole entire staff,” Dudley said. “When I went up there it was everything I hoped it would be. As soon as I got off the plane, coach Cristobal was there to pick me up.”
A four-star prospect from Montgomery Catholic Prep out of Montgomery, Alabama, Dudley picked the Ducks over Alabama, Texas and UCF, among others. Though Dudley did take a recent trip to Austin to visit the Longhorns on June 25, the atmosphere in Eugene was too good for him to pass up.
Now committed, Dudley is the highest-ranked recruit in the Ducks’ class, which currently ranks No. 25 in the country. 247Sports Composite rankings lists him as the No. 9 player in Alabama, the No. 23 linebacker and the No. 199 overall recruit for the 2022 class. A first-team All-State selection, Dudley had a monster junior year with 112 tackles, including nine for loss. His efforts helped Montgomery-Catholic to the Class 3A championship game last season.
While this is a big recruiting win for Oregon, it’s not the first time Cristobal has gone into Alabama to get a blue-chip prospect this cycle. Dudley’s commitment pairs him with quarterback Tanner Bailey, a four-star prospect who is the No. 10 recruit in the state of Alabama for 2022.
