Posted June 30Jun 30 Moderator Oregon has landed a nice commitment out of the state of Hawaii on Monday morning. The Oregon Ducks have gone to the state of Hawaii and have flipped a commitment from the California Golden Bears' 2026 recruiting class. Offensive lineman Koloi Keli has decided and announced on social media that he will be playing for the Ducks over the Bears. Keli was offered by Oregon back in May but committed to the Bears a few weeks later. The Ducks never gave up and it's now paid off in a big way. https://247sports.com/college/oregon/article/oregon-flips-california-commit-and-three-star-iol-koloi-keli-to-the-ducks-class-251381225/
June 30Jun 30 Administrator A Rivals 3-Star, with an unimpressive offer list of Cal, Arizona, Michigan State, Nevada, UNLV, UTSA, San Jose State.... Koloi Keli | DuckSportsAuthority N.RIVALS.COM Koloi Keli - 2026 3 Star Offensive tackle for Farrington (Honolulu, HI) on Rivals.com Can you say "Plan B?" (Or Plan C at offensive line?) Mr. FishDuck
June 30Jun 30 There have been many 3☆ who develop nicely to become great O-line players, particularly inside linemen. Welcome to our ohana Koloi Keli. Aloha
June 30Jun 30 I seem to recall another 3-star recruit out of Hawaii who went on to become Oregon’s first Heisman Trophy winner! Seems like Koloi Keli is in pretty good company.
July 1Jul 1 Moderator Watched his film on 24/7. Plays with an attitude and is pretty quick with good feet. Got away with some grabby stuff on several plays that would get called at the next level. Ran over DBs with ease. Undersized for a OT so even with 20 lbs added he'll be a IOL. Same HS as Pancho, maybe a center for OBD when he gets here. Good pick up and probably better than the 3☆ rating
July 1Jul 1 Moderator On 6/30/2025 at 2:08 PM, DanLduck said: There have been many 3☆ who develop nicely ... I agree! I believe another three star recruit choose Oregon and he turned out rather well. As the quarterback and multisport star at Eugene’s Sheldon High School, Herbert became an ESPN three-star recruit.. His potential college destination was Portland State or maybe another division II college. Sometimes kids don't make all the elite camps, others may have had an injury which prevented being seen in those camps. Some kids may not be able to afford those all star teams and camps. If Dan Lanning and A'lique Terry want him, I'll trust them.
July 1Jul 1 Moderator Keep Hawaii in the recruiting rotation. He will live in the weight room for at least two years, and potentially be a 6’ 4” 320 guy. Still a pretty large human.
July 1Jul 1 We've gone from stealing 4 and 5 star players from USC to stealing 3 and 4 star players from Cal. It is what it is. The portal is our future in 2-3 years time again or we're not going to have a enough blue chips to fill a roster. That is what it is as well. We shall have to wait and see how it plays out, relying on other other teams to develop our future players. These next 2 years are a short window where our top 5 recruiting classes give us a chance to be truly special. They can't be wasted with mediocre QB play. I really hope Stein and Lanning aren't full of wishful thinking about Moore and Novasad, that they truly are better than anyone we could have gotten in the portal. And I hope Terry can put together a dominant OL with the talent he brought in. I really wasn't happy with how our O line was last year, nor how poor their evaluations were about how players would perform in games. Edited July 1Jul 1 by Solar
July 1Jul 1 Administrator Two observations surfaced since I wrote my original post about Keli. 1) It was noted on another site and by EastBayDuckdad above that he could be moved to center, as apparently he has that quickness and mobility. This makes sense because when Hroniss Grasu left HS as a 3-Star...he was just under 260 pounds and certainly not ready. Yet by first game as a freshman...he was up to 285 pounds, and while that was light--he was perfect for our Spread Offense where he would pull and lead the way on Outside Zones for LaMichael James. Later he got up to 305 pounds, but the point is--he did not look the part as a HS senior to play immediately at the college level. I was a bit too dismissive of him...my bad. 2) The only other P2 team offering was Michigan State? I brushed past that, and then remembered later that it was Jonathan Smith offering him, and THAT means something. Beavis was SO BAD when he took over and he could not recruit Blue-Chippers, but he was exceptional at seeing upside and developing OSU into a very good team. It always seemed that he found running backs out of nowhere that were better than our highly rated ones...So my point is if Coach Smith wanted him--he saw upside, and our coaches were able to seal-the-deal. Mr. FishDuck
July 1Jul 1 Author Moderator Scouting Report: Koloi Keli Scott Reed, June 30, 2025 I think all will enjoy reading this scouting report from Scott Reed, now his new home at Ducks Sport Central. He writes in part: "Koloi Keli might not turn heads immediately with eye-popping measurables, but once the tape rolls, it’s clear he’s one of the most physically dominant linemen in his class. At around 6-2 and 290 pounds, Keli has a naturally compact build that lends itself well to interior line play. His combination of foot speed, heavy hands, and nastiness stands out, and he brings a relentless attitude to every snap." "Keli’s recruiting profile may not match the star-studded metrics fans often obsess over, but he’s a “stock-up” prospect with a high ceiling. His blend of quick feet, strong hands, lateral agility, and finishing mentality makes him a true enforcer in the trenches. With continued development and a move inside, he could become a long-term starter and culture-setter for Oregon’s offensive line." further reading in this scouting report he also talks about Keli’s Run Blocking, Pass Protection, Technique and Tools, Physicality and Mentality, Projection. JUNIOR HIGHLIGHTS Scouting Report: Koloi Keli SCOTTREEDAUTHOR.BLOGSPOT.COM Commit Impact: Koloi Keli Commit Impact: Koloi Keli SCOTTREEDAUTHOR.BLOGSPOT.COM
July 1Jul 1 Administrator Well, that did not take long. Scott implied in his long "goodbye" article that he was pretty much done? Mr. FishDuck
July 1Jul 1 He strikes me as a player who might not see the field till year three. And that would be just fine. That's the hardest pitch Oregon has these days with the roster to stacked. "Hey kid, we know you're a big fish in your pond, but you'll probably not play for a few years outside of special teams."
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