It was touch-and-go for a few days, but five-star running back Thomas Tyner signed with Oregon after re-committing to the school.
5-star RB Thomas Tyner signs with Oregon
Thomas Tyner’s just as quick as you’d expect an Oregon running back to be, and he’ll be a perfect fit for the team he re-commited with in Oregon. Tyner turned heads with a ten-touchdown game in high school.
Tyner, a 6-foot, 200-pound running back from Aloha High School in Beaverton, had been committed to Oregon very early in his process, not surprising for the top recruit in a state whose football has been dominated by the Ducks of late. However, in October, he decommitted, saying he intended on looking at other schools before choosing Oregon for sure. His exploratory period was relatively short, however, as he chose to return to Oregon within 48 hours without even having taken a visit elsewhere - a move Oregon blog Addicted to Quack noted was not that dissimilar to what Chip Kelly did with other jobs - although that was before Kelly left for the NFL.
Tyner is considered one of the top five running backs in the nation, mainly because of his unreal speed: he ran a 10.38 in the 100-yard dash in high school. He turned heads for a 643-yard, 10-touchdown game - yes, that was just one game - in September.
Tyner’s speed makes him a perfect fit for the lightning-fast attack Kelly ran that new coach Mark Helfrich will likely continue. As a freshman, Tyner will likely be behind De’Anthony Thomas, but that’s no problem: Thomas was able to make an impact while backing up Kenjon Barner, who was able to make an impact while backing up LaMichael James, and so on and so forth. With the pace Oregon’s offense moves - and the way they build multi-touchdown leads on opponents - backups have plenty of opportunity to pick up carries. Regardless, he’ll eventually be a stater in Oregon if things work out.
