The 2018 recruiting cycle is winding down, and college football programs are turning their focus the class of 2019.

For the Oregon Ducks football coaching staff, there has been no time to celebrate the signing of a top-20 class this week, as they are already hosting one of their top targets for the upcoming year.

This weekend, Oregon is hosting 247Sports five-star defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele, out of Marcus Mariota's St. Louis School (Honolulu, Hawaii).

Location 📍🦆🐥 — FAATUI TUITELE (@tuitele87) February 9, 2018

The 6-foot-4, 299-pound defensive lineman is rated by 247Sports as the nation's No. 2 defensive tackle and the No. 27 prospect overall.

Mariota's success while at Oregon significantly increased the Ducks' fandom and support in Hawaii, but some of that momentum subsided when Mark Helfrich waited to offer key prospects from the state.

This time around, Oregon is taking no chances.

The Ducks offered Tuitele more than a year ago and he is the first 2019 prospect to visit since Signing Day.

Mario Cristobal has indicated he hopes to beef up Oregon in the trenches, and was successful in that aim with offensive linemen in the 2018 recruiting cycle, signing five players whose average measurements were 6-foot-6 and more than 330 pounds.

However, Oregon struggled to lure elite defensive linemen, which is expected to become a key position of need over the next calendar year.

Tuitele is a great place to start for the Ducks, and he is on campus early.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec