The Opening 2014

BEAVERTON, OREGON-July 7, 2014--Runningback Taj Griffin (2), of McEachern High School in Powder Springs, GA, competes in the 40-yard dash, part of a finals group in The Opening's SPARQ testing Tuesday night at Nike World Headquarters, in Beaverton, Ore. Photo by Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

(Randy L. Rasmussen)

Five-star running back Taj Griffin, four-star wide receiver Alex Ofodile and four-star offensive lineman Zach Okun have signed financial aid agreements with the University of Oregon, the trio confirmed Tuesday evening.

All three are expected to enroll in January.

Zach Okun was first to make his signing public, tweeting out a photo of himself signing his agreement.

Shortly thereafter, @OregonGridiron, the official Twitter account of the Oregon football staff, announced all three had signed by tweeting out pictures of personalized lockers and welcoming each of them to the Oregon football program. Schools are unable to discuss specific recruits until they have signed:

For Okun, enrolling early is about trying to get on the field as soon as possible in an attempt to earn playing time as a true freshman.

"It's a complicated offense and any extra time you can have in there to learn it is beneficial," he said. "It's something that I've been contemplating for awhile and I'm glad it's official now. I'm excited to be a Duck."

Ofodile, who is schedule to play in the Under Armour All-American game, had made his intentions of enrolling early clear in a mid-August OregonLive chat.

The four-star receiver could not be reached for comment, but did confirm his signing on Twitter.

The surprise of the group was Griffin, who committed to Oregon in April but suffered a torn ACL in his high school season opener.

After the injury, the Ducks immediately indicated to the five-star talent that he was still a part of their future.

"It made me feel really good," Griffin said. "Some schools do take scholarships after that, because they don't want to be bothered with that. Technology is so good nowadays that it's just getting me back to 100 percent. They say you come back faster."

That's a scary thought for Pac-12 opponents, as the five-star talent ran a jaw-dropping 4.34 40-yard dash at Nike's The Opening camp in Beaverton this summer.

While contemplating the best course of action for his knee, Griffin decided to take a trip to Eugene for the Oregon-Michigan State game, where he discussed a rehab program at length with the football program.

"We definitely sat down with the head trainer for like 45 minutes," he said. "Basically, it was a plan about how to get back – just take it slow, step by step."

The long discussion made it clear Griffin's quickest path to becoming 100 percent healthy was through early enrollment at the University of Oregon.

Griffin will have surgery on September 16 and believes that he can be ready for the start of fall practices next year.

"(The trainer) said I should definitely be back by the beginning of the season and ready to play next year," Griffin said. "They're really excited for me. They have the facilities to get me back."

The Oregon signee is rated as the No. 1 all-purpose back in the country by Rivals and is a perfect fit for the Ducks' fast-paced offense.

Despite the injury, he's ready to get started.

"I'm definitely excited," Griffin said. "Growing up as a little kid I watched them on TV. I was always intrigued by the offense and I've always been fast. That's really what made me come down to my conclusion – the offense, the way they run things. I'm definitely excited and I'm ready to play a big role when I get there."

-- Andrew Nemec | @AndrewNemec