Another piece at the top of the 2023 college football recruiting cycle has fallen into place on National Signing Day. Junipero Serra cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, a top-100 player in the CFN Fusion recruiting rankings, has committed his college future to the Oregon Ducks.
Rodrick Pleasant Commits to Oregon Ducks
Landing Pleasant is a major coup for Oregon in the 2023 college football recruiting class. The 5’11”, 180-pound cornerback prospect is the 86th overall high school prospect per CFN Fusion. Furthermore, the Gardena, CA native sits as the eighth overall CB in the nation with a CFN Fusion Grade of 96.749.
Pleasant was one of a small handful of high school prospects who didn’t commit during the early signing day period. While he hasn’t spoken much about his favored teams during the recruiting process, he revealed a final five of Boston College, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Cal earlier in the cycle.
Despite little information from the Serra cornerback, it had long been thought that his decision would come down to USC or Oregon. During an announcement ceremony at the California high school, the highly-rated and heavily recruited cornerback announced that the Ducks had won the race to secure his services.
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Won the race is particularly apt for new Oregon cornerback Pleasant. While a lot of attention has focused on elite athlete Nyckoles Harbor in this recruiting class, the Serra CB has been an arguably more impressive athletic force during his time in high school.
Quantifying his on-field football speed, Pleasant boasts a 4.23 second 40-yard dash time. That matches the fastest time run at the 2023 NFL Combine by Baylor cornerback Kalon Barnes. Furthermore, the new Oregon cornerback boasts a wind-legal 10.14 seconds 100-meter sprint time. We’re talking about an Olympic-level athlete who is expected to run track for the Ducks when he arrives on campus.
However, it’s his football skills that have earned him his top-100 standing in the CFN Fusion rankings. Pleasant puts his speed and burst to good use to track receivers downfield. Meanwhile, he breaks on the ball to make plays for fun. Despite his smaller stature, the Serra corner plays physically and has run-support upside. Pleasant also offers immediate impact status for Oregon as a returner.