Tupou makes his decision

Following his visit to Arizona this past weekend, Rocklin (Calif.) Sierra JC offensive lineman Fenuki Tupou said he was down to the Cats and Oregon and added he would be making his decision as soon as this week. The talented lineman decided to pull the trigger and committed at his school on Wednesday.

"Coach Zoumboukos, the offensive line coach at Oregon came to my school yesterday and I committed to him at that time," Tupou said. "He was really excited. It was kind of funny, he came by the school to check in on me and see if I was still interested because I hadn't talked to them in awhile. When I told him I wanted to commit, he was surprised but excited.

"I liked Arizona a lot and had a great visit but the bottom line for me was the comfort level I got at Oregon when I took my visit there. It just felt like one big family and even though I didn't know a single player on the team before my visit, by the end of the trip, it felt like I had known those guys my whole life.

"They have a big group of Polynesian players at Oregon and I think that had a lot to do with how comfortable I was. I took my visit when they played Oregon State and I just loved the fan support and game atmosphere there. Eugene is a cool city and a place I know I'll be comfortable at for the next few years. I'm going to sign my letter next week and will be coming in to Oregon in time for Spring ball."

Tupou, 6-6, 330 pounds played tackle for Sierra this past year but said he may be moved to guard in college.

"They said they want me to work out at both positions," Tupou said. "Obviously I'm more comfortable at tackle since that's what I've been playing for a long time but I just want to play whatever gets me on the field the fastest. The coaches at Oregon told me they're expecting me to come in and compete for a starting spot right away so that's what I'm planning to do."

The lineman will have three years to play for the Ducks. In addition to Oregon and Arizona, Tupou was also offered by Oregon State, Nebraska, Washington, Cal, BYU and TCU.