The Oregon Ducks have officially landed arguably the most coveted player in the transfer portal this offseason, getting a verbal commitment from offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius, a former Rhode Island Ram.
Cornelius has made waves in the transfer portal this offseason, garnering attention from some of the top Power 5 schools in the nation and receiving scholarship offers from places like Oregon, Tennessee, Ohio State, Nebraska, South Carolina, Penn State, and many others.
He was the feature of a piece from The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, who tabbed Cornelius as the “hottest commodity in the portal” this year. Now he is a Duck and will be coming to Eugene for the 2023 season.
Cornelius started the last 22 straight games at tackle for Rhode Island, and standing at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, he projects to instantly come to Oregon and insert himself into the offensive line as a Day 1 starter. This was a big need for the Ducks to address over the offseason, with four of their five starters from the 2022 season moving on from Eugene.
Now with projections that former 5-star OT Josh Conerly Jr. will start at one tackle position, while Cornelius starts at the other, the Ducks’ offensive line is shaping up nicely for the 2023 campaign.