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Leroy Suamataia, the father of Oregon’s former star recruit, expands on why the offensive lineman is leaving the Ducks
Oregon’s emphasis on recruiting since Mario Cristobal took over late in 2017 has specifically seen a drastic transformation of Oregon’s offensive line.
The former Alabama offensive line coach has built the Ducks from the inside out, beginning with Penei Sewell in the 2018 class and then adding sizable piece after piece in the years since.
The gem for the line in the 2021 class was Kingsley Suamataia, the top-ranked recruit in Oregon’s top-ranked class ever. Suamataia was the No. 36 player in the country, the No. 1 player from the state of Utah and close friends with the Sewell family. His signing felt like the perfect match for the Ducks.
So it’s understandable that the news of Suamataia entering the transfer portal earlier this week caught the Oregon world by surprise.
Leroy Suamataia, Kingsley’s father, briefly discussed his son’s departure with The I-5 Corridor.
“We are thankful for all the experiences and the life lessons Kingsley was able to have at Oregon,” he said. “Coach Cristobal and (offensive line coach) Coach Mirabal are great men, and the proof is in the success of the program. We are grateful for all the staff and those players who were supportive of him. Kingsley’s decision to leave wasn’t about football, but about issues he was dealing with and needed his family’s support.
“He will now take a break and we will decide what is next and move forward, but his well-being and health is what’s most important to us.”
On Wednesday, Cristobal addressed questions about the transfer with reporters.
“I don’t judge,” Cristobal said. “I really don’t. I don’t judge. You respect people and you expect to be respected back and that’s what transpires. We work really hard with everybody to develop and to have the best possible experience, development cycle, all that kind of stuff. So we don’t judge and we keep moving forward.”
Suamataia was one of four offensive lineman signed in the 2021 class and has been listed as the team’s second-string left tackle, along with Dawson Jaramillo, behind senior George Moore. He saw action in only one game, playing 11 snaps in Week 2 against Stony Brook. Meanwhile, Jackson Powers-Johnson, the No. 194 player in the 2021 class, has positioned himself as the early breakout candidate from the four linemen signed in the class. Powers-Johnson has played 95 snaps this season and started against UCLA at left guard before going down with a right foot injury in the first quarter. Cristobal said he’s likely to miss a few weeks.
“He’s a really powerful guy,” Cristobal said. “He brings a lot of thump, a lot of power at the line of scrimmage, creates movement and displaces the guys up front. He does a really good job of understanding what we’re trying to do. I think you saw early this season he was thrown into a very important part of the game against Fresno and he never skipped a beat. He snapped the ball like he had been doing it for a couple of years, so his impact has been very important. He’s got a huge future.”
The Ducks have five offensive linemen committed in the 2022 class, including five-star Kelvin Banks, the No. 14 player in the country.
— Tyson Alger
