Oregon is in the top group for a priority target in the 2021 class. On Saturday, Baltimore (Md.) Mount Saint Joseph 2021 wide receiver Dont'e Thornton cut his top group from 12 down to six and the Ducks remain firmly in the mix.
Thornton's top six consists of Arizona State, Florida State, Notre Dame, Oregon, USC and Virginia. The teams that didn't make the cut from Thornton's April top 12 are LSU, Michigan, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
The Ducks have shown that Thornton is one of their most important targets over the past year, with numerous edits and coaches stopping by his high school. In January, Oregon hadn't even formally announced the hire of new offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead but the former Mississippi State head coach was spotted on the road visiting Thornton's high school coaches.
Additionally, when Thornton listed his Top 12 in early April, the wideout prospect included South Carolina on his list of top schools with the primary recruiter for the Gamecocks being current Oregon wide receiver coach Bryan McClendon.
Thornton visited the Ducks this summer for Oregon's Saturday Night Live camp and was one of the top prospects in attendance at the event. The prospect was expected to make a return visit this spring but had to cancel that visit due to the current recruiting dead period restrictions.
This past week, Thornton took notice of Oregon’s renovation of track and field stadium, Hayward Field. As well as a top football recruit, Thornton is a top track and field prospect winning the Maryland State championship as a sophomore in the Long Jump, while also winning the indoor high jump and triple jump titles. As a sprinter, Thornton clocked an 11.02-second 100-meter during the 2019 season.
In the industry-generated 247Sports composite rankings, Thornton is listed as the No. 47 overall prospect and the No. 6 wideout in the 2021 class. On 247Sports, Thornton checks in as the No. 53 overall prospect and the No. 7 wide receiver in the class.
247Sports national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn evaluates Thornton as a day two projection in a future NFL Draft with a comparison to Kenny Golladay on the Detroit Lions
“Long, wiry frame but needs to add strength. Releases off the line well and gets into route quickly,” said Dohn evaluating the elite wideout. “Knows how to set up defensive backs. Locates ball well and is sure-handed. Possession receiver with big-play capability. Has deceptive speed. Runs 4.63 in 40. Attacks ball in air. Good body control and flexibility. Legitimate red-zone threat. Needs to tighten his route running out of breaks. Must get stronger in the upper body. High-level player for elite Power 5 program. Second- or third-round NFL draft potential.”
Oregon already has one commitment at the receiver spot for the 2020 class. Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wide receiver Kyron Ware-Hudson made his pledge to the Ducks this past December to join his older brother Keyon at Oregon. The Ducks are also involved with a number of elite receiver prospects in the 2021 class including Thornton and top 50 wideout prospect Troy Franklin.
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May 24, 2020 at 04:14AM
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Elite wide out Dont'e Thornton places Ducks in top six - 247Sports
"six" - Google News
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