"Tell pops I said what up!": Beaver fans go wild as Oregon legend Kenny Wheaton's son commits to rival program 

Son of Oregon Ducks legend Kenny Wheaton, Kai Wheaton, has finalized his commitment. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound cornerback is a three-star recruit of the class of 2026.

On Wednesday, Kai Wheaton shared a post on X/Twitter announcing that he has committed to one of the Ducks' biggest rivals, the Oregon State Beavers. He accompanied the tweet with graphics of himself in the Beavers jersey:

"#AGTGT COMMITTED."

Fans soon shared their reactions to Kai Wheaton's collegiate commitment:

"Wow! Congrats! Tells pops I said what's up!!" one fan commented. "Absolutely thrilled to see this!" another fan said. "Congratulations! Glad to see another Wheaton headed to the State of Oregon," another fan wrote. "More Wheaton family in the best Oregon college town! Welcome home!" a fan added. "What did I say? Kai Wheaton is gonna be a Beaver! What happened? Kai Wheaton is a Beaver! Welcome to the family!" one fan said. "Congratulations Kai!!! So happy for you my guy!!!" a fan commented. "Congratulations, and welcome home!!!" another fan said.

Apart from Oregon State, Wheaton also has offers from other programs such as Colorado, Houston, Texas Tech and Arizona to name a few. He played cornerback for Allen High School and is entering his senior year with the team. He is expected to transition as a safety during his collegiate campaign.

In his high school sophomore year, Wheaton had 15 tackles and three interceptions in 10 games. 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 1,218 player in the class of 2026.

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Kenny Wheaton's journey with Oregon Ducks

Kai Wheaton's dad, Kenny Wheaton, spent his entire collegiate journey with the Oregon Ducks. During his three-season stint from 1994 to 1995, he put up 10 interceptions and 359 defensive yards as a defensive back.

Kenny Wheaton established himself as a Ducks legend during the 1994 season. He secured a game-winning pick-six during their showdown against the Washington Huskies which is still considered one of the greatest plays in the program's history.

He was inducted into the Oregon University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft. However, he suffered a major knee injury in 1999.

Wheaton ended up playing arena football for the Detroit Fury in 2002. He then transitioned to the Canadian Football League, where he spent six seasons with the Toronto Argonauts before being released in January 2009.

Edited by Veer Badani