Home Recruiting Dead Ducks: Beavers to Benefit?

Dead Ducks: Beavers to Benefit?

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Locally, I'm hearing some noise that the two remaining Arroyo Grande prospects (Seth Jacobs and Garrett Weinreich) favor the Beavs right now. Granted, neither has visited so there's a long way to go, but the person who told me this is an ex-coworker/HS football fan who lives in Arroyo Grande.

It got me wondering if the Beavers will benefit from all the negativity surrounding shady recruiting tactics, street agents, and pay for play. Mike Riley should be able to use that negativity to OSU's advantage. I originally wrote this post four days ago, but then the Lyles story blew up again, so I pulled it down until now. Since that time ESPN has published this article essentially confirming my hunch.

Granted, Oregon and Oregon State don't usually go after the same caliber player, but in the few instances where they do, I prefer the Beaver's odds during this recruiting cycle.

When the high-flying, tech bubble burst in 2000, where did investors go as a safe haven? Back to the "boring" blue chips and their quarterly dividends. Do these kids, who are investing in their future, have the savvy to go with the safe bet? We'll find out. Early returns are promising. Riley should be out there selling his story and specifically contrasting it against all the scandal. Parents don't want their kids getting dragged through the mud; parents don't want their kid to be the next Lache Seastrunk.

Played wisely, Oregon State could benefit tremendously while USC is in detention and Oregon dons the "Dunce" cap. This is about recognizing the opportunity and understanding how to take advantage, which hasn't been a strong point of this staff. There is renewed energy and urgency in the program, however, so perhaps they can expend it to capitalize on others' misfortune.

136 COMMENTS

  1. who make up this trio? what positions? what talent level? I’m sure JackBeav could give this layman (who doesn’t subscribe) some insight.

    • Brent Vanderveen, Seth Jacobs and Garrett Weinreich. Vanderveen is a QB, Seth Jacobs an OLB and Weinreich an OG. All three are gonna be big time players, especially Jacobs and Weinreich.

      • Don’t knock Vanderveen. I expect Weinreich to be a lock for future greatness. And I think Jacobs is right behind him. But I think Vanderveen has chosen a place where he can flourish beyond his wildest dreams or become the next Gundy.

        Boom or bust isn’t so bad when bust is being a quality leader/person/successful college graduate.

        But that doesn’t speak to the boom side. The kid can go places if he wants to go there. He does not face the same physical limitations (height) other QB’s on the roster face.

        • People around the net don’t sound high on Vanderveen. I think he looks pretty darn good. He runs like Nevada’s old QB, and throws better. His one knock? Maybe needs more velocity on his throws. That’s nit-picking, though.

          Of course, we only see highlights. Who knows how good is decision making and command is. I might drive up there and check him out.

          • I think he gets happy feet every once in a while. As a result, his velocity suffers. But when he steadies his feet on the drop, he has great touch and accuracy. And he has a quick release with a full motion.

            On the flip side, his ability to pass on the move is quite good. That comes from practicing with feet in motion.

            I don’t think the Kaepernick comparison is correct. Kaepernick relies heavily on a big arm and timing within the scheme. And he tends not to run to a space like Vanderveen does, relying on some shimmy in his walk.

            If Vanderveen listens to the quarterback whisperer and steadies his plant foot on the drop, his reads look like he can be like this guy in the future.
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyItiL7BoSk
            Look how stone still that guy is when he completes his drop and starts progressing through his reads.

            More down to Earth, I think he is more like this guy right now… with better vision.
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-7sEg7JgLQ

  2. I wonder how well Riley will really play the “Oregon program in chaos” card. In my mind, it is a legitimate tool to be taking advantage of and the opportunity is not going to come around every year. I hope it is utilized to its fullest extent. 18 years olds don’t always want the “steady eddy” even though that might be what’s best for them, sometimes a little scare tactic is not a bad thing.

    • How about reverse psychology? – e.g., You want to de-commit from where? You realize we have a stellar recruiting class at most positions and our athletic program is above reproach . In addition, we are an excellent academic institution with a high student/athlete graduation rate and new facilities coming on board, but send us your information and we’ll get back to you.

  3. The looming possibility of major sanctions has to be a major weapon for opposing coaches. I don’t think Riley and co are above mentioning it. I hope not anyway, it’s fair game. For recruiting purposes, it may not be a bad thing that the NCAA investigation process is so slow.

    Ran across this from Dwight Jaynes about a position UO is advertising for. May have some relation to the pot for gear story?

    http://www.csnnw.com/pages/landingdwight?Ducks-are-looking-for-someone-who-can-pe=1&blockID=539510&feedID=8351

    • Oh wow. I wish I wanted to commute to Eugene to do that job.

      Sounds like a lot of overtime though and I’m pretty lazy. haha.

      They better hope they hire somebody completely incompetent or else they may find out much more than they wanted to.

    • It almost sounds like a joke with everything that is going on currently, they could have used that position a couple of years ago!

  4. Recruiting related: I like this Malik Gilmore kid already.

    At 6-3, Lakewood (Calif.) High School Malik Gilmore gives Oregon State a long, rangy receiver. Now, Gilmore is hoping to convince a smaller speedster to join him in Corvallis, Ore.

    Gilmore said he’s heavily recruiting 5-8, 165-pound Richard Smith, a shifty four-star receiver from Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, who ranks as the 34th-best wideout by ESPN.

    Gilmore, however, knows other prospects will be trying to sway his commitment to Oregon State.

    “I’m pretty sure they will but I’m pretty solid with my commitment so I’ll try to do the same thing to other players and try to get them up there to Oregon State,” he said.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/football/news/story?id=6740944

  5. Sorry, back to Williegate.

    http://twitpic.com/5lu1bu

    I did the right click, properties thing again. Picture was taken 11/1/2009 at about 1AM. Right after the USC game.

    That was scheduled to be Lache Seastrunk’s official visit date, though he didn’t actually come to Eugene until Dec. 18th. Dontae Williams did come to Eugene for that USC game, along with at least one other Oregon commit.

    That’s not legal.

    • Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that for those instate recruits, particularly Alex Balducci. He looks like a legit prospect.

    • Yeah, how much emphasis does the coaching staff put on negative things going on at other schools during the recruiting process. And how much do the coaches stress the importance of athletes staying out of trouble once they are in the program? I know that they address these things to some extent, and it may seem like an obvious question, but sometimes you wonder given some of the past transgressions at OSU. I realize they can’t prevent everything, but do they point out things going on at other schools (and the consequences) as specific examples?

    • I’d like to know about the recruiting process at OS as opposed to other schools that may have been in on the recruiting of whatever prospect. Particularly, was it big things or little things that sway a kid one way or the other? I’d also like to know, in this day of the interwebs, how much research does a kid do on various schools/coaches/towns/etc before committing?

      • Have you read the past interviews I did? If not, check out the “interview” category on the right. They touch on this a bit. I’ll try to probe into it some more.

        Brandin Cooks will be the interviewee. He’s probably my favorite Beaver right now; this just based on his awesome personality on FB.

        • Possible Question: Were there times last year when the players became frustrated with the play calling and/or the depth chart? It seemed last year, from an outside perspective, that the gameplan did not put the players in a position to succeed. Did you notice a difference in spring ball? Do the players feel that they are more on the same page with the coaches this year regarding these issues?

          That question may be too much to ask, but it is a question I kept asking myself last year. I would love to hear an inside perspective on this issue. A former player might be the better one to ask this question to. Just a thought.

    • Ask fair and balanced questions. Don’t lead the player to the answer you want to get…which has happened in previous interviews. Make sure you’re questions are short and open ended so we get an honest response from the player.

  6. 1.3 gpa can’t pass TX minimum standards test allowed five tries and now an academic all-American at Nike Town. Really OR doesn’t qualify as a university anymore.
    But my point putting two and two together somebody sits in for this guy at classes and somebody has to take tests for him.
    Haven’t seen any comments on this. More cheating?

    • LaMichael attends classes consistently. He’s not too bright so he does receive loads of tutoring but I will give him credit, he works really hard for his grades an he’s there virtually every day, but at the same time he was given some classes that weren’t all that challenging because that’s the only way he was gonna be on the field.

    • I had heard rumors (about 10 years ago) that the Harrington days at UO featured tutors that performed homework for the athletes. I knew a starting player on that team who basically claimed that he learned nothing in college because he had tutors do his homework for him.

      • Yes, that has been going on for a while. One guy for sure who’s having his tutor doing his homework is Lache Seastrunk, probably Cliff Harris too. Them passing all their classes is just too good to be true. With the stuff I’ve heard I’m sure those two get the most “help”

    • Can’t get by in Texas?

      Ell Roberson must have been before the standardized testing, but that kid was the very worst student I recall from Texas sports.

      I had a friend who taught at his high school, and he was asked (by the school) to pass Roberson in his class when the kid deserved no such grade. The kid barely went to school in high school, and I was told he couldn’t read beyond a first grade level. I think Chad Johnson went to more classes at OSU in one quarter than Roberson likely did at Kansas State.

      • I had a Psych class with Chad Johnson when I went to OSU. He showed up to class 1 day the whole term. Then he dropped out as soon as the football season ended. He was the classic rent-a-player.

  7. I don’t know if he dislikes OSU, he just courts controversy.

    To be fair, he has repeatedly stated that OSU wouldn’t pay Willie Lyles and that the only thing he did was to tell Reggie Davis that Storm Woods could play and that was it. If anything it’s more of an indictment of Oregon because a clean program like OSU wouldn’t pay a guy like Lyles.

  8. Not to beat a dead horse…well, okay to beat a dead horse.

    It’s really annoying me the constant mantra by Ducks fans (and many in the media) saying this is a ‘gray area’.

    Oregon outlined the steps required to get Lache Seastrunk’s grandmother named as his legal guardian, which is aided in his recruitment to Oregon, thus making him a booster. He also arranged recruiting visits for players. That also makes him a booster. Even if Oregon hasn’t admitted to the first thing, they have admitted to the second in Chip Kelly’s thank you note to Willie Lyles.

    Lyles was then paid $25k by Oregon. The NCAA specifically forbids a school from paying a booster.

    That is not a gray area. That is a violation.

    • It’s a gray area if you’re an Oregon fan or Nike/ESPN signs your check. Both have influence, and they’re trying to use it (i.e. “if we say it enough, it will come true/people will believe it”).

      They definitely have a 10.1violation (https://admin.xosn.com/fls/600/academics/PDFs/NCAAAcceptance.pdf?SPID=274&DB_OEM_ID=600)

      Now it’s a matter if the NCAA nails them on the 13.x bylaws. There’s a half dozen they have violated. A few have grey area.

      The people saying the NCAA wants to set an example have it right. This won’t end well for Oregon. Cal will get hit, too. Not nearly as bad, though.

      • Hope you are correct. However, my good buddy from my grad school days there( that Charger hall of fame qb) is not all that colncerned as of today. Of course, that could change, but it’s obvious he’s privy to any and all info about this situation.

        • A lot of people fail to understand there’s no “reasonable doubt” or burden of proof with the NCAA. It’s not a court. They can take away OSU’s football team tomorrow if they want.

          They’re certainly going to kill the Ducks for the coverup. That’s what killed tOSU, and this one is more blatant and insulting to their intelligence (i.e. expecting anyone to believe 25k was for that 2009 document).

          Let your friend be happy and enjoy his last days.

          Edit: wait, you’re friends with Dan Fouts? Hahah. That is awesome.

          • Hasn’t Dan Fouts covered Oregon games on ABC or am I imagining that? Nice objectiveness if that is the case. The Ducks are the”darling” of college football with a NC potential team returning, so you know ESPN is hoping that this somehow goes away or the penalties are light. I am still pissed about John Sanders and his “Lyles gave players to Oregon State also” comment. That was a blatant and calculated misdirect. I just wish the damn NCAA didn’t take so long to investigate these things. They have enough right now, slap the violation on and keep investigating for other things, this ain’t no court of law, you can keep investigating to your hearts content.

          • The problem with NCAA investigations is that they need to gather all the info necessary in order to present an official letter of inquiry.

            They very well could have been very close to that letter a couple weeks ago, but the Cliff Harris incident stalled the process. Their policy is to go back and ask yet more questions in order to add anything new to the official inquiry in order to let the school know what they’re to expect. That process takes anywhere from a week to a couple months depending on the amount of people involved and how cooperative they are.

            So maybe they had the info necessary to move forward rather quickly. I hardly think the release of documents would have stalled the process, because the NCAA would have had all that info in their original inquiry. And they know the kids on the outdated material because those kids are already in the system. If they would have tried to follow up with any one of them, they would have discovered (if they didn’t already know) that these documents were trash.

            So we move on to last week.

            I have to think that the Lyles interview(s) have stalled the process yet again. When Lyles tells us that the NCAA didn’t discuss this info with him in the first go round, I have to believe that more inquiries and interviews need to take place before they accumulate enough for the final letter of inquiry.

            History has shown that the infractions found after the investigation becomes official have been as damning or more important than the original targets of investigation. But in this case the reason they wait until they can accumulate all pertinent info is because they need to solidify their case.

            A month ago, that case may have been an official notice of an investigation which might have only been reaching toward a “failure to monitor” notice. I really doubt that was the case since the RG reports that their lawyer (Glazier) traveled to Houston (Lyles), Dallas (Flenory) and Detroit (Dunigan and hoops) in the first couple weeks of the info gathering period. I have to believe that they thought they had a case of “lack of institutional control” on their hands, and they were just dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.

            Now I think they realize they need to rub their eyes in disbelief at the wide open damnation Lyles provides in print. The NCAA had a handful of $100 bills cut in half, and they knew they were dealing with someone dirty. Lyles just plopped down a bunch of cut bills which match a lot of what the NCAA already had.

            Now they need to take a breath and come back with the official letter and have a clear idea of what they want from Nikegon in the end. They’re going to say, “We have you for this, this, this, this and this. We will levy these sanctions based on this info as it stands. There will be more of an investigation, and we will use the proverbial fine-tooth comb to look into your athletic department. If there’s anything you want to tell us now, you might mitigate additional sanctions based on what we may find on our own.”

            You can only imagine the legalese required to stave off what will surely be a monumental gathering of legal geniuses rushing to Nikegon’s defense, volunteer or otherwise. That just takes time.

      • 13.1.3.1 ?? That one looks like they are talking about Lyles. (or was it 13,1,2,1….dang, wouldnt let me cut and paste.)

        The whole Lyles thing is so blatant and fishy….asking for a written package after the fact, … personal thank you notes, … But we need to wait for the NCAA to do their thing…

  9. Seems to me that the communications from UO, and the immediate results on 4 and 5 star Texas players, the admitted manipulation of at least James and Seastrunk by Lyles, the personal shepherding of UO recruiters, the $25 k paid, and the direct involvement of Kelley, pretty much nails UO to the cross.

    I also suspect that the usual NC game participants, and conferences like the SEC will lean on the NCAA to go after UO. UO should not have been so blatant and arrogant. Say all you want about the SEC being bent, but they dont seem to get caught very often.

    We will see, but I wont be surprised if UO gets bent over a chair…

      • I think he jumped on that one a little quick. That’s why I was shocked that Canzano didn’t jump all over the shoe quip in the first place. he should have followed it up and told Lyles he must be mistaken. Either give him the rope to hang himself or a chance to clarify. Just giving a very, very rare pair of shoes to a recruit is beyond even Nikegon’s level of hubris.

        I doubted it right away, but it was sloppy reporting to just let it hang out there without any follow-up.

  10. I just submitted the Brandin Cooks interview. Hopefully I’ll have that by tomorrow. It’s almost the time of year we can begin seriously analyzing the offensive and defensive units and favorites/wildcards for each position. The fun’s almost here.

      • Me too. It was hard thinking up interesting questions for a California guy who already signed. I actually asked one cheeseball question that I’m ashamed of, but the other six were pretty good.

    • Really excited to see your Cooks interview!

      But, this is kinna of funny now that you’re pimpin the interview with him.

      “My belief is that there’s little to learn from interviewing recruits who have signed with Oregon State.” March 13, 2011

      But just givin u a hard time! lol! Love the site and mahalo!

      • Absolutely.
        I am very dissapointed that this ‘uck idiot has sullied the name of the great Josh Gibson. Some called Josh Gibson ‘The Black Babe Ruth” but many who saw both play called Ruth the ‘White Josh Gibson” He is missed. This Nikegon lackey…not so much.

        • Many argue he hit more HRs than Ruth (I think the estimates are in the 800s).

          What I love about baseball is the folklore. He could have hit 20hrs for all we know, but the shoddy record keeping and tendency for people to exaggerate what they witness in-person leads to great stories/myth

          (…like Cap Anson’s “inside the doghouse home run”–that has to be my all-time favorite).

          • Yeah, the folklore is for me the best part of baseball. I love the apocryphal story of Babe Ruth once hitting a home run that went between the pitcher’s legs before sailing over the centerfield fence. And I recently saw a thing about the ‘called shot’ that likely never happened. Interesting stuff.

            It would have been great to see what Josh Gibson and others like Cool Papa Bell or Satchel paige in his prime could have done against all baseball players of the era.

        • Once again though, kind of dumb to let him go now, right? Doesn’t it give the “appearance” of guilt? Maybe he resigned and was getting the hell out of dodge? But if that was not the case, I wouldn’t start the job hacking until the NCAA punishments become reality. Doesn’t that just add fuel to the fire? For all of their innovations, Duck leadership is just not very smart.

    • Josh Gibson speaks:

      “I want to thank Phil Knight and the rest of the University of Oregon ownership group for giving me this wonderful opportunity to help build this program into what it is today, but it was just time for me to move on. I have accepted a new position paying me a bazillion dollars a year working for Pat Kilkenny in San Diego. I will miss the shady dealings, recruiting scandals throughout several programs and all of the largely true accusations leveled against all of us. We’ve done a lot here people. Thank you all. God bless and go Ducks!”

      [/satire]

        • Sure, sure…that too. haha

          I’m hearing they actually shit-canned him at least earlier this week. His contract info was removed by at least the 5th of july, so nothing that came out THIS week had any bearing on his leaving for greener pastures.

    • I know a bit about internal investigations (used to be part of what I did for a living).

      Among the best sources of information for investigators are recently-departed employees who were involved in wrongdoing. Handling of such people can be extremely tricky for employers. You want to distance your organization asap from employees who acted improperly. But you also want to maintain “control” of such potential loose cannons if at all possible. That’s why such people are often put on administrative leave or something like that — so they can still be controlled to some extent, while being carved out from day-to-day activities and responsibilities, pending completion of the investigation.

      We’ll see to what extent, if any, the Ducks are able to control what Josh Gibson says going forward. If Gibson knows a lot, and is now outside of Oregon’s control, that could be very bad news for the Ducks.

  11. This from a couple of days ago: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/index.ssf/2011/07/glaziers_uo_cleaning_service_3.html
    The cleaner and company have been deputized as special assistant attorneys general. What are the implications of this? Do you suppose the UO president actually wants to get to the bottom of this? Is UO going to create its own case and come clean to the NCAA in hopes of getting a pass? With these AG appointments it would seem that what they gather is now going to be a matter of public record.

    • That looks ominous for UO. The State Attorney General deputizes the attorney hired by UO? That means only one thing — The Cleaner is now working for the state, to get to the bottom of it, not to help UO cover up or mitigate. Heads are gonna roll.

      If UO self imposes sanctions, they come out better off, dont they?

      Notice that tOSU has now changed Tressell’s resignation to retirement, meaning he continues to get paid.

      But it is just like UO to deny firing Gibson….man, are those guys sleazy.

      • If you read between the lines of Oregon recruits, it’s almost as if they’re being told two years of bowl ineligibility. You’re starting to see them (i.e. recruits) say things like they’re unsure how it will play out, but if they’re bowl eligible by the time they’re juniors that’s okay. Interesting…

      • If UO self imposes sanctions, they come out better off, dont they?

        I think so, absolutely.

        But it’s a situation where Chip Kelly’s incredible hubris won’t let him allow that to happen. I think they fight this and other things coming down the pike tooth and nail and they end up worse off for it.

        • I am trying to reconcile what the UO President might want, with what Kelley, the UO uberfans and boosters want. I am thinking the deputizing of Glazier will have a big impact on this — Kelley and the boosters may be trying to fight this, but if the President and the state attorney general are determined to clean it up, Kelley is in trouble. A very interesting situation. I think we will find out the real nature of UO from what develops.

      • Tom Goldman comment re: Ohio State on npr this morning.

        SIMON: Let’s start with college football, my friend.

        (SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

        SIMON: Ohio State and West Virginia Universities this week both created self-imposed sanctions for pretty flagrant rules violations. Is this the equivalent of a petulant child who gives himself a two-minute timeout?

        (SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

        GOLDMAN: Or a kid grounding himself and then watching TV all day.

        (SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

        GOLDMAN: Ohio State’s self-imposed penalties including erasing from the record books its 12 wins from last season, which includes a share of the Big 10 championship and a Sugar Bowl victory. You know, it’s embarrassing to do that, Scott, but there’s no postseason ban. There’s no cutting football scholarships. Those are both punishments that are considered appropriate and effective. The NCAA might still impose those sanctions after a hearing next month.

        Now, is it more than coincidence that Ohio State and some of the other top football programs are either in trouble or being scrutinized by the NCAA? A great opportunity to talk about all this at an NCAA sponsored summit next month about Division 1 sports.

        SIMON: Where’s the summit going to be?

        GOLDMAN: Indianapolis.

        SIMON: You going to be there?

        GOLDMAN: I’ll try.

    • Seems like deputizing The Cleaner could show that, at least in the State Attorney General’s opinion, there has been a loss of institutional control at Nikegon. That or maybe Phil has found a way for the cleaning bill to be paid by the state rather than the school, athletic dept, or Nike.

  12. Gibson has been told that he’s been fired but will continue to be paid until the investigation is over.

    Paid to keep him quiet. You bet he well be terminated immediately when the NCAA wants to question him.

  13. Has anyone heard an update on OSU resigning with Nike? I’m guessing they will but would prefer they didn’t….

  14. *meant re-sign/re-new the contract. Someone mentioned in a recent post that OSU’s contract with Nike had recently expired…

    • Superb! That is all I ever asked for my school. I will be completely happy and unimaginatively complacent toward any idea, no matter how garish or completely moronic that idea may seem.

      I can see Nike telling us that big buck teeth and a helmet which simulates an Afro would be the best for us.

        • it was basically Lawler’s mom posting on Seumalo’s wall if asking if they (the OSU commits) were recruiting Lawler this weekend. She went on to say that if he becomes a Beaver she will become a Beav fan even though she is currently a Duck. It sounds like she wants him to commit to OSU almost.

          • A friend.
            ~75% reliable, which is why I asked if anyone else heard anything. Thanks for the FB update–I don’t have Issac on my list so I can’t read that.

          • That would be nice if that happens. It’s been kinda quiet on the recruiting front lately, not much good/bad coming out.

        • Aha, didn’t know that, but then I again I know very little. I just saw Storm Woods tweeting about being a starter in 2011… I like the attitude

          “S/o to my man B cooks THIS DUDE is beyond real he is part if the big three.. (me b Richard) 2011 starters Follow my dude he real @BCooks4”

    • I’ve heard he was down to NU and us. NU boards are still in denial about OSU recruiting. In the past, I would have agreed that their main competition in Lawler’s recruitment would be the other three schools in his top five (ASU and the two LA schools). But I think Brennan brings him (and his father) into the fold.

      When it comes down to it, NU falls off the list for two reasons. It gets damn cold in the winter. And name a WR from NU not named Fryar. Okay… that might not be fair since their best WR ever was a wingback. But tell me the spread offense isn’t just the newest form of the option.

      NU fans are already making excuses about Lawler… the “we don’t want him after months of really liking him” kind of excuses. About a week ago, one of their boards started off a thread about Lawler not wanting to go to NU because he didn’t want to do any blocking as a WR… or some similar cock and bull. But NU is like us this year in that the next WR to commit will likely be the last.

      • I agree with that list in general. I’d add Dontae Williams, particularly because of the super-fast transfer out of Oregon and the…interesting timing of it.

      • I’m a little in shock that this site has gone from fair and balanced insights to a tabloid chasing group looking for anything and believing everything you hear or read regardless of where it comes from.

        Colt’s recruitment was bizarre? Really? The kid posted his own pictures wearing green and yellow gear to dozens of Oregon games over the years, while holding up “O”s. Grows up in Oregon and is a a fan and it is bizarre that he chooses Oregon? One of you say, “hey I heard this” and the next response is, yeah, lets add him to list because… Get real.

        Look, I really used to like this site because you kept it real and I even help support it. But you guys have seriously gone the way of all fan-atical sites regarding your rivals and have now traded in good insight into tabloid journalism for, “ya, and guess what else I heard, Phil gave Lache some rare shoes…”.etc.

        Its been a fun ride, sorry to see the site turn into “just another Beaver love fest blog” based on the media’s pouring additional blood in water and you accepting it as pure fact without digging a little. Too funny. Beavers are gathering Rose Bowl talent and Oregon is whores and belongs in hell…. A guy can read that crap on 15 different Beaver sites. Like a shark who tastes a little blood and loses all reason to his primal instincts, you guys are swimming in circles on quite a bit of this garbage. What is funny, is like the shark on overdrive, you don’t even see it.

        I’m sure Oregon will get a slap on the wrist for playing in grey areas and suffer a bit of loss. I can accept that. But your sensationalism is honestly palatable.

        In the end, I guess we will see who has been blind and who has gone over the top with trumped up/exaggerated claims. Until then…

        • Things are slow right now, and the Ducks are in the news. We’re Beavers.

          PS. Beaver love fest?? Come on. If the Beavers do something well (like recruiting this cycle) I write that. When they’re bad, I write that. You comment makes you seem like a guy who can only enjoy this blog when we’re down and out. That is a you problem.

          As far as sensationalism, I don’t invent stories. Trust me… I don’t have the time for it or the energy.

        • “I’m sure Oregon will get a slap on the wrist for playing in grey areas and suffer a bit of loss. I can accept that.”

          Excuse me?

          How much have you heard about the Newscorp scandal in England, soon to be the lead story in America? No serious news organization or even half-assed news blogs will be able to ignore that story once its wave hits this shore.

          The Nikegon cheating story has never gone away because it has legs… about fifteen of them. If sanctions worse than USC got are what you consider a slap on the wrist, then I’m with you in whatever semantics you want to play with.

          But if you seriously buy all the “grey area” crap that someone somewhere created out of the emperor’s clothes, then we can’t help you.

          The fact of the matter is that Nikegon has committed serious, nail-on-the-head MAJOR INFRACTIONS. And that’s just considering Willie Lyles. There are about six other MAJOR INFRACTIONS being considered in other PSA’s (now SA’s) recruitments and their behavior since coming to Eugene.

          I’m not going to play the “I told you so” game, so I will say this once.

          Nikegon will suffer very, very serious sanctions unless they told the NCAA everything in early March.

          I’m guessing they didn’t.

          If you need me to hold your hand while running down the list of major infractions admitted within just interviews with players and coaches, then you can’t see what many of the people here in Eugene are seeing.

          And it doesn’t take a hard afternoon of legwork to find the neighborhood where many Ducks go for a puff or two. This town is not that big, and people talk.

        • I will say that I never heard anything about Lyerla except that he was caught before his senior year with some PED’s, but it was never reported to his school or the OSAA. But it doesn’t take a genius to see one large blockhead and associate him with some penis-shrinking/brain tumor tonic.

          Yeah… never saw Brian Cushing doing the juice either… right?

          Well, the blind never saw it.

          PED’s are sad. I hate to admit it, but there are probably some penis shrinkers on every college team. Or at least that’s how some kids made it to a college team and got a full ride.

  15. I wonder aloud if we might take three WR’s this year. If Lawler is on with us, then it might be because Darius Powe announced his top four… Utah, Miami, Michigan… and Oregon State.

    • Ooooh, that’d be nice. Those two plus Gilmore is a nice WR haul. I really think Mullaney is going to be a stud and Gwatchum is a really, really intriguing prospect. throw in Trosin, Cooks and Zimmerman who all look like they have some potential…in 2-3 years we’ve got a really nice receiving corps.

      And best of all, they’re FREE!

      • I think all those WR’s from last year’s class are pretty awesome. To add three more with similar awesome skills of their own would be gravy. We could just run WR’s in and out without any fall-off.

  16. Is Joel Skotte a legitmate *** at MLB? Given his reported strengths, in-state status, and fairly non-competitive offers (BSU might be attractive to him), seems like OSU would be a pretty easy choice for the in-state prospsect:

    http://oregonstate.scout.com/a.z?s=182&p=8&c=1&nid=5566845

    Speed, block-shedding ability, and tackling ability at MLB would be an improvement over recent years. And I’m in agreement with another post on this board somewhere – OSU really doesn’t need all 4* & 5* prospects, but legitimate 3* prospects. Wondering if this kid is such a prospect?

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