Isaac Slade-Matautia to Oregon: Ducks Land 4-Star OLB Prospect

A versatile, dynamic linebacker can transform a defense, making 4-star recruit Isaac Slade-Matautia's commitment to the Oregon Ducks a huge win for the program. 

Andrew Nemec of The Oregonian showed video of Slade-Matautia's commitment:

Projections for Slade-Matautia rave about the talent he will bring to the college game. He's the No. 1 outside linebacker from Hawaii and No. 29 outside linebacker overall, per Scout. 

Slade-Matautia is already displaying tremendous physical attributes in scouting drills that fans are accustomed to seeing at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Skill	Result
40-Yard Dash	4.87 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle	4.19 seconds
Vertical Jump	34.4 inches

Scouting reports like this one from Scout's Greg Biggins rave about Slade-Matautia's ability to make plays on the inside or outside:

"

He's a physical player and hits like a truck. He runs well, shows good lateral mobility and is comfortable playing in space. He has a solid frame with room to put on plenty of mass and not lose any of his athleticism. He's a high motor player who plays with a ton of passion and projects as a high BCS level prospect.

"

Oregon's defense was a complete disaster in 2016. The Ducks finished 126th out of 128 teams in points allowed per game, including allowing at least 35 points during a five-game losing streak Sept. 17 through Oct. 21. 

As a result, the Ducks made changes at head coach with Willie Taggart stepping in and defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt leaving Pac-12 rival Colorado in the hopes of quickly turning things around. 

It appears the early returns from that plan are paying dividends. Slade-Matautia had Colorado on his radar, but Leavitt gets to work with him in Eugene. 

Oregon's pass rush was nonexistent last season, with Troy Dye leading the way with just 5.5 sacks. The Pac-12 is a conference built on wide-open passing attacks, so having players who can get after the quarterback is essential to success. 

Recruiting info per Scout unless otherwise noted.