Son of Oregon Ducks Legend Sends Shockwaves With Commitment to Rival Program

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 7:43 PM ET

Just over 30 years ago, Oregon Ducks cornerback Kenny Wheaton sent shockwaves through the entire city of Eugene with his pick-six that won the game for Oregon against the rival Washington Huskies in the 1994 season.

Now, it is Wheaton's son, Kai, who is sending shockwaves through Eugene, but for different reasons.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kai Wheaton announced that he would be committing to the school up north, the Oregon State Beavers, joining his dad's alma mater's biggest rival. Wheaton is rated as a 3-star commit who is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 1,218 player in the 2026 class.

To further twist the knife, it was cornerbacks coach Rod Chance, who used to be a coach at the University of Oregon, who acted as the lead recruiter for Wheaton along the way.

With the addition of Wheaton, Oregon State now has the No. 72 class in the 2026 cycle. Meanwhile, Oregon has its sites set on some bigger fish, with all due respect to Wheaton.

The Ducks are currently waiting to have commitments announced for 5-star S Jett Washington, 5-star CB Brandon Arrington, and 4-star CB Davon Benjamin, all of whom are strongly considering the Ducks, if not projected to pick Oregon in the end.

The Ducks and Beavers play in Week 3 of the season this year, with Oregon State traveling down to Autzen Stadium for the matchup. Next year, when Wheaton is on campus and part of the team, the game will be played back up in Corvallis at Reeser Stadium.

We'll have to see which school colors Kenny Wheaton is wearing in the stands.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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