2015 Football Commits and Recruiting News

[santeesioux]

There's some rumors that Vernon Adams, the QB from EWU might be transferring here.

 

[Zalsa]

just watched the tape of D-Line prospect Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. & wow! 6'7 250 and just an amazingly quick & fast athlete... supposed to be a straight A student as well. On the tape he's bursting through the line to crush QBs and tracking down RBs from behind, but my favorite highlight is when he kicks the ball off and then beats everyone downfield to make the tackle too. The highlight tape and his amazing story are in the link below

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/01/the_prince_tega_wanogho_jr_sto.html

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Petersen is visiting Potaoe in house soon, and Tega looks like an Auburn lock from the rumbings I have heard

Also, Houston is a Hat at the table. He isn't coming.

 

[Daigotsu]

Apparently we've stopped contact with Green as we saw the writing on the wall. Also seemed to have passed on Potaoe to look at some diamond in the rough player closer. If we land a big name outside of Merritt it will be a shock even though we are sniffing at the heels of some.

 

[Zalsa]

We made the championship so why isn't recruits not noticing. What gives? Does the staff give off bad vibes or are the other coaches just REALLY that desperate

 

[Wheels]

We made the championship so why isn't recruits not noticing. What gives? Does the staff give off bad vibes or are the other coaches just REALLY that desperate

The Championship was made just under 3 weeks. By that time most recruits have developed strong bonds with certain coaches, and have an idea where they are going. Usually a bump is noticed the next year, when certain kids, who might not have thought about the program, would be otherwise interested.

Though I doubt kids dont know who Oregon is at this point. And making a championship still wont make up for the #1 thing working against UO... Location.

 

[STOMP]

Also, Houston is a Hat at the table. He isn't coming.

based on what? I just read the rivals recap of his visit complete with quotes. He says nice things about USC (of course) but names no leader and more or less says the same things he said in the quotes I relayed a couple weeks back... that he's still processing and will make the best decision for him and his family in the coming weeks. Of course USC is the local favorite and has several former teammates on it... thats nothing new.

Those quotes I relayed weren't to an Oregon media person, yet he spoke in more glowing terms about the Ducks then any other program he'd visited. Now he's visited USC too and is making up his mind. If he doesn't know where he's going, how do you?

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[Zalsa]

Distance doesn't hurt Ohio State or Notre Dame when it comes to plucking recruits outside of Indiana/Ohio.

Been hearing the rumbings from J-Hop on 247.

Also, no go for Joshua McMillon, and Joshua Smith we dont know what his status is due to him being media shy

 

[Wheels]

Distance doesn't hurt Ohio State or Notre Dame when it comes to plucking recruits outside of Indiana/Ohio.

Distance absolutely is a factor. Look at the population that Ohio St, and other traditional powers have to pick from. Ohio St in your example has a Population of over 11.5 Million in state alone to choose from vs Oregon's 3.9 Million. Thats just under 3 times the population to choose from, and for elite athletes to come from.

Lets look at it a step further. Lets look at the final Rivals state rankings for this year.

The State of Ohio Produced 17 4* Recruits

https://rivals.yahoo.com/footballre...s/rank-3419;_ylt=AudLgGG5Wb.moqe6_81u3vZGPZB4

The State of Oregon produced 1 4* Recruit

https://rivals.yahoo.com/footballre...s/rank-3408;_ylt=AiDZ3rw3f.p5Vk2oqen0YX1GPZB4

Ohio St got 5 of those Recruits or only 29%. Ohio St can afford to miss out on 70% of its in state talent, and still have 5 times more 4 * talent than the State of Oregon produced this year.

Oregon, barring a mass Statewide Gold Rush, will always be at a disadvantage, with local/closer talent to choose from.

So naturally, with more talent, comes good teams, with good teams comes winning, and then its easier for Distance to be less of a factor for the fewer recruits who dont mind leaving home (that both Oregon and Ohio St pull.

 

[Wheels]

Here is a decent graph and article from a couple years ago on where College Players come from. Take a look at the graph, on the left, I can think of quite a few "Traditional Powers" that are in and closer to where their campus is location. Then look far to the right, not many ongoing powers that I can point to. Really quite remarkable what Oregon has been able to build the last 2 decades.

http://www.footballstudyhall.com/2013/9/11/4718442/college-football-state-texas-california-florida

 

[Wheels]

Holy Crap did I go down a rabbit hole on this one. On Rivals, I didnt realize there was an option to look at each School's entire Recruiting class by a map. So I had a little fun on lunch. I copied and pasted (only have paint at work) The Top 5 Recruiting class by map, and Oregon's which came in at #26.

#1 Alabama

#2 LSU

#3 Ohio St

#4 Florida St

#5 Tennessee

#26 Oregon

 

[Wheels]

This is one of Oregon's highest rated Recruiting Classes in recent Memory, that came in at #9 on Rivals in 2011. Still look at that distance.

 

[Wheels]

This isnt to single you out or anyone Zalsa. Its just some Eye opening stuff for me that I havent seen before. I've followed Recruiting pretty closely for the last 8 years or so probably. Interesting stuff!

 

[STOMP]

If we land a big name outside of Merritt it will be a shock even though we are sniffing at the heels of some.

TE/DE Tyrone Wheatley is a pretty big name, and I certainly won't be shocked if he chooses Oregon. He's visiting Jan 30th and had this to say yesterday...

"I have a high level of interest in Oregon," said Wheatley. "The things I like best are Coach Pellum and Chinander, the defense, the success they have had and the opportunity for success in the future."

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[STOMP]

Been hearing the rumbings from J-Hop on 247.

who to believe? Professional guesser J-Hop's latest sphincter rumbling that he knows where John Houston will go, or John Houston who said yesterday that he and his family will be going over his options and deciding in the coming weeks? Remind me, what did J-Hop's Crystal Ball reveal on Ugo? For players that Oregon is in on, he pretty much has to make a guess as it's his sites thing... even when he doesn't have anything real to go on. Of course Houston has been playing his cards close to the vest the entire recruiting process. Who knows what is most important to him in selecting a school... or what he plans on studying. If you have to guess, one can always be more often right then wrong picking the local school to win out.

On rivals they often mock the 247 Pro Guessers by offering their best guess odds (for instance) that theres a 22.385642% chance that prospect X will commit to Oregon.

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[STOMP]

hearing that Alabama DE Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. suffered a very bad injury playing hoops last night. Truly hoping for the best as he seems to be a great kid.

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[STOMP]

Distance doesn't hurt Ohio State or Notre Dame when it comes to plucking recruits outside of Indiana/Ohio.

to add to the mountain of info countering this... in their current class, 13 of tOSU's 23 verbals are from within 200 miles of their campus while Zero of Oregon's 19 commits are from from within 200 miles of Eugene. The closest 3 are Calvin Throckmorton 283 miles, Shane Lemieux 294 miles & Jake Hanson 305 miles. So most of tOSU recruits parents can make a round trip game day drive for home games, while those that can't can take one of the many flights into Columbus. Duck parents watch their sons on TV

I don't know what to tell someone who can't see why location is a major impediment to UO's recruiting

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[Quack U!]

Oregon is a team that is 2 great LB's and 3 DT's over 2 years away from dominance. Next year our D line could be epic! We have all the skilled players we know what to do with, our O line will have size our secondary has numbers and hitters, we just need that evil in the middle. DT to LB!

 

[Zalsa]

Here is some new tidbits from 247 Recruiting insider by Matt and Justin

Oregon's Scott Frost in Hawaii

Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost was in Hawaii earlier this week to check in on prospects among the Hawaiian islands. We know Frost made it a point to see 6-foot, 190-pound dual-threat quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and to see him throw and workout.

Tagovailoa as many Duck fans know is the latest start quarterback at St. Louis high school in Honolulu, which is the same school where Marcus Mariota played before signing with Oregon. If you are unfamiliar with Tagovailoa's story we've done an intro article with himhere.

No offer was made by Oregon, but speaking with multiple sources the interest from Oregon's end continues to climb, and the Ducks are getting closer and closer to offering the latest star quarterback from Hawaii a scholarship. An offer from Oregon would carry heavy weight with Tagovailoa. He told Justin Hopkins in mid-December the Ducks would likely climb to the top. "Oregon would probably be at the top of the list if they offer though. I would love to follow Marcus and the legacy he left there."

Earlier this week Tagovailoa landed an offer from Washington State, bringing his total to eight FBS offers.

Alabama's Nick Saban checks in on Oregon commit

Last week Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich was back in Memphis to see 2015 Alabama commit Josh McMillon, but also made time to skip over to White Station high school and check in on 2016 three-star wide receiver commit Dillon Mitchell.

Mitchell reported back the visit from Helfrich was good and productive, but to also say Alabama head coach Nick Saban stopped by as well this week. "Alabama's Nick Saban and an assistant came by the school to see me," Mitchell said. "It was good. I'm still solid with Oregon, but I will listen to Alabama."

Alabama has already offered the 6-foot-1 wide receiver, and in fact had 20-percent of the 20 crystal ball predictions prior to his commitment to Oregon. Saban and his staff could just be doing their due diligence and making sure to keep tabs on a prospect committed to a school thousands of miles away, but this will be something to monitor.

Mitchell said Ole Miss and Florida State also rolled through White Station this week to check in with him.

Oregon's Don Pellum in hot pursuit for Volunteers

Oregon knows they need linebacker help in 2015 and they are trying to find one or two options in the 2015 class to add.

Last week Don Pellum and linebacker coach Erick Chinander were at Whitehaven high school in Memphis to see four-star linebacker and Alabama commit Joshua McMillion prior to his official visit to the Crimson Tide in an effort to convince him to visit the Ducks. On Tuesday Pellum and Chinander were once again at Whitehaven trying to get McMillon out to Oregon.

We spoke with Whitehaven head coach Rodney Saulsberry quickly Wednesday, and he informed us no decision at this time has been made about Oregon getting McMillon out for a visit. He said his linebacker is still trying to decide on if he wants to or not.

While at Whitehaven Oregon checked in on 2016 prospects

While Oregon has been in Memphis the last two weeks recruiting 2015 prospects they've also spent time getting to know multiple 2016 kids in the area. At Whitehaven high school the Ducks have seen five guys over the last two weeks, and two of those 2016 prospects twice.

Oregon has seen:

2016 CB ]Rodney Saulsberry JR.
2016 4-star CB Donte Vaughn
2016 DT Michael Perry
2016 WR Kerrick JOnes
2016 RB Ayron Thompson

Earlier this week when Oregon was at Whitehaven high school to see 2015 four-star linebacker Joshua McMillon the staff also made sure to see Saulsberry and Vaughn a second time. We'll get with both to get their feelings on Oregon at a later date.

Pellum and Chinander also saw...

DuckTerritory.com is told that while Oregon was in Tennessee on Tuesday they made time to stop by Murfreesboro to check in on Oakland high school linebacker and four-star prospect Josh Smith. The 6-foot-3, 228-pound inside linebacker is committed to Vanderbilt, but is open to taking other visits to schools. The Ducks are one of those programs, but no word yet if he'll be visiting Oregon officially yet.

Justin profiled his recruitment and his chances of getting out to Eugene for an official visithere.

Oregon was in what state Wednesday?

Wednesday night Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich and offensive line coachSteve Greatwood were in Washington seeing prospects.

We've confirmed Helfrich was at one point during the day in Yakima to see three-star offensive line commit Shane Lemieux, and we'll have an update from the 6-foot-6, 310-pound prospect later this week.

We also know Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum was Steilacoom, WA., to check in on three-star linebacker Fotu Lieato for an in-home visit. We haven't confirmed it with Leiato's high school coach yet, but we do believe Helfrich was also attempting to get there in time to see Lieato for an in-home visit.



Justin Hopkins


While Matt did some intense work on where the coaches have been, I was working on some other news.

For starters, Oregon is in an improved position for offensive lineman Semisi Uluave. UCLA had been considered the front-runner for some time as he was a silent commit to the Bruins staff. However Oregon has made up ground and might be the team to beat moving forward. The Bruins remain a threat and haven't severed communication with Uluave, but aren't recruiting him with the vigor that Oregon and Cal are.

I haven't updated my 247Sports Crystal Ball page yet but I'm close.

Will Oregon take Darrin Paulo and Uluave in this class?

Sure thing. Paulo will count towards the 2015 scholarship numbers while Uluave won't. He will be taking his mission and could almost be considered a 'freebie.'

Don't lose track of Vanderbilt commit Josh Smith. One person close to the Oregon staff said: "He's probably a better player and fit for Oregon than John Houston." The Oregon staff is in hot pursuit of Smith and has a legit shot at landing him. An official visit for next weekend is likely.

Now moving onto Josh Woods. The UCLA commit tells me he would like to visit Oregon but hasn't set up a visit. He is slated to visit UCLA next weekend and isn't moving that trip. In short unless he sets up a visit in the next 12 hours, that will be the end of that. I considered it a long shot to begin with but this will seal the door by tomorrow. Woods told me he won't take a trip after national signing day.

Staying with the linebacker theme, Oregon has not scheduled a visit with Christian Folauyet. The concern here is size. And not from Folau being too small, rather he may grow out of playing linebacker all together. He's also a bit slower than Oregon likes for its linebacking corps. He's not out of the picture yet, but he's on the bubble.

Several defensive backs have been linked to Oregon late in the recruiting cycle. However I'm hearing Oregon is really only focused on one. Nathan Meadors or bust it it. He's very athletic and could excel at the corner position. Oregon will have some work to do but getting him on campus will be key. He's got an official visit to UCLA set for Jan. 30, and unless that changes or he sets up an immediate visit for this weekend, Oregon is likely out of the game here.

The Ducks are not actively recruiting Justin Martin, the Tennessee commit.

I've outlined who I think Oregon signs and the chances I give the Ducks on a few. One of my top predictions is Kirk Merritt. With Texas A&M being the biggest threat, a small nugget from the GigEm site includes an official visit from Kendall Bussey, a player in the similar mold to Merritt. This isn't a total indictment on Merritt's recruitment, but it certainly helps.

By the way, for those of you hoping for a surprise commit, I'm hearing the staff may have one up its sleeve. It's not a high profile guy, USC commit or something of that caliber. However, we should know more in the next week or after this weekend.

Think recruiting ends on national signing day?

Not this year. I've spoken to more than a few recruits who said they are waiting to hear from Oregon and even the coaches aren't sure what the numbers will look like until after signing day. This includes Braxton Miller, Avery Sebastian and others. Regardless of who Oregon signs on National Signing day, recruiting for the 2015 cycle could be extended.

And if you think we don't know what's going on, thus the 'if's' and 'look out for' posts, I'm hearing it's as uncertain in the recruiting offices. And it's not to say the staff is incompetent and has no idea what they are doing, it's simply just a flurry and a ton of moving parts with limited resources. And by resources we aren't referring to money, however the precious commodity of official visits and scholarships.

Yo Stomp, does this cross check with what you're seeing on Rivals?

 

[STOMP]

Benning Potoa'e decides to suck

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[Daigotsu]

Merritt rumored to be paying his way for a college station visit this weekend. Not a great sign for oregon after his long quiet period.

 

[Zalsa]

Potaoe is gonna love being run on by Freeman.

And I dontsee Kirk going to TAMU. I think if there's anyone who is a lock it's him. Also our coaches visited him a couple of weeks ago

 

[STOMP]

Analysists always say how fast Oregon is, but their skill players really haven't been off the charts with their speed. It's more that everyone including lineman can run and of course that they play with pace. Adding Merritt would be the cherry on top of an amazing group of receivers and would give them another Wideout with true speed to stretch the D. Following his ACL tear, I'm wondering how (and even if) Devon Allen will come back next season or whether he might focus more on track as his college career goes along. I'm really optimistic about how Lovette is going to do in the slot behind Addison, but they could use another speed guy on the outside.

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[Quack U!]

I'm concerned that where we need the most help in the DT and LB spots have gone by the wayside yet again in recruiting! This year was a dominant defensive tackle rich class. Now I'm hearing analysts saying that Canton could line up across center cause some genius thinks he could be the next coming of Ngata. Hellooooo! Ngata is 6'4 and built like a power keg! Canton is pushing 6'8 and built like AA or Buckner. Canton has wicked strength and size off the edge, so let's get him lost hitting fat boys 2 at a time at the NG spot where his leverage will be taking away and his lower back will take a beating with his height. Smart!

Oregon won the Pac-12, The Rose Bowl and the went to the national championship where the world saw our weakness for the second time in 5 years. Outside of Manu and Carlberg who I hope Greatwood lets play on the D line for us, that's all we've got to back up our D line in the up coming years in the dirty trenches.

Kamp, Buck, Balducci , Talia , Bair, French are all gone after next year.

That gives you a D line of Maloata, Canton, Manu, Carlberg and maybe Jelks for 2016.

We also lose LB's Walker and Coleman after next year and Prevot could declare too.

Our LB's then become: Swain, Mattingly, Bostick, Heard and maybe Hollins.

My thinking is the boat for Houston may have sailed and that's why we're setting up a second with Fotu. I still hope we grab Houston but USC is putting together and All Star recruiting class again down there, so my thinking is Green and Houston are ready to jump on board with coach 7 win. Sure they'll be playing in the Frito Bowl for the next 3 years but let's face it these aren't your Carroll Trojans. No these lads are about sun tans, ladies and 3 years to go pro. I contend we many never see a more talented USC class covering the last 3 years that mattered less in the overall college football landscape!



So we know the Ducks need some DT's and some nasty LB's in the worst way. Offensive skilled positions we have in abundance and we could lose player because of it.

This will be the third year in a row for Aiken to not be able to secure a true gap crushing top tier defensive tackle.

LSU hires Bama's coach to take over on D, Auburn hires Muschamp and A&M hires Steele from LSU. A&M and Auburn run up tempo offenses but know by their hiring's they need a real D to compete for it all! When will Oregon figure that out? Judging by the recruiting emphasis, not this year again.

 

[Quack U!]

If Merritt commits to0, you think we'll lose Lovette? I wonder....

 

[MJA]

Greg Biggins ‏@GregBiggins 53m53 minutes ago
#Oregon has offered Riverside CC (Calif) LB and #WashingtonState commit Jonah Moi http://recruiting.scout.com/player/7672706n-jonah-moi…

I wonder if we struck out with some of our other targets an LB?

 

[Daigotsu]

Greg Biggins ‏@GregBiggins 53m53 minutes ago
#Oregon has offered Riverside CC (Calif) LB and #WashingtonState commit Jonah Moi http://recruiting.scout.com/player/7672706n-jonah-moi…

I wonder if we struck out with some of our other targets an LB?

You wonder really? We've struck out with close to twenty of our higher targets

 

[MJA]

You wonder really? We've struck out with close to twenty of our higher targets

There's more than 1 target, guy. To clarify, I wonder if this is a sign we've struck out with a few specific targets.

 

[Daigotsu]

There's more than 1 target, guy. To clarify, I wonder if this is a sign we've struck out with a few specific targets.

John Houston... probably already stuck out. John Smith Moved onto since Houston most likely the one we are currently Striking out on. Foto Leiato who I've seen mixed info on his offer and doesn't really fit our typical LB (note: not a bad thing if you see how our typical LB played this year IMO)

 

[Zalsa]

What's up with Josh Smith? I think we have a good chance of landing him @Daigotsu . What's got you down?

 

[STOMP]

I'm concerned that where we need the most help in the DT and LB spots have gone by the wayside yet again in recruiting! This year was a dominant defensive tackle rich class. Now I'm hearing analysts saying that Canton could line up across center cause some genius thinks he could be the next coming of Ngata. Hellooooo! Ngata is 6'4 and built like a power keg! Canton is pushing 6'8 and built like AA or Buckner. Canton has wicked strength and size off the edge, so let's get him lost hitting fat boys 2 at a time at the NG spot where his leverage will be taking away and his lower back will take a beating with his height. Smart!

does this genius coach for the Ducks? If he does he's breaking NCAA rules by talking about a recruit. If he's just some guy with an opinion that you disagree with, why do you care so much if this person won't be deciding who plays where?

Outside of Manu and Carlberg who I hope Greatwood lets play on the D line for us, that's all we've got to back up our D line in the up coming years in the dirty trenches.

Kamp, Buck, Balducci , Talia , Bair, French are all gone after next year.

That gives you a D line of Maloata, Canton, Manu, Carlberg and maybe Jelks for 2016.

...and TJ Daniel, Mondeaux & Cumberlander plus whoever they land next cycle. Even if they strike out on the DLine 2016 class (unlikely), 8 deep for 3 spots is hardly panic time

We also lose LB's Walker and Coleman after next year and Prevot could declare too.

Our LB's then become: Swain, Mattingly, Bostick, Heard and maybe Hollins.

...and Ragin. 7 deep for 4 spots is a little thin, but this class isn't finished yet and of course there is next year too. Also, as others have relayed 2015 Safety verbal Dylan Kane is thought to be projected at LB. Just like we've seen this cycle with the DLine, I'm pretty sure thinner depth numbers will draw the talent. Guys with options don't want to ride the bench and Oregon will have opportunities at LB to play that will be very attractive the next cycle

This will be the third year in a row for Aiken to not be able to secure a true gap crushing top tier defensive tackle.

this is the umpteenth time I've reminded you that 2015 is Aiken's 2nd class... and in what world isn't Canton a top tier DT? You've called Arik and DeForest DTs, you say that Canton is going to play their position, what gives? If you're talking about Nose Tackles, say what you mean and say NTs

Remember a couple months back when you scoffed at the list of potential Duck DLineman I put together? You said you'd be shocked if they landed 1 guy off that list. Of course they received verbals from 3 off that list (so far) and yet here you are with the same broken record takes complaining about depth issues there that don't exist.

Sos... whatever

STOMP