The eighth ranked player for the class of 2023 in Arizona has made his college decision. 6’3 275-pound defensive lineman My’Keil Gardner of Liberty high school in Peoria, announced this morning his commitment via Twitter to the University of Oregon.
Gardner committed to the Ducks over other top power five programs such as Michigan, USC and Texas, as well as the three Division I in-state schools Arizona, Arizona State and Northern Arizona.
In Gardner’s first year as a starter, he led the Lions with 10 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, and was third on the team with 86 tackles. Gardner was also voted by 6A conference coaches to first team all-conference and was unanimously voted by the Arizona Varsity staff as the 2021 defensive breakout player of the year.
Gardner talked about how important it was to commit before the season started.
“With me leaving in December, getting it out of the way now was important instead of waiting so I can focus on my teammates and I getting better so we can win a championship,” said Gardner.
Gardner also mentioned the impact Liberty will leave on him once he gets to the next level.
“Coming to Liberty was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life, coming to a great program they’ve helped make me the person I am with my work ethic and everything. They changed me into a better football player and a better man,” said Gardner.
Gardner becomes the third Arizona player to commit to the Ducks this year with Basha cornerback Cole Martin committing on New Years Day and Williams Field wide receiver Kyler Kasper who reclassified to the class of 2022 in April.
Ultimately it was the comfort Gardner felt and the way the people on campus treated Gardner that were key to his decision.
“The relationships I’ve built with the players and coaches and the comfort I felt at Oregon made a difference. The coaches here (Liberty) embrace everything I do, text me, call me and the same will go for when I’m up there,” said Gardner.
Gardner is the second defensive lineman from Arizona in the past three classes to commit to Oregon, joining former Chandler High edge rusher Brandon Buckner.
Liberty enters the 2022 season as one of the contenders to win the open division championship. One of the keys to that possibility is the success Gardner has on the defensive line for the Lions. If Gardner replicates his production from last season or exceeds it, the Lions may earn the school’s second football championship in four seasons.
Gardner is a player that has the talent to split time both as an edge rusher and as an interior rusher and showed the longer the 2021 season went on, an ability to stop the run effectively. Gardner is still touching the surface of his potential and by choosing to graduate early in order to get on campus as soon as possible, puts him in a great position to work towards getting on the field as early as possible.
Film Analysis
"Gardner proved himself as one of the top defensive players in the entire state last season," said Arizona Varsity Head Football Analyst Cody Cameron. "Gardner possesses violent hands at the point of attack and does a great job of shedding opposing tackles and guards to disrupt the line of scrimmage. He times the snap count well and explodes with a quick first step. He has a non-stop motor and plays with nasty physicality on every down. Gardner dominated against the state's best 6A programs last Fall, which included a 4.5 sack performance in a playoff game where he went head-to-head with an opposing Power-5 bound offensive lineman on every down. This is a player who embraces competition and has the drive to get better every single day."
