Ratu Mafileo

Ratu Mafileo on Oregon official visit

(Courtesy of Ratu Mafileo)

Former Ohio State star quarterback Terrelle Pryor has nothing on College of San Mateo defensive tackle Ratu Mafileo.

In the class of 2008, Pryor, considered the nation's top quarterback, delayed his college announcement past signing day before making a pledge to Ohio State over Michigan, Oregon and Penn State in mid-March.

At the time, the delay in Pryor's decision was a widely discussed topic in recruiting circles.

Just two weeks until fall camp, Mafileo finally made his decision about a future home.

The 247Sports three-star defensive tackle, rated the No. 94 junior college prospect in the country for the class of 2016, flipped his commitment from Texas A&M to Oregon on Twitter.

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound mauler was also considering Louisville and Georgia, but also held offers from Alabama and USC.

Under first-year defensive coordinator Brady Hoke, Oregon is transitioning from a 3-4 defensive front to a 4-3 look, adding need at the defensive tackle position.

Despite the depth of Austin Maloata, Rex Manu and Canton Kaumatule, Mafileo represents a significant boost to defensive line's interior, as he provides yet another capable big body in the middle.

Oregon struggled to close out its 2016 recruiting class as signing day neared, going 0-fer in the month leading up to the unofficial college football holiday before losing U.S. Army All-American running back Vavae Malepeai to USC and adding three-star defensive tackle Wayne Kirby.

It took several months, but the Ducks' late addition of Mafileo removes a bit of the sting from the misses, particularly on defense, late in the previous recruiting cycle.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec