Home Rankings Ranking the 2021 Early Signing Day

Ranking the 2021 Early Signing Day

274

My rankings for the guys who signed early. I see no 4-star talent in this group, but a handful of high 3-star talent. I rank my guys in order, so Vidlak would be my top 3-star guy and Byrne my lowest 2-star.

Let me know if I’m missing something. For example, I don’t see Madison as a game-changer, but I know some like him.

***

Sam Vidlak – A 67% career completion percentage, which jumped to 75% his junior year. 44TD and 3INT. This guy is a real sleeper. On film he looks the part. Solid across the board.

Easton Mascarenas – Recruited by the entire West. Biggest win on paper maybe. A bit short at 6ft. Fast. Not much to dislike, but he has a history of injuries, which is always concerning in a guy this young.

Omarion Fa’amoe – Looks legit. And he has an LSU offer. When was the last time OSU beat LSU for a recruit? Good size, fast, and plays mean. Disruptive player.

Damir Collins – I agree with the high 3-star rating, despite the nice offer sheet and accolades. He runs a bit upright for my taste and waves the ball around (fumble issues in Pac?) while running at top speed. I like him, but he doesn’t appear elite.

Jimmy Valsin – Appears to be the Beavs answer to their undersized WR problem. Fast, agile, and cuts on a dime. Nice looking WR. Good win out of Texas. Only in-State offer was Houston, which is a bit of a concern, but this looks like a guy who has upside. I like what I see.

Arnez Madison – the worst of the 3-star guys for me. Not seeing any huge upside here. Runs upright, on film his INTs are all bad passes, and he has a tall/lanky body not really suited for CB. Washington offered him, so we’re not alone. Hopefully that means he can play in the Conference. I see a backup, though.

**

Henry Buckles – Smith sees him as a Center. On film, looks much better run blocking compared to pass blocking. Aggressive run blocker. Might have a wrestling background because he really seems intent on getting his opponent to the ground, to the point he could be a penalty liability if not coached out of that. Decent upside.

Semisi Saluni – I think this guy was on mission and recommitted to the Beavs. Good to see he felt the same after a few years. In the limited film, which is two years old, he looks like an okay player. Seems to be athletic but lacks awareness and this results in him tackling guys well downfield in his “highlights”, rather than blowing up plays in the backfield.

Jake Blair – Very unorthodox style. Entertaining film to watch. Hard to predict how he translates. In a way he reminds me of Josh Allen (WY) light edition. Other programs didn’t think very highly of him, but given his Ivy offers, he at least has the intelligence to play the position.

J.T. Byrne – Strange looking player. Ivy pedigree again. I think he should have taken the Columbia offer. The Beavs have had several disappointments at TE the past few years, and I don’t see that streak ending here.

274 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for taking time to do this.

    Hope you are right about “plays mean” for Omarion, that’s a quality which is difficult to teach and sorely needed.

    As for Buckles, if he has a wrestling background I think that’s a good thing, he is a state champ in shot put, hopefully that translates to a serious work ethic. I like that he plans to study Biology and is a member of the National Honor Society. Seems to have room to reach 300 lbs; one evaluator said he needs work on technique/footwork, Michalczik should be able to fix that and any tendency to be a penalty liability.

    • Do you, or anyone else, know if he has a wrestling background? I was just basing it off his play. If you watch the film, especially on run plays, he seems obsessed with driving the guy to the ground.

      • Spent a little time trying to find out, wrestling doesn’t show up in HS reports. Maybe Nuke or Nice has better sources.
        The leverage wrestlers learn translates so well to FB line play, I always perk up when it is mentioned.

        • I only know of football and track. Hes a great shot putter and discus thrower. Being good at either at his size requires excellent body awareness, agility and understanding of leverage.

      • “…. he seems obsessed with driving the guy to the ground” I love that, particularly in guards. OSU OL needs more of that attitude…not too detriment, but just the meanness, the attacking and driving.

    • It’s McM and it won’t even be close. McM went 2-5 in 7 starts for OSU with a CW victory. He then went 21-4 in 25 starts with FS including two bowl victories. Playing in the CFL now. That is a good career so far. Most QB’s won’t have anywhere near that resume.

      • Not trying to reopen an old argument, but after a highly competent, overdue win against UO, McM deserved to be named the starter. Watching him fool the UO defense and running so smartly was SO satisfying after watching them do it to Banker’s D for years…He could have changed the trajectory of the Andersen era and the attractiveness of the program to recruits.

  2. Pierce making the most of his carries yesterday. 23 yard run followed by a 3 yard TD! Those were his 4th and 5th touches of the season.

    • Montgomery is solid but unexciting I understand him getting all the carries. But when he was hurt it made no sense to be giving so many backfield carries to Cordarelle Patterson when Pierce has looked so solid in limited action. Hope he gets a shot next time Montgomery gets hurt or if Montgomery tries to hold out for a new contract/extension.

  3. Tougher to grade this class as nearly all of them have not played this year. No idea what kind of development would have had. Hopefully when/if they play this spring, they’ll be decent.

  4. angry, what’s keeping you from rating Vidlak or Mascarenas as 4-stars?

    I’m not sure what more Vidlak could do statistically or on film. He dominated his level in HS and in the 7v7 world. Film shows him making a wide variety of throws with great accuracy and good arm strength. I thought he was #2 behind Millen on our QB list, but only just barely due to Millen being slightly taller, slightly more athletic, and playing slightly better competition.

    Mascarenas looks like the real deal: fast, hits hard, reads the play well and makes plays in pass coverage. Height and injuries are the only concerns. Height may be an issue if it means he has less length trying to fight off linemen on the inside in our 3-4.

    • On Vidlak, I would guess level of competition? If he did the same thing against higher level of competition, he’d probably get another star(?) and its the level of competition that probably made him a sleeper despite his gaudy numbers. Also, though measurables aren’t everything, if he were taller, stronger, and faster, AND put up the same numbers, probably a 4*.

    • Good question. With Mascarenas it’s injury. I think he had a serious back injury. We’ve seen this with Gumbs. Gumbs should be a 4 or 5-star talent, but injury isn’t allowing it. Given Mascarenas is so young and already having injuries, I don’t want to rank him that high. Without injuries I’d have him a 4-star, though.

      With Vidlak, I had him as a 4-star earlier this year (when discussing him in the comments), but after looking more the talent level is somewhat questionable, and honestly the offer sheet. I find it dubious OSU is the only school that can recognize a 4-star guy. Montana is his next best offer. So while I love his ability and what I see on film, I keep thinking I must be missing something…

      I had him at 4-star in the first draft yesterday before dropping him to my highest 3-star for those reasons. If they’re shitty reasons explain why, and I can reconsider making them 4-stars.

      What is interesting is how many 2-stars there are in this class. Or at least what I see as 2-star guys. I don’t remember this many, if any, 2-star guys in Smith’s other recruiting classes. Really hope I’m wrong on that or this will be the perpetual rebuild.

      • Here’s my defense of Vidlak:

        He doesn’t seem like a guy who hit the camp circuit. If you look at his ESPN profile, he doesn’t have any data from any of their affiliated camps. He also didn’t have 2020 to do any of the stuff that would get him late exposure (camps or senior season).

        Outside of that it would be really hard to get exposure playing outside of the big cities in Oregon. When was the last time an out of state program pulled a guy from southern Oregon? They just don’t recruit outside of the Portland metro area. Chase Cota is the only one I could remember and he had a famous dad. My research dug up that 2013 was the last time a guy from southern Oregon signed to an out of state P5 school (two guys from Crater went to Arizona). Hidden Valley has no history of football success, so it’s doubtful their coach has connections to any big programs.

        He was also an early Montana commit and may have shut down his recruiting until an in-state school came calling.

        All of the recruiting services saw something in him; he went from 0 stars to 3 as soon as he popped up on OSU’s radar. We joke about the Beaver bump, but he also climbed the in-state rankings quite a bit once his film got out there.

        I think you’re feeling gun-shy after going all-in on Gebbia when we first signed him :)

        Compare Vidlak’s JR film to Gebbia’s and tell me which QB you’d rather have.
        https://www.hudl.com/video/3/4367965/5721db9e64e96b6380283e9b

        • I think you’re feeling gun-shy after going all-in on Gebbia when we first signed him :)

          Maybe, but I still like Gebbia a lot. I think he was incredible for half a game almost every game, and just needed to string together a full 4Qs.

          He also beat the Ducks this year and almost beat them in his first start. He just needs the game to slow down, which was happening when he got hurt. Nolan looks good, too. Everyone seems on his bandwagon, but Gebbia won two games, and Nolan didn’t win any. Not sure people realize that.

          • Agreed. I think both Gebbia and Nolan have a lot of potential and neither has seen enough game action to have a gradable body of work.

            The Nolan bandwagon is probably due to his exciting improv skills and the fact that there are so many built-in excuses for him (injuries, weather, etc.).

      • If he didn’t commit so early he would of piled on a ton of offers. He had a bunch of offers that he didn’t announce ( im a close friend).

  5. Thanks for doing these Angry.

    Curious if you or others here think any of these could make a difference next year, or if its just too difficult to tell with the layoff this fall and unknown development as Bill pointed out.

    OT: Bills and Pats later today on Monday Night Football, chance to see Poyer play. Hope the Bills get deep into the playoffs.

    • Depth chart looks congested for the top guys in this class. Fa’amoe looks athletic for his size, so he might get into the rotation next year, but he looks like more of a project on film that needs a year first.

      A lot could happen in the offseason, and if something happens at MLB, I could see Mascarenas getting some playing time.

      Heck, we don’t have a clear cut starter out of the top 3 QB’s currently on the roster. Vidlak’s enrolling early so maybe he impresses out of the gate.

    • I think four of the top five guys could make an impact next year. All but Vidlak. He likely redshirts given the depth chart. Even Gulbranson looked promising.

    • I checked it out a bit after you made the comparison to Josh Allen. It WAS entertaining. I think the big question mark will be if his success can translate to DI. If he went to a program like EWU, (are they still running the same offense they used to defeat Riley/Banker/) he’d probably tear it up. He’ll be an interesting one to watch develop.

    • Named Jake, Dual threat, same height, same high school, both lead undefeated 14-0 squads, arms good for 35 yards…are we sure Jack Colletto isn’t part of a Camas cloning project??!

      Edit: Names are hard.

  6. A long time family friend of ours that’s coached football in the Portland area for 30+ years and works with college level athletes via 7v7 teams believes Collins is the best running back talent to ever come out of the state. That’s a big statement and hard to believe but he said he’s never seen a kid with an ability to do so much at such an elite level. Said kid has great quickness, speed, power, hands, high football IQ, patience reading blocks, has knack for blocking as RB, extremely high level of passion for game, etc. Dynamic athlete that could play anywhere on the field on offense and special teams. Coach also worked with Tyner and said while Tyner had an incredible HS career, he didn’t love football like Collins and lacked some of the intangibles Collin’s possesses. The more I think about it, there hasn’t been that many great RB’s out of the state so maybe it’s not that hard to believe.

    • Nall and Scarlett have probably had the best college careers for Oregon RB’s in the last few decades. Both had one Honorable Mention all-P12 season and ended up as UDFA’s in the NFL. So I guess that’s the standard.

  7. 4
    3

    Prelim grades as the films are over a year old. I don’t see any as standouts or who could come in and play right away. All of these signees are system dependent and any success will be from what happens between their ears.

    Mascarenas – Little known fact, he is step brothers with Akili Arnold. His mom and Akili’s dad are married. Mom was an all american softball player at Arizona. If he was a horse, he be graded highly with those bloodlines. As for football, he’ll fit right into an ILB spot. Plays with a high motor and hits hard. Faster than the current ILB, but smaller. He’ll benefit from good d line play, otherwise he may get flatten by OL reaching the second level. Could play OLB in passing situations. 3.5 stars.

    Collins – one cut and go type of back. Won’t break many tackles at the college level but if you miss, he’s got that extra gear and he’s gone. Hard to see him as an every down back with his size but maybe that’s the current Flemings bias vs small players. Terron Ward was small but he was built like a mini tank and Collins is more like a Flemings body. If the coaches get him the ball in space, he doesn’t need to juke guys as he can run by instead. 3 stars

    Valsin – Might have the highest upside of all the signees. Injury cut his SR season short. Good size and hands. Plays faster than his listed times. Injury is a concern but we’ll see. Should break into the WR rotation in his first two years. 3 stars.

    Vidlak – I’d probably grade him the same as Nolan. Accurate passer on short and intermediate throws who will keep working to make plays. But he doesn’t possess an elite arm to move the ball downfield by himself. Deep balls hang in the air. At the college level, he’ll need to anticipate throws or throw his guys open for him to have success. Ceiling is somewhere around what Nolan is currently doing. 3 stars

    JT Byrne – He looks like more of an Hback vs a true TE. Has some athleticism as he does play DE too. There’s no film of him blocking so who knows there. He’s pretty much on par with the current group of TEs. Low 3 stars.

    Buckles – basically a fat strong guy who plays football. Moving to C is a good move as he would get killed in pass pro as a tackle and doesn’t quite have the footwork to play guard but could still end up there. Has a nice mean streak in him. Lots of work ahead for him with reshaping his body and footwork. Low 3 stars.

    Fa’amoe – Classic tweener. Is he a DE or a DT? Not sure his frame can take a lot more weight without compromising his play. Plays with high energy and doesn’t give up. I see him as a light DE. I think he bulks up to around 280 and plays at that. If he maintains his speed with additional weight, he could be a pass rushing DT. Low 3 stars.

    Madison – His film shows him with more potential as a WR than a CB. Certainly has the size and athleticism to play CB. His high school success depended on him being a better athlete than his opponent. He’s an all upside type of guy. Sink or swim. He’s either playing or transferring at the end of sophomore year. If he comes in and get technique down, his upside would be CB2. Low 3 stars.

    Not going to grade PWO or returning mission guys.

    JS will need to fill out the rest of the team needs through the transfer portal. Really no need to take JC transfers anymore.

    • Disagree on JC transfers. They may end up even more under the radar now (with less competition) with the transfer portal attracting attention. There will always be late bloomer and under the radar guys who end up there.

      • I agree, BiOH. If, in fact, Angry’s assessment is correct (i.e., more two star guys than usual under Smith) the only way to get more competitive is the JC route and/or the transfer portal.

    • RE Vidlak: “Deep balls hang in the air. ” Is that a criticism or compliment?!? I think his “ball placement” is uncanny under a variety of throws, kind of a football kinesthetic awareness that can’t be taught.

      For Vidlak and Blair, they likely have some pretty good growth potential with the right diet and training. Hell, at that age, I could eat all day and not put on weight. These guys will get stronger, hope they work on their core strength and aren’t trying to make throws with all arm. Then, put pair them with Lindgren’s play calling, they should be fine.

      • It’s a weakness in his game that he’ll need to work on. Those kinds of throws will be picked off in college or be underthrown to a WR.

        Deep ball gets to the destination but defenders are able to close because the ball hangs in the air. And the WR he plays with are much faster now so they may outrun the throw. Nolan has a similar profile and ran into this issue a few times. Picked vs Utah because he thought his throw could get there but the Utah defender was faster than he thought. Got lucky on the TD to Taylor as both DBs closed on the throw and deflected it into Taylor. Underthrew Harrison in the Stanford game because he waited too long to throw the ball. Had he thrown it a second earlier, Harrison would have walked in for a TD but he had to slow down to make the catch. Then in the ASU game, Nolan had a guy running open deep but the throw hung up in the air so long, the WR had to slow and the DB was able to close and make the pick.

        Nolan and Vidlak have about the same arm, so like I said, they’ll need to anticipate throws and throw their WR open.

        On the plus side, inside the 25, that kind of ball is great for throws to the corner of the endzone or to the back. They can drop throws in a bucket where only their guy can get it.

        Blair has no chance of playing unless there is a catastrophic number of injuries. He’s basically Colletto again. Potential is a short yardage QB. That’s it. But without using a scholarship.

        • The utah pick wasn’t because he thought he could fit it in. He said he didn’t see the safety and needs to do a better job recognizing the coverage.

  8. Re-watched some film and I finally nailed down the intangible that was really catching my eye with Collins. The dude sets up his blockers better than any high school kid I can remember. Most of the high school film I see is just a superior athlete on a decent team making everyone look like children. Collins does an incredible job forcing the defense angles into his blockers and then effectively using the block to get more yardage. If he can do that in college he will be a difference maker.

  9. Out of curiousity is Beasons brother a for sure thing, or a likely thing?

    Seems like we should have heard something by this point. Not saying anyone is wrong or what not, just hoping it happens

    • Smith usually is very slow introducing anyone as a member of the team. Probably waiting until classes start. There was a dam right though I thought from him referencing someone had joined.

      Edit: that was for the receiver from Georgia. Now I’m a little worried.

    • From the person I talked to, it’s an expected thing. I can’t say anything is for sure until I see their name added to the student directory, and even then we saw how Devon Williams even was added to the directory but never came here.
      This period from xmas to new years is pretty quiet as coaches and staff are trying to squeeze in a little vacation time where they can, so I dont expect any updates until after New Years.
      Here’s a link to the student directory. Keep an eye out for if a 2nd Beason starts showing up. Right now, the only one is Zeriah.
      Oregon State allows student to add classes for Winter term up through Jan 17th. The last day for the Illinois Winter quarter classes is Jan 15th. So I’d assume the sweet spot for him to move would be that week of Jan 11th-17th if he does try to get here immediately.

      http://directory.oregonstate.edu/?type=search&cn=Beason

      • Noticed new Illinois HC Brett Bielema is starting to make his new assistant coach hires this week. Lots of turnover coming for that program, so I’d expect quite a bit of Illinois related news throughout the next week or 2.

  10. Do you guys see any current redshirt or commits that could move to another position and contribute more? I have thought that TCU was pretty good at that to get the most out of players on D in particular.

    I think TCU is a pretty good model (not the biggest program in state, doesn’t have the resources of UT) and Patterson would be a great coach to get if he were ever available.

  11. Donated blood this evening. The gentleman helping with my donation shared different blood types can be susceptible to different allergies and immune levels. Curious if anyone has any thoughts on that. We discussed how this could affect citizens willingness to get the vaccine. It got me thinking, I wonder if there is any research as to which blood types are more likely to get COVID and/or recover or not be able to recover. Just curious if anyone has researched this. Totally recruiting related. I hope all the new recruits are blood type AB.

    • 9
      11

      Donating two power red units tomorrow. I’ll ask around. never donated until start of Covid. It is needed and easy to give. Wear a mask and give blood.
      Just think of the sacrifices our parents and grandparents made in forties…gas purchases, food rations,etc.

      And these “tough guys” cant wear a mask? if they get called on it, they go full “Karen”—different world these days.

    • My ex had this book called eat right for your type. It basically says that certain foods are better for people with certain blood types. She was pretty much a vegetarian but started to eat red meat because the book. It’s based off your ancestry and what they ate.

    • Appreciation to those who were able & offered to donate! It seems Oregon has a tendency at certain times of the year to run low on particular blood types.

      Krol, I’m generally aware of a couple of studies released that were focused w/ regards to persons’ blood type & severity of covid-19 experienced if one is infected (I think what bendbeaver mentioned might’ve been it?), but if I remember correctly, they were only initial studies — some indication, nothing definitive. They suggested more study in that area.

      I’d need to locate those & reread the abstracts however.

  12. I’ve been able to see Collins in-person a number of times. Was really impressed. He stood out even when next to other power 5 level recruits. I’d agree that the “long time family friend” has it about right. I think he is a legit pac 12 starter, maybe sooner than later.

  13. Totally off topic but does anyone on here subscribe to a VPN service that they would recommend? Tired of having Blazer games blacked out by shitty Comcast so going to try the VPN route.

  14. Interesting that Ham is mocked 28th in the first round to the Steelers which would be a good fit for him.

    https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/2021-NFL-Mock-Draft-first-round-released-157938904/Amp/

    Don’t know if he will really go this high, but if he did go in the first round, it would really help with recruiting and the selling of player development at OSU. Also, still haven’t seen Jefferson listed in the Top 15 of available RB’s in this draft. Maybe it is just that he hasn’t been evaluated yet because most assumed going into the season that he would be back next year.

    Lastly, I have seen Collins play in person. He’s not on the same level as Tyner in HS but better than Scarlett at the same age. He has a little JJ in him. Once he see hole, he has a burst to get thru. He is one cut but so is JJ. Think he will have a really solid career at OSU. He’s better than anyone we have now including Newell.

    • FWIW – Kiper has JJ as his #4 back.

      For Rashed to get into the first round he’ll have to hit certain measurables at the combine. Also depends on if teams see him as an edge rusher or a true OLB. If he is truly 6-4, he might be an edge rusher.

      But in general to be a top pick,
      40 time under 4.6.
      Vertical over 30 inches.
      Broad jump – over 10 feet

    • I doubt Rashed gets drafted that high even if he nails measurables. He has an Injury history and didn’t do much of anything this year. If college tackles can shut him down i wouldn’t think anyone would consider him a difference maker which first rounders usually are. His combine should be interesting because he got himself into really good shape. He’ll have to do well in the bench as well to show he has the strength to shed blockers.

      • I think he’ll get picked in the 3-5 range. My point being, 1st rounders have great measurables so if he doesn’t hit those, then he has no chance at the 1st round. My guess is he’ll run around 4.7.

      • I can’t see him going in first or second round with his lack of production this year. If he goes as high as a second round, its because somebody’s gambling that this year, not last, was the anomaly. And I agree, if he can’t consistently make plays against PAC OLineman, then its unlikely he’ll do better against the best in the nation week in and week out.

        2019 (REDSHIRT JUNIOR)
        • Played in all 12 games, making 11 starts
        • Led the nation with an Oregon State single-season record 22.5 tackles for loss
        • Tied for third nationally with an Oregon State record 14 sacks
        • The Athletic First-Team All-American
        • Sports Illustrated First-Team All-American
        • Phil Steele First-Team All-American
        • Walter Camp Second-Team All-American
        • FWAA Second-Team All-American
        • Associated Press Second-Team All-American
        • CBS Sports Second-Team All-American
        • Associated Press All-Pac-12 First Team
        • Phil Steele First-Team All-Pac-12

        7 games in 2020:
        15 Solo + 8 Assisted Tackles
        2 TFLs
        0 Sacks
        1 FF
        O INTs
        1 Pass Breakup
        1 Blocked kick

        Love the guy’s dedication to the program and desire to “leave it better than he found it.”

      • My prediction is undrafted. These predictions seem to assume the 2020 season didn’t happen, and he was terrible. When he wasn’t invisible he was missing tackles, taking bad angles, etc. It will tank his draft stock. I have no idea what happened to him this year, and no NFL team is going to be willing to invest draft capital without a really good answer to that question.

        I love that he came back when he could have left after last year (likely 2nd-3rd rounder), but the fact remains that leaving after this year is a really dumb move for him. He needs to bounce back and prove that last year was an outlier.

  15. 1
    2

    OT: Pierce’s first NFL TD:

    https://bearswire.usatoday.com/2020/12/27/chicago-bears-highlights-rookie-running-back-artavis-pierce-first-touchdown-week-16/

    In the photo of that MINN lineman tackling Pierce, I like the orange that Chicago uses…Nike needs to produce that for OSU as well. Also, I think Angry once suggested OSU go to dark blue in its uniform color combo, I think that would look great, similar to the way Chicago does it. Could still use black for some games.

    Hope the Bears upset the Pack and Nall/Pierce get some playoff experience.

  16. Langsdorf to Alamo bowl!
    Buffaloes rep the PAC vs Texas in a few minutes. Langs coordinates the passing game for the Buffs.

    Ya get the Buffs, Langs, and 9 points in this one!

    • 2
      4

      Texas will boat race Colorado….already up 14-0. A prelude to the ducks getting whacked by Iowa State. The pac12 is just weak again.

        • 1
          5

          They neat Texas and Oklahoma and lost to Oklahoma in close loss. I think they are 8-3 and played a more difficult schedule than the ducks. I don’t know what their covid situation was so not sure. Colorado has closed it to 17-10 but Texas has lost a lot of players on defense according to the announcers. Either way, we already know the pac 12 is weak and watched firsthand how the beavers ass raped the ducks defense on the ground and I’m the air…ducks need to being some lubrication bc they’re going to get butt hurt in this one.

          • I believe you said the same thing in the Pac12 championship game. That turned out making you look sports ignorant which isn’t too difficult

        • 2
          1

          The article you cited below from USA Today shows Iowa St with two first team AA’s (and one on the second team). Nike has none.
          I think Iowa St is more “real” than the ucks.

          • Refresh my memory, is the USA today more important than AP all American? Asking for a friend. Might want to look up the name Kayvon. Nice cherry picking job dumb ass

      • I like to think it’s full, but in reality is it?
        Baylor looks promising but has been hurt every time they give him a chance.
        Tyler is not good
        I think Newell is going to be good but hasn’t had the opportunity yet
        Madison hasn’t either, and the coach’s deamed Tyler “better”, so there is that.
        Collins has a good shot to make an impact next year, but Pledger would instantly start

        • Baylor is a great complimentary back, and his injury history might suggest that’s the best role for him. If Pledger is interested, i think they have to find room for a guy with his kind of offer sheet. Plus, he’s likely got fresh legs given his limited role to dare.

      • Pledger also recently followed Jermar Jefferson. Maybe to pick his brain about the offense?

        Looks like he averaged about 4.7 ypc last year as a backup, but he has 2 guys ahead of him on the depth chart coming back, plus Oklahoma may be bringing in a 5* freshman RB.

        Hard to say what our depth chart will look like once players start transferring. Maybe the staff knows of 1 or more guys who are leaving OSU and opening a spot?

        From my experience, Smith doesn’t get involved with a players recruitment until it gets beyond the initial stages. He’s more of a deal closer type recruiter than someone who guages interest.

        • And despite the recruiting profile saying his home town is in Florida(Where he played HS ball for IMG Academy), he’s really a west coast guy from CA.
          Had offers from Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, USC among several others out of HS. Seems like the type of guy you make room for, even if the RB room is a little crowded. I say this without knowing anything about his game though.

          • 1
            1

            I trust Smith. I’m three years though he has t show to be a number one. I matter who was there or will be there he should have been able to show he is starter caliber at some point. They have explosive offense but yet he wasn’t really a part of it. He did have 2 games this year of over 20 carries. Follow that by his most recent five games with single digit carries.

            Just get a better defense or it won’t matter who is playing offense.

      • “Full” doesn’t mean productive. I will just say that there isn’t a proven every down back in the group yet. Baylor and Tyler struggled to make it through one full game. This should be a major concern going into next season! Without J2 this season, we’d probably have been looking at 0-7. Need a guy that can take on 20-30 carries if need be and be productive.

        Go Beavs!

    • 1
      5

      Definitely better than any RB on beavers roster next year. The kid has some extra speed burners based on his video. I think Newell has a good chance to be another great RB but not convinced about Collins and he played in a week PIL conference against mediocre talent. baylor really looked improved last year so he has the a grasp of the offense. The other thing to consider is pass blocking and Baylor was supposedly better than JJ in that particular area of his game. We shall see and looking forward to the beavers handing the schmucks another ads kicking next year.

  17. Sam Vidlak, Henry Buckles, Arnez Madison, Omarion Fa’amoe, and Mikaya Tongue are all in the student directory, so that’s a good start to 2021.

      • What was the last impact safety that we had? I can’t think of any in the last 10+ years. Afalava maybe?? Morris maybe could be that guy if he could ever stay healthy, but that’s been a consistent weak position for the Beavs.

        • Afalava would qualify. He was an enforcer on the back end. The amazing thing about the USA team is that there are two DBs from Northwestern!

          • Meeuwson was an absolute stud! Incredible instincts, smart, athletic, the prototypical safety! I remember a play he made as a RS frosh against WSU (2001) where they fumbled the ball and Mitch on the run, reached down with his left hand and basically pitchforked the ball (without breaking stride) to run it in for the TD! Incredible play!

            I know you said 10 years but there have been some good ones over the last few decades!
            Lawerence Turner was a good Safety. Cookus made a lot of plays as an underdog. Reggie Tongue (his son is coming here to play Receiver I believe)?!

          • For the record, Poyer and James Rodgers are tied for my all-time favorite Beavs. I’ve only been following the program for about 12 years, but Poyer is easily my favorite defensive player. So I didn’t forget him! James has more competition but he’s still my solid #1 offensive player.

          • Sabby! I forgot about that dude… he was a straight up play maker… I remember him returning a pick for a TD. It was the first live football game I had been to. Yes I am still old though! Lol

          • Drawing a blank on the white kid’s name that was before Poyer, should have been a safety but he was fast enough to play corner but never did much because of hand jive’s shitty coaching. Got drafted as a safety but was always hurt and never went anywhere.

    • implies quite a bit about the PAC these days…
      As does the field for the 2020 Broyles Award. Not a single one of the finalists, or even a single one of the 15 semifinalists for the assistant coaching award is from the PAC.

  18. It’s funny how you can post an observation here about coach Smith following a player and Blitz has a writer following the same player within an hour of posting about it. Word travels fast.

  19. OT: I want to start carving bowls, spoons, and other small objects with “relax time” while on the couch watching movies and maybe on the porch when the weather warms up. So, mostly sitting and mostly small work. What gouges and knives would you guys recommend to get the job done? I was thinking palm tools, but I have no idea…

  20. On blitz they’re breaking down the players and commitment stories. So far they’ve done buckles and faamoe. The buckles was broken down pretty well by Peter riley where he goes over strengths and weaknesses. He also breaks down tape. Faamoe didn’t get a breakdown like that but had some quotes. Basically saying that he’ll learn all of the positions on the line but legi likes him at end. Also says that they expect him to play early. Last of note he says he hates the sux 16 out of 10.

  21. Can’t find the link now, but USA Today had an article on how NCAA football creating have and have-nots is bad for the game, citing the dominance of Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, and how their repeated appearance in playoffs further benefits their recruiting so much because they have the best chance to get to the playoffs and NC. Author pointed out how many 5* athletes the schools get, then made a statement like “Imagine the best teams in the NFL getting 40% of the first round draft picks.” Said part of the solution was to to expand the playoffs and have Division champs in major bowl games. They didn’t suggest allocating number of scholarships/recruits as Angry had suggested to try and strike competitive balance, but the analogy of the first round draft picks was a good one.

    They also had a discussion where they called out the cronyism in College football, and cite the Rose Bowl being played in Texas as a ridiculous example, not only because COVID is bad in Texas, but because it benefits Jerry Jones and the NCAA who have links to him…

    Nothing new I know, but it was good to see it called out.

    • 1
      1

      Have and have nots is the story of the past decade…and the future decade. It’s not just sports. It’s going to create some massive problems moving forward.

    • Yeah, I’ve been saying it is a beauty contest. They really do need to let the conference champions into the playoffs. I mean don’t get my wrong Ohio State, Clemson and Bama are clearly in a class of their own but the thing about sports is the best most talented team doesn’t always win but the way the system is now not only do the big schools have the edge because of talent advantages but they have the edge in the beauty contest too. Bama is an automatic qualifier if they lost 1 game. Oregon State could get hot and go on a run but a 12-0 Oregon State might get passed by a 11-1 Bama. So not only do the haves have all these built in advantages but they literally have a lower bar to jump over to win.

    • Reduction in scholarships have been done in the past. Used to be 105 in the 70s and reduced to the 85 now in the 90s. So I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

      Money is and always has been the problem. If the rules limited how much revenue a school could spend, it would level the playing field. But that will never happen. Every conference has a different media deal and anyone can donate to any school. If the NCAA said schools could spend only so much on each student athlete or recruit, you’d see a much more even playing field.

      Also if conferences required the same number of conference games or only non cons versus other p5 programs. This hurts the PAC12 but since fans don’t want to see cupcakes, don’t see the pac12 switching back to 8 games.

      The transfer portal is helping even things out a little bit. Beavs have a number of guys who were in the espn top 300 rankings. Don’t think they’ve landed one in a long time straight out of high school.

      • I think if every team were given 10 paid slots that would even things out. Like you have your 80 traditional scholarships and each school is allowed 10 scholarship with additional 100k stipends attached to them. 4 star kids would have to choose between 100k at ORegon State or a regular scholarship from Bama. Might also disincentivized the facilities arms race.

        • How would you disincentive donors who either donate a ton to a school (Oregon) or give additional off the books incentives to athletes? From guys I knew on the football team, it happened at OSU too. Handshakes with some cash trading hands. Cars bought by parents (but really funded by someone else).

  22. Noticed our OL Coach M has followed a couple of new 2021 OLinemen today. Both from Anchorage. Wonder if that area is just so underrecruited that he thinks he can hide some diamond in the rough type guys up there till signing day?

    Pedro Timoteo 6’5″ 320lbs
    Isaako Manu 6’5″ 290lbs

    No offers for either

  23. Both basketball teams dealing with COVID issues….basketball season will probably be even messier than football. Coaches can barely keep their masks on. Refs are catching cases. Conferences will be lucky if they can get through their tournament in one piece.

    Duke women’s team said screw it and canceled the rest of their season.

  24. 10

    I’ll be out of town with limited internet the next 3-4 days, so the twitter feed will be pretty quiet. I’ll try to add updates in the evenings if there’s time. Have a great New Years, Beavs

    • Both Spartan coordinators out, doesn’t excuse poor tackling.

      And, in other matters, Leach takes his 3-7 team to a bowl, comes out on top of #24 Tulsa; doesn’t excuse the brawl afterward.

  25. 1
    6

    Re: inequality in college football, it seems like the conferences could set up a revenue sharing agreement like some pro leagues have. This would extend to donations, so even though Nike U gets big $ from alumni, that would be split up by the conference (yes, I know I’m putting a lot of faith in Larry Scott). The donors, in theory, would be helping the prestige of the whole conference, which would, in turn, help their individual program (rising tide lifting all boats). They would also still get their tax breaks because it would still be a university donation, the university AD would just have to pay some of it back out in the form of some kind of conference dues.

    It would take forward-looking AD’s at the better endowed programs to do something like this and they would have to be committed to the conference instead of contemplating joining some kind of super conference (which is probably unrealistic). But it could also be a good option for post-Super Conference formation when the mid-majors have to figure out how to stay afloat.

    • 1
      3

      It’s getting to the point where the top of the pac 12 needs other teams to be better otherwise the top team will never get into the cfp. I’d say even if 6 out of 12 teams are solid or better by beating out of conference power 5 teams, that would give the top programs respect.

      • There aren’t any top teams right now. Any team can beat any team any week. I kind of like it but it’s not good for getting teams in the playoffs.

        • 3
          1

          Yeah, I don’t mind seeing Nikegon not get their money’s worth and not having to listen to their insipid “natty talk”, but it’s definitely not good for the national exposure for the league in general. P-12 is fast becoming a Group of Five league.

          • 6
            5

            The only ones that talk about “Natty’s” are sore loser beav fans like yourself. You’re obsessed with it, Nike, Phil etc… the drunk beaver fan on YouTube made it a thing, not Duck fans

    • The PAC’s ineptitude is kind of interesting and baffling. You’ve got a conference with a great history of RBs, QBs, WRs…the former Rose Bowl tradition…but if you look at schools like UCLA and USC with all the resources they have, they can’t develop and maintain any legitimate national standing throughout the season and maintain it into meaningful bowl games and playoff positions. UO has gone to meaningful bowl games with Bellotti, Kelly, Helfrich, and Cristobal, Stanford and UW had a pretty good run several years ago. But none of those programs “feel” like real threats to the NC anymore and they don’t seem to catch media’s eye (with the exception of UO). There’s a ton of talent on the west coast, but more of it seems to be heading east to the schools that have a better media exposure and a shot at the playoffs.

      The PAC needs a more effective commissioner, OSU needs a great AD (would love to see Casey give it a shot), and then maybe the league can become more relevant and the Beavers can achieve better coaching hires and results.

      • The PAC needs a more effective commissioner…
        So true, but when do we see any impact from the Pac-12 Senior Associate Commissioner for Football Operations? Merton Hanks was hired in August, maybe a little soon for anything but is he inhibited by Larry Scott?………and, how much is the conference paying him?

        I’ll be disappointed if F.King doesn’t have an impact on the commissioner, his deputies, and even our guy Barnes in the next 6 months.

  26. What’s everyone’s resolution?
    I’m going with less drinking/calories. I’m about 10lbs over my ideal weight since Covid. I was close to shedding it in September, but then my family visited and got me off track…grr.

    • 4
      6

      To be even more kind and tolerant of insufferable schmuck fans than I was in 2020 (lol), and to watch the beaver’s football team kick the crap out of the ducks again in 2021! 41-38! I’m anxious to watch the Siesta Bowl too.

      • 4
        5

        Your resolution should be to pull your head out of your ass. 41-38 on your own field and needing nearly every second to do it is not “kicking the crap” out of anyone dummy. The only insufferable shit stain in here is you. Which bowl game are the Beavs in tomorrow? Oh… never mind. Rinse and repeat 7 straight years. Lmao

          • 4
            1

            Swammi never learns. Always disparaging the Ducks but ignores his own schools multiple below average sports programs. Just reminding him who little brother is

          • 3
            6

            He’s got nothing better to do…he is obsessed with everything beavers. The beavers occupy that tiny little nugget between his ears and that’s why he’s in a beaver blog rather than slobbering all over a duck blog. Truth be known, he was probably banned from whatever duck blog site that they have…I’m not sure why someone would spend so much of their time on a site of a program they absolutely hate which he has openly admitted….no wonder he uses “turd” as part of his user name….a self fulfilling prophecy. Maybe he can become the new super hero villain, The Turdman, coming to a toilet near you.

          • 2
            1

            The turd is a descriptor of your life Swammi. Mired in turds from birth after your mom and her brother had you. Ummm…. ironic since you lived every day on the Duck site on Olive. Literally every day on the Duck side. Bahahahaha. Like fish in a barrel with you

        • 1
          3

          532 total yards and 222 yards rushing NY Double J….yeah, that’s kicking the crap out of your schmucks. Scoreboard Sally, Scoreboard….41-38!

          • 2
            2

            Yet you’ll sit home tomorrow watching them and not your team just praying they lose. How sad. Lmfao
            Winning percentages:
            Rueck – .728
            Graves – .750

            Stinkle – .495
            Altman – .719

            Smith – .290
            Cristobal – .735

          • 2
            2

            Cristobal is below .500. Stop cherry picking. Oh and look at that lying about Graves record also. Hes at .715.

            Lol more lying from our dipshit duck. Altman is at .616.

          • He doesn’t know any better…of course he also didn’t mention that JS has only 2.5 years of HC experience while MC has what 8-9 years HC experience or that MC inherited a roster loaded with talent and JS a bare bones cupboard. Yet, only 2.5 years in, JS and the beavers spanked the ducks. And, JS is just getting started and hasn’t even completed a full recruiting cycle yet. 41-38 and that’s really pissed off Turdmsn bc he knows it’s the most meaningful game in any of the sports of the instant rivals. 4138 and he just can’t live with it. Lol.

          • 1
            1

            Hey Blackbanditdumbass. We are talking current school records. But you knew that. But since we are talking records, Altman just passed Denny Crum on the wins list and is on a very short list of coaches with 20+ winning seasons in a row. He’s also the coach with the most wins in Oregon Duck history and Creighton’s history. If you want to add Graves records in there go ahead. He did a great job at Gonzaga. Sorry that triggers you.

          • 2
            1

            Bahahahaha!!! Smith is just getting started? When? Let us know when it will happen ok swamms. He has not only proven that he can’t develop talent but also has proven he can’t recruit. Oh, and believe me….. osewe is definitely not Oregon’s “rival”. The Huskies are. I don’t think the Beavs are anyone’s rival. Do they lead a single series of teams in the Pac12? What a joke. Just like you sniveler

          • 1
            1

            But since you like to compare blackassbandit… Rueck’s % has actually dropped this year. Thank goodness for the Covid protocol stepping in to stop the bleeding

          • Speaking of bleeding, it appears to be that time of the month for you again Sally. Better buy some extra feminine pads and and extra douche rinse as you are hemorrhaging from your pinhole again. Don’t forget something for your feminine itching too. 41-38 should help with the stinging too or not. Bwahhhhh!

          • Then why did you use ruecks total record and Graves record at only Toilet Seat U? Its because your a cherry picking bitch and your football coach is below .500.

          • Hey black ass bandit. In that case Ruecks record is .682. Did you want me to count his (pay to play D3) extra year of HS record? This doesn’t even take into account 2020-21 record which makes it even worse. I can if you want dodo head. Lmfao

    • And/or increase the activity level and calorie burning…

      At maximum, I lost as much as 10-12 pounds during the pandemic because of less time in restaurants, less drinking, and more mountain biking and hiking and working out at home with dumbells. In the last 6 weeks or so I’ve been getting more takeout and my net decrease is about 5 lbs since march.

      I really recommend dumbell workouts that have compound moves; more efficient use of time work more of the body. You can do a push up, in the “up” position, raise the dumbell out and up to the side with a straight arm movement, bring it back, do another push up, repeat on the other side,…I started out with 4 sets of 12 and worked up to 4 sets of 20. It works your core (because you have to maintain balance while doing the lateral raise movement), chest, and back…then do dumbell squats, bring the dumbells up to shoulder level (can bring up as a hammer curl), do a military press, bring it back down to your sides, squat again, repeat…working your legs, glutes, arms, shoulders…as you move up in weight it becomes almost aerobic too, its a surprisingly challenging workout. Or was for me anyway. Good use of time, don’t need any more than a stack of dumbells in your range of goals.

      There’s a TOUGH ski leg workout that doesn’t require weight. Do 10 lunges, then 10 air squats, then 10 jump lunges, than 10 jump squats as high as you can. Do 4 sets. No more than a minute of rest between each set. Work up to 20 reps in each exercise. Its a lot more challenging than it sounds and the first several times its difficult to walk two days later…

  27. 9
    2

    Happy New Year you degenerates!

    Angry, thanks for another year of providing a forum for discourse and discussion ranging from sports to food to juvenile humor to music to politics to online dating to sports….There are Bend beavers, Sweaty beavers, Beaver in Beaverton, Beavers in Ohio, One Old Beaver, a Beaver Gopher cross, Angry Beavs, a Nice Beaver and many other degenerates in between.

    My resolution/suggestion, get out and enjoy 2021, make and eat good food, drink well, enjoy friends and family, and be active. Oh, and watch the occasional OSU sporting event…

  28. Noticed today a player OSU seems to be pretty interested in is an OG transfer from Utah St. Heneli Bloomfield. Originally from the 2017 class although it looks like his clock started in 2018, and he’s technically a redshirt Sophomore next year.
    Also, his surname was Avendano rather than Bloomfield coming out of HS.
    I’m just a little surprised we’re trying to find transfer OL players, unless we have one or more players leaving.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/heneli64/status/1344807981175607296

    https://247sports.com/Player/Heneli-Avendano-93402/high-school-178728/

  29. Is Jack back under new names and talking to himself as Swammi and Turd? I thought 2020 was a long year but if these 2 plan to spend the 2021 year like this, it may be worse.

        • I’m only here because of you swamms. You reap what you sow. You spent years on Olive Duck board doing the very thing you’re complaining about now. So I guess it’s your fault and your Beav buddies now have to deal with it. Or Angry could ban you like you got banned from Olive and I will go away too. It’s up to him asshole. Lol

  30. S-I with an article about how the pandemic further demonstrates that NCAA sports, football and the other sports they are cutting, are not about student athletes, but simply making money.

    “Not everybody can win, but everybody can be obsessed, and everybody can market obsession. That is the prominent business model in college sports: Prove to your customers that you are as irrationally committed as they are. Schools are far more likely to be criticized for not paying obscene salaries to football coaches than for doing so… ”

    https://www.si.com/college/2020/12/29/global-pandemic-exposed-ncaa-inc

    • 1
      1

      “While we have made measured progress during the past several years under Tom Herman’s leadership, Chris has recommended to the university president, Jay Hartzell, that UT make a coaching change to get us on track to achieving our ambitious goals.

      Herman was 32-18 in four seasons at Texas. He had just completed a 7-3 season capped by a win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. He had three years remaining on a contract worth $15 million in guaranteed money. Another $10 million is owed to Herman’s assistants. ”

      Fits with the examples in the S-I article I linked…the Will Muschamp and MSU examples are great ones.

        • That’s something a lot of these articles about football getting preferential treatment over other sports miss: the money going toward coach raises, bonuses, new facilities, etc. is being generated by football or donated specifically to the football program. It’s not like the AD’s are getting massive checks from wealthy alumni saying “just give it to whichever sport needs it the most.”

          And ultimately the AD’s and university are going to do what’s in “the best interest of the university” which is to generate as much positive exposure as possible to stir good feelings in the alumni and promote more donations. 8 field hockey championships won’t do that, but a reasonably successful football team that’s just one coach or one stadium project away from a championship will.

          That’s why I like the Knight commission’s recommendation that college football splits off into its own separate organization. It’s a completely different animal so it should start being treated that way.

    • 3
      1

      It doesn’t really matter remember? Last week the season didn’t count according to you. Now it seems to matter to you. Love the hypocrisy as your team sits home again. Lol

  31. Purdy was supposed to be a Beaver right? Probably would have been the best QB at OSU in awhile but bailed at end of GA era if I recall correctly. Wonder if Smith tried to hold onto him or of already was too late.

    Oh, and If Tinkle loses both Cal and Stanford, Barnes got to cut bait and hold a mid week press conference saying Tinkle is relieved of duties. Don’t care if Phil Knight has to help like he did with Pat Casey. Can’t let this once very good program sink further down the toilet.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here