Fireworks arrive early as Ducks land 13 feet of linemen in 2 days
On the commitments of Tommy Tofi and Immanuel Iheanacho.
A few minutes into a call with John Tofi it became apparent why the father of Oregon’s new offensive line commit enjoys the idea of his son playing inside of Autzen Stadium for the next few years.
Oddly enough, it began with a question about Europe.
Tofi, 41, is the father of Tommy Tofi, the 6-foot-6, 330-pound tackle from Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) who flipped to Oregon earlier in the week after an initial commitment to Cal. Tommy is the No. 133 player in the 2026 class and part of a position that has become the backbone of Oregon’s No. 10 class following the Thursday addition of 5-star tackle Immanuel Iheanacho.
That’s nearly 13 feet and 675 pounds of linemen the Ducks have added in the last two days, and in Tofi’s case it’s easy to see where the size comes from. John Tofi is 6-foot-9 and a former professional basketball player. After playing center at UTEP, Tofi spent eight seasons playing in the Belgium Pro Basketball League, where he won the 2016 MVP award after leading Okapi Aalstar to the championship round.
And while I did call John to talk about Tommy, I couldn’t help but pick his brain about playing hoops in Europe.
What were those environments like?
“I tell people that if you haven’t experienced going to a professional game in Europe, it’s something that you want to do,” John said. “The closest thing you’ll get to that environment is that Oregon atmosphere, like it was last year against Ohio State. Take that atmosphere and then add people throwing flare guns and waving flags and beating on drums the entire game. That’s exactly what it’s like watching a professional game in Europe.”
Sounds like a good time.
It also sounds like Oregon’s Oct. 12 win over the Buckeyes left enough of an impression for Tommy to make a unique route to Division 1 football just a bit longer.
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On paper, Tommy Tofi is a textbook recruit. He's got size. He’s got athleticism and the type of drive and discipline that can be passed down from having a professional athlete in the family.
But he’s also still pretty new to this football thing.
Tommy and his older brother John Jr. — a 2025 Cal signee at linebacker — were toddlers when their dad began his pro career in Belgium, where they spent their formative years immersed in European life.
“It was different,” John said. “I’m sure you’re familiar with Polynesian culture. We’re family-oriented and very deeply rooted in our culture. So it was tough initially, but I think it was a blessing for my kids, especially because it was just us. My kids being around their brothers — that’s kind of all they had for a long time. I think that played a big part in our kids growing up, being able to grind, so to speak, together and do everything together and being able to live abroad, visit countries and places that we’d only see on TV, going to school, learning a different culture and growing up in a different lifestyle of living. It helped mold them and shape them to become a little bit more well-rounded young men.”
The kid spoke English, but used Flemish at school. They played basketball, followed European sports and really only knew American football from afar.
It was a good life, one that John said they were tempted to keep living following his retirement in 2018.