Former Idaho high school standout leaving one of college football’s top programs

Khalil Oliver plans to graduate from the University of Oregon this winter with a major in general science and a minor in chemistry.

Then the redshirt junior safety said he will leave the Ducks’ football team to finish out his career at another school.

Oliver, a graduate of Rocky Mountain High in Meridian, hopes to have two years of eligibility remaining. He was injured in Oregon’s opener this season against Southern Utah and has not played since.

“I just felt like it was best for me to move on from the university and pursue other options,” Oliver said. “After talking about it with my family and the team chaplain, I felt like this was the decision I needed to make for myself and my future.”

Oliver has 73 career tackles in 23 appearances for the Ducks. He is a former 5A Southern Idaho Conference Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Idaho defensive back.

Oliver said he hopes to play at a new school in 2018 as a graduate transfer, but is waiting for his official release before announcing his commitment.

“I want to make sure I have my degree in hand before I start thinking about schools,” Oliver said.

As a junior at Rocky Mountain, Oliver originally committed to Boise State and head coach Chris Petersen. He switched his commitment to Oregon after Petersen left for Washington.

“There are a few schools I’ve been in contact with already, and it’s been good to see that schools are interested,” Oliver said. “It’s nice when you make this decision and you kind of go into the unknown that you have options.”

This story was originally published September 27, 2017 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Former Idaho high school standout leaving one of college football’s top programs."