Class Rewind: 2008 Defense

For the month of July, we have been looking back at past classes and their impact; comparing their actual impact with their rankings to see if these players were able to perform better, worse or as expected. The early part of this series brought us up-to-date on some players that have since moved on in their careers and lives. Players who many had forgotten and most whose impact had been fully developed through their careers. Today, though, we begin to look at a group of players, many of who are still on the Duck roster, that most readers here at Duck Sports Authority are well aware of and need less introduction to their career. Nonetheless, there are always players who make a bigger impact than imagined and some players who simply never make it to Oregon. We have looked at both offensive and defensive players from the classes of 2005 through 2007; today we continue the series by looking towards the signing class of 2008. As always, we begin our look at the class by looking first to the defensive side of the ball.

Name	Position	Stars	Games Started
Kiko Alonso Impact: A somewhat unheralded prospect in high school who had just two offers listed in the Rivals database from Utah and the Ducks, Alonso spent 2008 on the scout team. His redshirt freshman season saw Alonso rise to the top reserve middle linebacker for the Ducks as he appeared in the final 12 games of the season. Trouble would beset him in 2010 as off field troubles and a knee injury sidelined him for the season. After sitting out an early season suspension in 2011, Kiko would become a valuable member of the defense once again. Appearing in 2 games, Alonso started 5 on 2011 and was named the defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl. With one more season in Eugene, Alonso is expected to be the stalwart in the middle for the Ducks in 2012.	LB		5/25
John Boyett Impact: Boyett was an extremely undervalued prospect in high school. Playing at Napa did not help his cause and playing just about every position on the field also made it difficult to evaluate his skill. Nonetheless, he became the first freshman to lead the Ducks in tackles during the 2009 season. He followed up his freshman All-America honors in 2009 by being named second team All-America in 2010. 2011 saw Boyett return to being the Ducks leading tackler with 108 total tackles on the season. Going into his senior year in 2012, Boyett has 276 total tackles in his career.	DB		35/39
Blake Ferras Impact: After struggling during his jump from City College of San Francisco in 2008, Ferras asserted himself in 2009 starting all 13 games for the Ducks. Recorded 37 tackles including 4.5 tackles for loss as a senior in 2009. Ferras is currently a member of the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League.	DT		13/26

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Class Rewind: 2007 Defense

Today we continue looking back to past classes for the Ducks. Through the first four articles we have seen that the Ducks have had plenty of players that could be considered "over-achievers" as their production both during college and after far exceeded their expectations. We have also seen several players who either did not live up to their expectations or simply never made it to Oregon. Today we look at the class of 2007. As always, it seems, there are some hits, some misses, some players who never made it to campus and, in the case of this season, tragedy thrown into the mix. The defensive class of 2007 signed 15 players to a large class of 29. There were 6 players signed that were projected to play defensive line, only two of those players finished their careers at Oregon. The defensive backs and linebackers signed, though, showed much better retention and production. Let us take a look back, now, at the defensive players signed in the class of 2007:

Name	Position	Stars	Games Started
Tonio Cellotto Impact: Cellotto had opportunity to play early for the Ducks. He played well in his limited snaps and appeared in 12 games as a true freshman recording 4.5 tackles for loss. Appeared in 12 more games as a sophomore, then left the team when a close family member became ill. Tonio bounced around after leaving Oregon. Last season, he re-enrolled at Humboldt State University. He played in just one game before injury ended his season prematurely. He is currently awaiting a ruling from the NCAA requesting a sixth season of eligibility under a hardship waiver.	DT		0/26
Todd Doxey Impact: Much was expected of Todd. Based on his stellar performances for the scout team as a redshirt, he was ready to begin delivering on that promise as the 2008 season approached. As most Duck fans know, Todd drowned during a summer outing at the river. He left a lasting impact on the team and his legacy as a Duck will survive always. The team has an award named after the former safety.	DB		0/0
Simi Fili Impact: Another name in a string of defensive tackles that never made it to the Oregon campus, Fili was well thought of as a recruit. That great promise never materialized as Fili failed to meet NCAA standards. Comign from a very rough neighborhood, Fili, whose uncle was featured in a A&E episode of Gang Wars, Fili struggled to find his path. In 2011, Fili attempted to resurrect his football career at a Mississippi junior college.	DT		0/0

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Class Rewind: 2006 Offense

Jordan Holmes was a steal for the 2006 offense

As we continue our look back to past recruiting classes, today Duck Sports Authority looks at the offensive recruits from the class of 2006. After the incredible season of 2001, the Oregon football team was a little up and down for the next few years with a losing season in 2004, the team rebounded for an incredible run in 2005 finishing the regular season 10-1. Recruiting following this season, though, was not indicative of a team who had won ten games. In fact, the 2006 class was ranked 9th in the Pac-10 and 49th nationally by Rivals. The Ducks signed 21 players in the class of 2006, eight of which were rated two-stars by Rivals. On the offensive side there were eleven players signed by the Ducks who would end up as offensive players. Among the eleven included Pat So'oalo whose impact was chronicled in our coverage of the 2005 class. Like the defensive side of this class, there were a couple of two-star rated players who would go on to make great impact. As always there were some misses and some steals in this class. So, let us take a closer look at the players signed in 2006:

Name	Position	Stars	Games Started
Remene Alston, Jr. Impact: Alston chose the Ducks from the far away state of North Carolina. When he first arrived, there was great promise as he had all the tools to be an extremely successful running back for the Ducks. That future seemed even brighter during his redshirt year when he was named the scout offensive player of the week for nine consecutive weeks. On the field, though, his impact was impacted by the emergence of another running back. Alston was able to see action in 28 games during his career carrying the ball 139 times for 692 yards and 9 touchdowns. As a senior he had career highs with 63 carries for 356 yards and 5 touchdowns. Remene is now an assistant coach at Lewis & Clark College in Portland.	RB		0/52
Nate Costa Impact: Nate Costa may have had some of the worst luck of any Duck player in the last 10 years. Though he was rated as a three-star quarterback by Rivals, he seemed to fit perfectly into what would arrive just a year after his signing; Chip Kelly's version of the spread offense. A quarterback with a superb arm, but also exceptional running ability, Nate Costa was brought out of his redshirt year due to injuries in 2006. Though he was set to redshirt during 2007, he would have been the primary back up to Dixon after the injury, but a season ending ACL tear of his own made it a moot point. Was then named 2008 starter before another knee injury ended his season two weeks before the opener. Backing up Jeremiah Masoli in 2009, Costa made the lone start of his career against UCLA. His biggest impact, though, came as a holder where he saved the Arizona game for the Ducks by snatching an errant snap and placing it on an extra point attempt. As a senior, lost a hard-fought battle for the starting spot with Darron Thomas. Costa once again injured his knee in the ninth game of the season and never played another down for the Ducks. Showing his incredible work ethic and inner strength, though, he was in full uniform for the BCS National Championship Game just six weeks after surgery.	QB		1/52
Andre Crenshaw Impact: Andre had a similar career path to Remene Alston. Was able to start one game during his career against Purdue. His best season actually came in 2007 behind Jonathan Stewart. After Jeremiah Johnson was lost for the season to knee surgery, Crenshaw carried 82 times for 416 yards and 4 touchdowns as a sophomore. For his career, he carried the ball 130 times for 730 yards and 8 touchdowns. Crenshaw was most recently spotted on the roster for the Cedar Rapids Titans of the Indoor Football League.	RB		1/52

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Class Rewind: 2005 Offense

Jonathan Stewart was the prize offensive recruit of 2005

Recruiting high school athletes to play collegiately can be a very time consuming and risky project. Statistics do not bode well for being successful with every player. Some players are better than expected; some players are exactly what the coaches think they are, and some do not live up to whatever expectations may have been placed on them, be it by coaches, fans or both. Today Duck Sports Authority continues its at past recruiting classes. We began Monday with a look at the defensive players from the class of 2005. Today we will turn our attention to the offensive side of the ball. As mentioned in the defensive article, the overall class was ranked 5th in the Pac-1`0 conference and 28th nationally. The rankings were in large part a reflection of the offensive talent assembled in this class. Of the three players ranked as four star or better by Rivals, two were on offense. Jonathan Stewart was the straw that stirred those rankings. Ranked as the number one running back in the nation and 10th overall player, Stewart figured heavily in the Duck class of 2005. There were 10 players signed in 2005 that were offensive players and two additional special teams players. Today we look at the impact provided by the offensive players from the class of 2005.

Name	Position	Stars	Games Started
Matt Bramow Impact: Bramow never played a down for the Ducks. After several incidents during his first year with Oregon, Bramow was dismissed from the team. He landed at Portland State and was moderately successful in his lone season there with 20 receptions and 187 yards. After a coaching change, his scholarship was not renewed. From there, Bramow landed at tiny Lindenwood University in Missouri. He had some success with just over 1000 receiving yards in his two seasons to go along with 13 touchdowns. Bramow is now a graduate assistant coach at Lindenwood.	WR		0/0
Ed Dickson Impact: Dickson came to Oregon somewhat unheralded. His athleticism and effort, though, made him one of the greatest tight ends of the last 20 years. He finished his career at Oregon in 2009 with 124 receptions for 1557 yards and 13 touchdowns. His most memorable touchdown came with just six seconds remaining against Arizona in a game the Ducks would win and find their way to the 2010 Rose Bowl. Dickson has moved on to the NFL where he started 16 games in 2011 for the Baltimore Ravens.	TE		39/51

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Class Rewind: 2005 Defense

Recruiting high school athletes to play collegiately can be a very time consuming and risky project. Statistics do not bode well for being successful with every player. Some players are better than expected; some players are exactly what the coaches think they are, and some do not live up to whatever expectations may have been placed on them, be it by coaches, fans or both.

Today we begin a look at past recruiting classes and delve into each player from the class. We will work it defensive players one article then offensive players in the next article. We begin today by looking back at the class of 2005. When signed Rivals had Oregon pegged as the 5th best team in the Pac-10 conference and 28th nationally. Considering that the Ducks signed just three players that were ranked as four-star or better, and seven that were rated two-star players, the ranking seems a little high. However, the ranking was improved by one of those four-star or better players, Jonathan Stewart.

Today, let's look at the 11 defensive players that the Ducks signed in 2005. Some will look at the commitment list and say that the Ducks signed 12, however, due to Oregon listing Matt Bramow as a wide receiver on the 2005 roster, we have included him as an offensive player for this class.

Name	Position	Stars	Games Started
Jairus Byrd Impact: Jairus Byrd, just a two-star rated player out of high school, showed how rankings can be flawed in the best way possible. After a stellar career at Oregon which saw him become second all time at Oregon with 17 interceptions during his career, Byrd opted to leave as an early entry draft candidate. Drafted in the second round, Byrd became a sensation recording 9 interceptions and making the Pro Bowl.	DB		37/39

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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...

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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...

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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

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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:

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