Oregon lost three commitments on Monday after it was announced Mario Cristobal was no longer the Ducks’ head coach. ESPN 300 offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, quarterback Tanner Bailey and linebacker T.J. Dudley all announced they were no longer committed to Oregon.
Banks is the highest ranked of the three at No. 33 overall. He’s a 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive lineman from Summer Creek High School out of Houston, Texas, and had been committed to Oregon since June.
Bailey is the No. 139 recruit and the No. 6 pocket-passer out of Gordo, Alabama. He isn’t ready to say what schools have reached out to him, but Bailey said there have been a number of schools that showed interest. The quarterback said he, along with the rest of the commitments, were surprised by the move and had no idea Cristobal was leaving.
“I didn’t see the coach Cristobal thing happening, I don’t think any of the recruits did, either. I think the coaches were confident he would stay, but I think at the end of the day, we all know coach Cristobal and his situation,” Bailey said. “He’s a great husband, dad, coach, mentor, so everyone has a ton of respect for him. I think that decision is best for him being an alumni, his family’s down there, his wife’s family is down there. So, I think that’s the best choice for him and we totally understand it and respect it.”
Bailey said he isn’t going to rule out signing early on Dec. 15, but that given the timing of Cristobal’s move, it doesn’t seem likely he would have enough time to pick a new team. Bailey is now the only uncommitted ESPN 300 quarterback in the class, so he will likely have plenty of options.
Dudley is ranked No. 232 overall, and is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound linebacker from Montgomery Catholic High School in Montgomery, Alabama.
With the three decommitments, Oregon is now down to eight ESPN 300 commitments and 16 total commitments.