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Oregon Football Recruiting: National Signing Day Commitments, Needs & Targets
Oregon is bringing in a unique recruiting class.
The following Oregon football recruiting National Signing Day primer is provided by Jared Light, of SB Nation’s excellent Oregon site, Addicted To Quack:
As Signing Day 2012 approaches, the Oregon Ducks look to be signing a very solid yet unspectacular class, largely unaffected by Chip Kelly's flirtation with the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Of the 18 commits (Update: Arik Armstead committed to Oregon Sunday night) the Ducks currently have, there are only 7 offensive players, but five of those are four-star players. RB Bryon Marshall (brother of ASU RB Cameron Marshall) headlines the offensive stars. The 5'10", 195-pound back has both speed and power, and should fit very well in the Oregon offense.
QB Jake Rodrigues was an early commit to Oregon before blowing up late in his high school career. He's already enrolled in school (despite suffering a broken leg this year), and is expected to have a small shot at playing time with Darron Thomas' early departure to the NFL.
One of the Ducks’ biggest needs is at tight end, and they have two 4-star commits. Colorado’s Evan Baylis and Ohio’s Pharaoh Brown will give Oregon one of the most talented TE groups in the country, and could see playing time immediately. The Ducks only have one WR commit currently, but Ohio’s Dwayne Stanford will give the Ducks some much needed height in the receiving corp.
The Ducks have recruited well on the defensive side of the ball, and have recruited for versatility, with players that could end up playing a number of different positions.
The Ducks have commitments from five defensive ends that could fulfill a number of needs in Oregon’s hybrid 3-4 scheme. Hawaii’s DeForrest Buckner will likely play in the drop end position with his size and athleticism, while Oregon’s Alex Balducci could end up as either a defensive end or defensive tackle.
Oregon’s LB class is small, headlined by Oregon star Brett Barfao. DE/LB commit Bryce Cottrell was recently offered by Texas, so he’s one to keep your eye on.
In the secondary, Oregon has commitments from a number of talented athletes. Football and track star Oshay Dunmore could play any number of positions, and the Amoako brothers out of Texas could flourish under DB coach John Neal.
While the Oregon class is well-rounded, they are still targeting a number of players. California five-stars Shaq Thompson and Arik Armstead have the Ducks in their final lists (Update: Arik Armstead committed to Oregon Sunday night), and will be receiving in-home visits from head coach Chip Kelly. Thompson in particular would be a huge coup, as Oregon will be needing to replace safety John Boyett when he graduates next year.
The Ducks are also targeting a number of wide receivers to add depth to that position. Former Texas commit Thomas Johnson is one possibility, as is Oklahoma State commit Chance Allen.
While it could be a largely uneventful signing day for Oregon, they have a solid class lined up that fills a number of needs, and that fit what Oregon is trying to do as a program. Despite the lack of star power, Oregon fans have a lot to look forward to.
