Going National: Soutwestern Region

Interactive Map by iMapBuilder

Since the arrival of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator in 2007, Duck fans have seen not only a uniquely dominant offense, but they have seen the football program rise to unprecedented heights culminating in the 2012 Rose Bowl win. Along the way, a couple of special players from parts not normally represented on the Duck roster transformed Oregon football into a national brand.

This month, Duck Sports Authority began this series on national recruiting. So far we have taken a look at every region save one. Today we turn our attention to the region which has seen the biggest impact on the Oregon football team: the Southwest Region. An area untapped prior to Chip Kelly's arrival, the Southwest is a hotbed of talent. Though Texas and Texas A&M have traditionally dominated the state with Oklahoma also getting a vast majority of their talent from the football crazy state, there were plenty of overlooked football players that were passed over by the big boys of the Southwest.

We learned that the Ducks roster has undergone a transformation. Prior to 2007, this team was predominantly populated by athletes from the West Coast; especially California. Comprising nearly 70% of the scholarship players in 2007, California dominated the Ducks roster. In the 2011-12 season, though, Californians counted for only 48% of the Ducks roster. That is a significant change.

The West coast had long been the dominantly represented region on the Ducks roster. Prior to the successes of Mike Bellotti and Chip Kelly, that was out of pure necessity. Attempting to lure players to Oregon was difficult enough when it was just getting them out of California. Getting them from everywhere else was exponentially more difficult as Oregon did not have a brand name nationally.

Let us take a look now, at how Oregon's presence in the Southwest region has changed during Chip Kelly's tenure. We begin by looking at the scholarship players from the top three states in the region (Texas, Arizona and Oklahoma) that were on the Oregon roster in 2007 and again in 2012.

Players by State

2007 State Number % TX 0 0.0 AZ 0 0.0 OK 0 0.0 All Others 0 0.0 2012 State Number % TX 6 7.8 AZ 5 6.5 OK 0 0.0 All Others 0 0.0

When Duck Sports Authority first looked at the changing recruiting trend of the Duck football coaching staff, it was clear that the roster had been impacted with players not from the Ducks normal territory. We have already seen that there were some Midwestern and Southeastern players sprinkled into the roster over the last several years. The Southwest, though, is where the Ducks have found their biggest impact over the past five years. It's not just that the Ducks got a few players out of Texas, but that the players who Oregon coaches were able to sign were impact players like...

Click here to read entire story

Going National: Western Region

Interactive Map by iMapBuilder

Since the arrival of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator in 2007, Duck fans have seen not only a uniquely dominant offense, but they have seen the football program rise to unprecedented heights culminating in the 2012 Rose Bowl win. Along the way, a couple of special players from parts not normally represented on the Duck roster transformed Oregon football into a national brand.

This month, Duck Sports Authority began this series on national recruiting. So far we have taken a look at the Eastern, Midwestern, Southeastern and Plains/Mountain regions. Today we turn our attention to the bread and butter for Duck recruiting, the Western Region. This region is fairly straight forward as it includes Washing, Oregon, California, Idaho and Alaska.

The first thing that we learned when analyzing the regional recruiting for the Ducks is that the Ducks roster now has 25% fewer players from the dominant West Coast Region. Those players are coming from somewhere. The Ducks have certainly taken a few more players from around the nation, that much is sure.

The West coast has long been the dominantly represented region on the Ducks roster. Prior to the successes of Mike Bellotti and Chip Kelly, that was out of pure necessity. Attempting to lure players to Oregon was difficult enough when it was just getting them out of California. Getting them from everywhere else was exponentially more difficult as Oregon did not have a brand name nationally.

Let us take a look now, at how Oregon's presence in its main region has changed during Chip Kelly's tenure. We begin by looking at the scholarship players from the top three states in the region (California, Oregon and Washington) that were on the Oregon roster in 2007 and again in 2012.

Players by State

2007 State Number % CA 45 64.3 OR 5 7.1 WA 3 4.3 All Others 4 5.7 2012 State Number % CA 37 48.1 OR 6 7.8 WA 2 2.6 All Others 6 7.8

After our initial look at this topic, we knew that there would be less representation from this region. What is striking is just how steep the drop is. While the number of players from California is just eight less than five years prior, the reality is that it represents a 16.2% drop in the ratio of scholarship players from the state of California. That kind of drop can be considered...

Click here to read entire story

Going National: Plains States/Mountains Region

Interactive Map by iMapBuilder Since the arrival of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator in 2007, Duck fans have seen not only a uniquely dominant offense, but they have seen the football program rise to unprecedented heights culminating in the 2012 Rose Bowl win. Along the way, a couple of special players from parts not normally represented on the Duck roster transformed Oregon football into a national brand. Last week, Duck Sports Authority began this series on national recruiting. So far we have taken a look at the Eastern region, Midwestern Region and Southeastern region. Today we turn our attention to what we have labeled as the Plains/Mountains region. When dividing up regions it can be difficult to draw lines, but we included the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming south to Kansas and west to Nevada. We felt that this was representative of a region not heavily recruited by the Ducks So far throughout this series we have been able to show graphically, that the Ducks roster now has 25% fewer players from the dominant West Coast Region. Those players are coming from somewhere. Today we continue to dig deeper into regions not normally infiltrated by Oregon. The plains and mountain regions have not been a hotbed of football recruiting with some exceptions. Utah always seems to produce a few top tier line players each year. Duck fans are familiar with Utah having had great players like Haloti Ngata leave Utah for the Ducks. Nonetheless, the region does not produce a large pool of Pac-12 talent and the offer list and roster bear that out. Let us take a look now, at how Oregon's presence in the Plains and Mountain regions has changed during Chip Kelly's tenure. We begin by looking at the scholarship players from the top three states in the region (Nevada, Utah and Colorado) that were on the Oregon roster in 2007 and again in 2012. Click here to read entire story:

RECRUITING SPOTLIGHT: Chip Kelly Fears No One. Does Brady Hoke Fear Urban Meyer?

In order to comprehend who we are, we must understand where we come from. Such is a brief synopsis of Alasdair MacIntyre's seminal moral philosophy work After Virtue.

Recently Brady Hoke, Michigan head football coach, went on the record questioning the value and role of the intense media coverage of recruiting. I think MacIntyre's concepts are apropos here. In order to understand who college football recruiting coverage is, we must understand its evolution. I am not going to bore people with the entire history of college football; most of you are pretty knowledgeable, generally speaking, about college football's origins. I am also not going to go in depth into the history of Oregon football. Just about every Duck fan alive knows about “The Pick” and “the Toilet Bowl” and “Captain Comeback.” These are a part of the lore that is Oregon football.

So, how can I analyze Hokes comments without a deep resurrection of Oregon football history? I can recount how we got to where we are from a uniquely personal perspective. But I am not going to start at the beginning and work forward; I don't think the story is best told that way. I believe we should work backwards to see where we started.

Hoke is right, to a degree, there is an enormous amount of information about

recruits. When Terrence Jones was deciding where he wanted to go to college,

Oregonlive.com had a video that streamed his announcement (which he would later change his mind) live for all the world to see.

Today, high school seniors routinely have announcement ceremonies at their schools. You know what, though, that is not unique. When Kevin Wilhite committed to the University of Oregon, it was big news. Widely considered the best player in America as a high school senior in 1982, his choice of the Ducks was a signing day surprise.

While Hoke pretends that “stars” and ratings are all some fancy new-fangled

invention of the internet age, he is just wrong. In 1982, the Los Angeles Times ran a feature story on Wilhite's last minute switch from the Huskies to the Ducks. Presumably, the switch was made due to Oregon's phenomenal track program. The point, though, is that in 1982, recruiting was already a big news item.

The real difference, then, between 1982 and 2012 is not that recruiting news is covered, but how and by whom it is covered. Hoke may have some points in that the coverage now begins when players are sophomores in high school. Recruiting sites call them to ask about their respective schools and try to analyze where these young men may end up playing.

They are assigned “stars” based on what scouts believe is their potential at the college level. Why is it, though, that these sites exist? After all, they don't exist in some magical glass bubble created for no real reason.

The finger has to go back to the sport itself. College football has been a passion for many people for a long time. The Nebraska Cornhuskers have the ongoing NCAA record of 317 consecutive sellouts; that dates back 50 years to 1962! Oregon's streak of 79 consecutive sell-outs pales by comparison. The passion of fans was invoked many years ago. But that passion did not invent the current recruiting craze.

In my opinion, the beginning of this craze started in the summer of 1978. That was the summer that ESPN was first conceived. On September 7,

1979 ESPN made its debut to a small number of viewers. The growth of sports and ESPN have coincided. And then college football programs began to see dollar signs in their eyes. Looking to entrench their advantage, powerhouse programs recognized the value of television appearances.

College football has been a long-standing tradition on the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). When ABC bought ESPN in 1984, college football was slowly but surely sprinkled onto the network that would come to dominate sports.

With dollar signs in their eyes, athletic directors, with the blessing (and urging) of their coaches, eagerly sought contracts with the burgeoning behemoth. Those contracts were the beginning of what we see today.

As the sport was broadcast and schools had more money from these new contracts, fans began to clamor for more information. Once we had a taste, we needed more. ESPN, after all, broadcasts drafts and analysis of draft picks. Why shouldn't fans learn about college recruits?

The difference with college football is that it typically involves a rotating cast of players. Unlike professional sports where star players are signed to long-term contracts, college football players have only three or four years playing for the school. Fans wanted to know more about the players. Parade Magazine began this whole thing back in 1963 with their first high school All-American football team selections.

SuperPrep Magazine took it deeper with their foray into the world of recruiting in 1985. So, no Mr. Hoke, this is not a new invention.

As fans began to become more interested in the teams that they were spending money to watch, their natural desire to know more about their team gave rise to the possibility. After the initial internet boom of the late 1990's, two companies seized on the fans desire and the newly available cheap distribution methods of the internet. And the fans got hooked. We couldn't get enough.

So, what exactly is Brady Hoke's complaint? That there are media people covering recruiting? Can't be, that has been going on for decades. That the services “rate” players? That can't be it either, services have been rating players for a very long time; Parade Magazine has rated players for over 50 years.

While he mentions several times that he didn't need a “star system” to reel in Tom Brady, it becomes clear that Hoke is hedging his bets for the future. You see, right now, Hoke is landing what all three major sites have called the best class in America for 2013, Hoke knows just how fickle fans can be about the topic. All he has to do is talk to one of his current commits Logan Tuley-Tillman. For those not knowledgeable about Tuley-Tillman, he is a 2013 commitment to the Wolverines that was recently spotlighted for his burning of letters from Ohio State. Ohio State fans, in their anger at his “disrespect” to their school. Sadly, his actions, though somewhat immature, were met with worse as Ohio State fans taunted him with all manner of threats.

It is that kind of fickle nature that has Hoke worried about the future.

He has been widely lauded for his early recruiting. But there is a new kid in town named Urban Meyer that will also be able to recruit serious talent. In fact, it is very plausible that Ohio State will once again move ahead of Michigan in recruiting rankings in 2014. If that happens, Hoke needs to have distanced himself from the “rankings” of his recruiting classes so that any lackluster class rankings wise, can be met with the same answer he gives now, “we don't recruit stars, we recruit football players.”

Contrast with Chip Kelly’s attitude towards recruiting reports and you will see that Chip embraces the concept. Kelly is no different than any coach in America; no coach will tell you that they only recruited a kid because he was a “5 star” recruit according to a website. Nonetheless, Chip has a much different relationship with recruiting services than most coaches. He is more than just cordial. He recognizes the value that these sites bring to college football.

While they are typically fan-centric, they also provide a wealth of information and are able to post videos that coaches may not have had a chance to see anywhere else. There is a reason that many schools, including Oregon, subscribed to Rivals and Scout. Last year that changed as the NCAA said they could not longer subscribe as they did not fit within the confines of NCAA regulations (due to videos that were taken during off-season camps). The NCAA has since reversed course and now allows universities to subscribe to approved sites.

Kelly, though, has never gone on the record to attempt to discredit the field. That would show a weakness; a fear. Kelly has never backed down from the challenge of competing with the Pac-12 recruiting king, USC.

Instead, he goes into their back yard and steals a generational player from under their wings. Ohio State wants Dontre Wilson and Chip doesn’t care, he just recruits him and wins that day as well. Kelly doesn’t see the necessity of publicly stating “we don’t recruit stars, we recruit players.” Why? Because every coach in America knows that recruiting stars are useless if the kid does not fit into your program; that goes without saying.

So call this statement by Hoke nothing more than what it is, self-preservation.

In reality, the whole system as it exists is just part of the history of college football. In order to generate more revenue, college football eagerly sought television contracts. To support those contracts, fans were courted. With that courtship brought what fans bring: fanaticism.

And, guess what, fanaticism brings exactly what it says. Fanatics want to know everything they possibly can about a subject. That includes recruits. From Kevin Wilhite to Marcus Dupree to Cameron Colvin and now to the best players that the 2013 class has to offer, recruiting has always been big news.

On February 6, 2013 Brady Hoke will gather in front of the very media whose reporting on recruits he has criticized to tout the recruits he just signed.

Off Topic: A True Hero

I don't normally use this site to stray too far from Duck sports,but today I read a story that screamed out to me to get as many people to know about this story as possible. 

No, this is not anything I am preaching!

For those that have not known me for long, some of you may remember that I helped out at Lewis & Clark College for a while with strength & conditioning. I had the great pleasure of working with a lot of great young men... but sometimes they go on to do something you cannot predict.

Today I heard the story of one of the players who went on to do something very special. In his own way, one young man changed the world. Most people may never know of the story, but I can guarantee you that there are at least two families whose lives were changed forever this past weekend.

We should all extend a warm thank you to a young man that I had the pleasure of working with when he was a member of the Lewis & Clark football team.

Over the weekend, KaiWatts saved the lives of two teens from the Portland area when they wandered too far from shore and got caught in the currents. Without his quick actions and fearlessness, there would be two families devastated today. Think one person cannot change the world? I bet there are a couple of families who would disagree.

I only got to work with Kai for one season, but I couldn't be more proud of his heroism.

Kai will be on the KGW news tonight (Portland channel 32 at 10PM and Channel 8 at 11PM).

Here is the story from the seaside newspaper:

Two teens saved during ocean rescue off Gearhart Beach

Going National: Southeast Region

Interactive Map by iMapBuilder

Since the arrival of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator in 2007, Duck fans have seen not only a uniquely dominant offense, but they have seen the football program rise to unprecedented heights culminating in the 2012 Rose Bowl win. Along the way, a couple of special players from parts not normally represented on the Duck roster transformed Oregon football into a national brand.

Last week, Duck Sports Authority began this series on national recruiting by looking at the Eastern Region of the country. In our first two parts to this series, we were able to show graphically, that the Ducks roster now has 25% fewer players from the dominant West Coast Region. Those players are coming from somewhere. Today we continue to dig deeper into regions not normally infiltrated by Oregon. Today, we continue this feature by looking at the Southeast Region.

There are many people who question the wisdom of venturing into territories like the Southeast. While the Ducks have had decent successes in the Midwest, traditional logic is that the southeastern part of our nation is dominated by SEC schools and is not worth the effort as those schools will, by and large, take anyone that they want. While it is true that, generally speaking, SEC schools get the cream of the Southeastern crop, that does not mean that the Ducks cannot find a player or two that can make an impact.

Let us take a look now, at how Oregon's presence in the Southeast region has changed during Chip Kelly's tenure.

Click here to read entire story

Going National: MIdwest

Interactive Map by iMapBuilder Since the arrival of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator in 2007, Duck fans have seen not only a uniquely dominant offense, but they have seen the football program rise to unprecedented heights culminating in the 2012 Rose Bowl win. Along the way, a couple of special players from parts not normally represented on the Duck roster transformed Oregon football into a national brand. On Tuesday, Duck Sports Authority began this series on national recruiting by looking at the Eastern Region of the country. Today, we continue this feature by looking at the Midwest Region. This region includes just 8 states, most of which are very lightly recruited by the Duck football staff. When comparing to the Eastern Region, though the Ducks have extended fewer offers in this region, they have had considerably more success snagging 8 commitments over the past three recruiting years (2010-2012). In our first piece, we were able to show graphically, that the Ducks roster now has 25% fewer players from the dominant West Coast Region. Those players are coming from somewhere. Today we get a first glimpse at one area the Ducks have really improved upon over the last several years. When looking back and comparing the rosters from 2007 and 2011 the first thing that stands out is the number of athletes listed on each roster. In 2007, there are only 91 names listed whereas there are 110 listed for the 2011 season. To make it a more "apples to apples" comparison, we did not include non scholarship players in the numbers. After taking out non-scholarship players, these are the numbers: Click here to read entire story

Going National: Eastern Region

Interactive Map by iMapBuilder

Since the arrival of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator in 2007, Duck fans have seen not only a uniquely dominant offense, but they have seen the football program rise to unprecedented heights culminating in the 2012 Rose Bowl win. Along the way, a couple of special players from parts not normally represented on the Duck roster transformed Oregon football into a national brand.

Today we begin a look at how the Ducks rise to national prominence is related to the rise in recruiting nationwide.

It has always been a fairly well documented fact that the Oregon football team is comprised predominantly by California players. Recently, though, the Duck coaching staff has taken to the air more logging frequent flier miles to just about every corner of the nation looking for the best of the best to bring to Eugene.

Have the number of national level commitments and/or offers grown? Or is that merely a perception? Today, we begin a deeper look to see if perception is reality, or if our perceptions are skewed due to a few highly successful athletes from parts of the country Oregon does not usually have represented on their roster.

When looking back and comparing the rosters from 2007 and 2011 the first thing that stands out is the number of athletes listed on each roster. In 2007, there are only 91 names listed whereas there are 110 listed for the 2011 season. To make it a more "apples to apples" comparison, we did not include non scholarship players in the numbers. After taking out non-scholarship players, these are the numbers:

Players by State

2007 State Number % CA 47 67.1 OR 8 11.4 WA 3 4.2 All Others 12 17.1 2011 State Number % CA 37 48.1 OR 7 9.1 WA 2 2.62 All Others 31 40.3

Click here to read entire story

Going National. A look at Oregon's approach to National recruiting

Next week there will be a new series of articles for Duck Sports Authority looking at the recruiting trends of the Oregon Football team since Chip Kelly's arrival.

Twice a week, I will dig into a region of the country and look at where our offers are and what kind of impact they are having on the Oregon football roster.

Look for the first article next Tuesday. The release dates will be Tuesday and Friday each week. I have looked at six separate regions plus will do an overview/review article to tie it all together. The regions will be, East, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, Plains/Rockies and Far West. Each article will give a better idea of just which states are included in each region and delve into the numbers.

2013 In Depth Review: Running BAcks and Quarterbacks

As the school year turns to summer and the calendar turns to June, recruiting will begin to pick up steam as young men travel to multiple camps and make unofficial visits to their favorite programs. Leading up to the summer cap season for football, Duck Sports Authority spent the month of May looking in depth at each position. During that stretch we looked at those with a listed offer in the Rivals database as well as a few off the radar prospects and some other intriguing athletes who have some measured interest in the Oregon program.

It is a sign of just how far the Ducks program has ascended over the past few years that the coaches have been very selective in their early offers.

Today, Duck Sports Authority looks back at the earlier articles and gives a brief summary of each position on offense. Our first part takes a look back at the running back and quarterback positions.

Running Back

A position that, due to unexpected transfers, the Ducks are very thin. With the number of offers, the Duck coaches clearly are looking to add, at the very least, two running backs, but more likely they are looking for three in this class. On the bright side, the Ducks have made an early impact. At the time of the first article, Thomas Tyner had already committed to the Ducks, since then, the Ducks have added another commit at the running back position.

Name	Status	Ht./Wt.	Hometown
Thomas Tyner Summary: Tyner combines good size with blazing speed. At 6'0" tall and 200 pounds, Tyner is the kind of running back the Ducks have not had since the departure of Jonathan Stewart. In addition to his nearly ideal size, Tyner is an explosively fast runner. The state record holder in the 100 meter dash, Tyner is a breakaway threat any time he touches the ball. DSA Odds: Committed to Oregon Tyner looks to be very solid in his commitment to Oregon.	Committed to Oregon	6-0/200	Aloha, OR
Dontre Wilson Summary: Wilson is a fast runner with good open field vision and the ability to make people miss in tight spaces. He shows the ability to explode through the middle of the line at times as needed. DSA Odds: Committed to Oregon Wilson is the most recent Ducks commit. There are other schools who will push hard to change his mind.	Committed to Oregon	5-10/176	DeSoto, TX
Justin Davis Summary: Davis runs well to the edge and has deceptive speed getting to the corner when it looks like the defender has the angle. He has strong legs and his feet keep moving through contact creating plenty of yards after contact. Davis has good vision in the open field. He also has a deceptively effective jump-cut move. DSA Odds: None Long considered a USC lean, Davis made it official committing to the Trojans in mid May.	Offered, Committed to USC	6-1/195	Stockton, CA
Derrick Green Summary: Green is an extremely strong runner with powerful legs. He seems to enjoy contact and loves to deliver hits on defenders as he is carrying the ball. If he gets into one-on-one situations with defensive backs, he will win the battle many times with his sheer strength. He is excellent carrying the ball in the red-zone with his powerful legs that keep churning after first contact. DSA Odds:

Click here to read entire story

2013 In Depth Review: Tight Ends & WR's

As May comes to an end, recruiting will begin to pick up steam as young men travel to multiple camps and make unofficial visits to their favorite programs. Leading up to the summer cap season for football, Duck Sports Authority spent the month of May looking in depth at each position. During that stretch we looked at those with a listed offer in the Rivals database as well as a few off the radar prospects and some other intriguing athletes who have some measured interest in the Oregon program.

It is a sign of just how far the Ducks program has ascended over the past few years that the coaches have been very selective in their early offers.

Today, Duck Sports Authority looks back at the earlier articles and gives a brief summary of each position on offense. Our first part takes a look back at the receiver and tight end positions.

Tight End

There is a lot of youth at the tight end position on the current Duck roster, but that has not stopped the coaches from offering several more tight ends for the 2013 recruiting cycle. There are currently five offers out to players listed as tight ends in the Rivals database. That means that since our article about tight ends two more offers have been extended.

Name	Status	Ht./Wt.	Hometown
Mike Heuerman Summary: Heuerman has good hands when catching the ball. He seems to take the right angle and makes good plays to the ball, does not let the ball get to him, he goes up and gets it out of the air. He is also a very good blocker DSA Odds: Committed to Notre Dame Heuerman looks to be a solid commit to Notre Dame.	Offered, Committed to Notre Dame	6-4/220	Naples, FL
Josh McNeil Summary: McNeil moves very well and runs good routes. With his great frame he is very adept at using his body to gain position against the defender and has the athleticism to get up in the air to catch the ball. DSA Odds: Very Low McNeil has named Alabama as his current leader. Based on what he is saying, it appears at the moment that the Ducks are a long shot.	Offered, Medium Interest	6-5/235	Durham, NC
Danny Mattingly Summary: Mattingly has a great frame again at 6-5 and 225 pounds. Another versatile athlete that could provide help in a couple of different positions, Mattingly is rated the 25th best tight end in the nation, though he is also being looked at on defense by some teams. DSA Odds: Medium Mattingly had high praise for the Ducks when Duck Sports Authority spoke with him in May. Due to his faith and family connections, he may be a tough pull from Notre Dame, but Oregon definitely has his interest.	Offered, Medium Interest	6-5/225	Spokane, WA

Click here to read entire story

2013 In Depth: OL Review

 As May comes to an end, recruiting will begin to pick up steam as young men travel to multiple camps and make unofficial visits to their favorite programs. Leading up to the summer cap season for football, Duck Sports Authority spent the month of May looking in depth at each position. During that stretch we looked at those with a listed offer in the Rivals database as well as a few off the radar prospects and some other intriguing athletes who have some measured interest in the Oregon program.

It is a sign of just how far the Ducks program has ascended over the past few years that the coaches have been very selective in their early offers.

Today, Duck Sports Authority looks back at the earlier articles and gives a brief summary of each position on offense. Our first part takes a look back at the offensive line positions.

Offensive Tackle

This has been a very active position for Duck coaches early on in this recruiting cycle. Our original article looked at 5 players that had been offered and one intriguing prospect who had not yet been offered by the Ducks. Since that time, Duck coaches have extended three additional offers. Let us look at all 9 of those players once again.

Name	Status	Ht./Wt.	Hometown
Evan Voeller Voeller is a multi faceted lineman with the ability to pull when asked as well as seal the corner when needed. On film, Voeller never gives up on the block until the whistle blows. He will continue his block or continue to look for another block as the play progresses. In a fast paced offense like Oregon's this can be crucial to the team's success. DSA Odds: Committed to Oregon Voeller looks to be a very strong commitment.	Offered, Committed to Oregon	6-4/285	West Linn, OR
Jake Campos Summary: On film he is an aggressive blocker who plays hard and uses his hands very well. His listed weight, though, is more tight end like at 245 pounds. Watching him, though, there is no doubt that he is an offensive lineman. DSA Odds:

Click here to read entire story

2013 Recruiting In Depth: Defense Review Part II

As May comes to an end, recruiting will begin to pick up steam as young men travel to multiple camps and make unofficial visits to their favorite programs. Leading up to the summer camp season for football, Duck Sports Authority spent the month of May looking in depth at each position. During that stretch we looked at those with a listed offer in the Rivals database as well as a few off the radar prospects and some other intriguing athletes who have some measured interest in the Oregon program. It is a sign of just how far the Ducks program has ascended over the past few years that the coaches have been very selective in their early offers. In part two of our review looking at the defense, Duck Sports Authority reviews the defensive backs and outside linebacker positions.  

Outside Linebacker

Showing that they feel a need for players listed as outside linebackers, the Duck coaches have offered six players at the position. In our earlier look at the position there were just five offers. Josh Banderas, a Nebraska commit was recently offered.

Name	Status	Ht./Wt.	Hometown
Michael Hutchings Summary: The first, and most important strength is that he has great speed to go along with his 6-2, 210 pound frame. He uses his speed to his advantage in coverage. He is very good in zone coverage and has also shown good ball skills in man coverage. In run support, he has a good feel for the offense and flows with the play very well. DSA Odds: Low He is planning to visit Oregon and the De La Salle connection may provide some help, but at this point the odds of Hutchings becoming a Duck look relatively low.	Offered, Medium Interest	6-2/210	Concord, CA
Peter Kalambayi Summary: Kalambayi stands out on film with his incredible strength and his tenacity in run defense. He has great feet and flows well to the ball. He easily sheds the blocks of his opponents. When he makes a tackle, he makes it with an impact and, once he wraps up an opponent, he makes the tackle. DSA Odds: Very Low As with any and all prospects, it is difficult to say a team is out of consideration until a possible visit. Kalambayi has not listed Oregon in his top three at any point, but that does not mean he is not interested.	Offered, Medium Interest	6-3/229	Matthews, NC
Deon Hollins Jr. Summary: Hollins is very strong and very quick off the line. He excels at rushing the quarterback and is not a "one-trick pony" when it comes to getting to the quarterback. DSA Odds: Low Though he is committed to UCLA, Hollins is still looking at other schools. Nonetheless, though he sports an Oregon offer, he has not shown much interest in the Ducks.	Offered, Medium Interest	6-2/225	Missouri City, TX
Josh Banderas Jr. Summary: Banderas combines a very good frame with great speed. He recently won the Nebraska Class A state championship in the 110 meter hurdles and placed second in the 300 meter hurdles. Banderas plays very well in zone coverages and uses his speed to his advantage. DSA Odds: Very Low Banderas is the son of a former Nebraska tight end and lives in Lincoln.	Offered, Committed to Nebraska	6-2/220	Lincoln, NE
Victor Egu Summary: Though he has played football for just three seasons, he has shown strength and instincts that seem natural. He has active feet and drives through his tackles. DSA Odds: Very Good At this point in time, the Oregon offer is one of just a few from a BCS school as he holds offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Washington and Oregon.	Offered, Medium Interest	6-3/217	Concord, CA
Isaac McDonald Jr. Summary: McDonald, a three-star prospect from Florida, considers himself a safety and is interested in playing safety in college. Rivals, though, lists him as an outside linebacker. At 6-5, 205 pounds, most are projecting him to play either outside linebacker or defensive end. DSA Odds: None hough he has an Oregon offer, McDonald has never expressed any interest in attending Oregon. He may be committed to Clemson, but it does look like there are other schools who might still be in play for McDonald. At this point, though, Oregon is not one of the schools.	Offered, Committed to Nebraska	6-5/205	Hialeah, FL

Click here to read entire story