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Recruiting Weekend Rumors

113

The comment section in the thread below is becoming extraneous, so let's use this area to talk about what transpired over the weekend.

Jabral Johnson tripped to Texas Tech, didn't like it, and sured up his commitment to the Beavers. This is huge news.

Beavs reportedly made up a lot of ground with Marcus Peters and Vi Teofilo. There's a buzz that Peters will commit.

Byron Moore enjoyed this trip and made good friends with James Rodgers, but the weather seemed to be something he couldn't acclimate to.

Rudolf Fifita will likely be a Beaver. Someone from Southern Cal posted in the comment area that he thinks Fifita is a real sleeper. I don't see it, but the guy claims to have seen him in person. He's telling me his only offer is New Mexico State because of an injury issue. 

Lamar DeRego visited Arizona and loved it. Personally, I'd like him to go there so we can open a scholie at a position of need.

Those are my notes. If any of you have anything else let me know.

113 COMMENTS

  1. I really just hope we sign a really good class with a lot of speed on both sides of the ball this year! Does anybody know what the highest ranked recruiting class OSU has ever signed? I hope this year is the best ever for OSU!

    • nationally
      2002: 49
      2003: 56
      2004: 34
      2005: tied @51 with Northwestern
      2006: 41
      2007: 40
      2008: 61
      2009: 48
      2010: 67
      2011: 42 so far

      conference
      1)USC: 6th
      2)Stanford: 12th
      3)CAL:14th
      4)UofO: 16th
      5)UW: 19th
      6)Utah: 39
      7)OSU: 42
      8)WSU: 49
      9)ASU: 57
      10)Arizona: 60
      11)UCLA: 64
      12)Colorado: 88

      So if we get a few more 3-4 star recruits…I think we’ll be able to move up on the scout.com national rankings.

      • Rivals – top 50 (all that was listed for free) and the Pac – 10 order – as of 1-15:

        4. USC
        9. O
        10. Cal
        17. Stan
        27. UW
        30. UT
        49. AZ
        ? ASU
        ? OSU
        ? Wazzu
        ? UCLA

        Not sure where ESPN has everyone?

      • Has the ship sailed on Byron Moore?

        So he didn’t like the weather… he’s not going to choose OSU because he happened to visit on a freak weekend when we are experiencing 5 inches of rain?

          • Exactly. If it rains in Miami it’s an aberration, and having spent time there, I can tell you it rarely last more than a half hour. A weekend of downpours in a part of the country known for poor weather is completely different.

            The Beavs need to learn how to market their weather…they can say it’s eerie and only real men play in bad weather, etc. Challenge a guy’s manhood.

          • Some people really do have problems dealing with the gray skies and wet winters of the Pacific Northwest. Byron Moore may be one of those people. He originally chose LA and now he’s probably going to Miami.

            Honestly, if sun and blue sky are that important to him, Moore wouldn’t be happy in Corvallis, and he’s better off going to Miami. Better to figure that out in advance, rather than coming to OSU and being miserable from November through May each year. Sounds to me like Moore is just not cut out to be a Beaver.

          • If you are only going to recruit in sunny California, Arizona,Hawaii, Texas (occasionally), it’s a wonder anyone commits to the Beavers, assuming rainy weather is a detriment. On the other hand, March/April daffodils, greenery, and flowering trees will seem blissful to someone from snowy climates.

          • Climate and the size of the city play a role with some kids from large metro areas. I think in general many are getting more sophisticated about how they will be coached, where they fit in on the roster and how soon they will be playing, but lets face it, these are just kids and from some of the curriculums I have seen, they are not going to be studying 24/7. They want cool options for their free time. That is where OSU faces an uphill battle at times.

  2. Byron Moore twitter update:

    “Back to cali to dry off lol”

    “Bye bye beaver nation” <– hopefully not

    (James Rodgers is also corresponding with Moore on twitter- Did they strike up a bromance?)

        • Funny, a Miami fan just wrote this on his twitter “word is your going to oregon st…would of been nice to see you starting at cb here at the U!”

          • In that case, we are probably done.

            If Peters signs I don’t see Moore as a big loss. We need a true corner much more than a safety or corner/hybrid.

          • Beavers I think will get 2 corners in the class (Foster and Peters) but Moore would’ve been a tremendous get for the football program. I just would like to see them for once get these A level recruits.

          • Foster and Peters would both be good gets. I’d take them both over Moore. Something tells me Moore is a bit overrated…can’t get over his thick size (hip/swivel) for a corner, and the fact he doesn’t have top end speed. At safety, sure, but we’re stocked there.

            I realize I graded him as an A recruit, but I think I got caught up in the stars and hype…and I also thought we wanted him at safety…he’s a B level guy if you rewatch the film and look at it honestly.

          • HAHA!

            He’s coming to OSU: “An A-Level recruit”

            He’s eliminating OSU: “He’s a B-Level recruit, really… We didn’t want him anyway!”

            And the cycle continues for Beaver fans…

          • Well, first off I never said Moore was coming to OSU. I said he didn’t like the weather and likely wasn’t coming.

            Also, I hadn’t watched his film in months, and rewatched it this morning. Foster and Peters are not Beavers, yet I think they are better fits since we need true corners.

            In short, he’s an A safety and a B corner.

          • Dude! Let me clue you in to how some of these blogs work.

            VolNation is actually pretty fun to read, and I read a lot of it last year with Gio in the mix. But they are REALLY full of themselves… well… their school.

            They knew their coaching staff sucked hard eggs, but they loved that they could recruit. Now they’re in a sort of limbo. They’re sure that anything SEC is better than anything… um… anything.

            They’re not nearly as annoying a read as the Nebraska blogs. Those guys think they’re Ivy League academics, and the Pelinis are all Vince Lombardi clones. Frankly, they’re a bunch of pompous idiots who will awaken to a black day for the black shirts if they can ever pull it together for a complete season.

            In the end I think Moore is trusting of the USC staff that recruited him, and some of them are at Miami now.

  3. Hey guys, if the rest of the recruiting season turns sour fast, at least we can look back and say “We got Kellen Clute!”

    -Don’t forget your lunchpails!

    • Hehe.

      Remember how we were all optimistic about the Grant 4 a few weeks ago…? Yeah. Another recruiting loss. I’m hoping we can salvage the MLB at least.

    • Again, Clute is not to be taken lightly. I know TE is an obscure position, but he is a football player. There was only one TE rated above him in Washington after the season.

      On top of that–and I know our staff will not do this–but Clute is an excellent candidate to convert to OT. I think Hamlett is also an excellent OT project from the ground up. But these guys are being promised TE duty.

      I think there’s a kid named Niklas out there who is smart enough to know that the whole TE vs. OT thing shouldn’t even be a discussion.

  4. We’re so thin at CB…looking at the roster.

    Poyer
    Hardin
    Reynolds

    Then it’s guys like Martin, Kenyan Parker, Handford…one injury and we’re in major trouble…

    It’s hard to believe the coaches haven’t been able to secure some CBs given the lack of depth.

    • I’d love to see Handford get some playing time this year. Martin and Parker seem so damn light to be playing D in the pac-12; difficult to imagine them providing run support consistently.

      I would have preferred to see Parker’s speed used consistently on kick returns and as a wr rather than as a cb.

  5. I just looked, and the last true CB we signed out of high school was Martin back in 2009…

    Two years without a prep CB is suicide.

    Meanwhile, we have 20 Wrs and 15 DEs.
    The staff has to land Peters, and maybe even convert Larry Scott to CB.

  6. I want to hear more about those who “DID” like OSU, than those who supposedly didn’t like OSU. Nearly 20 recruits visited this past weekend, the majority walked away impressed, I’m sure! OSU has a lot of selling points, and a lot to offer. What is the latest?

  7. In other news, Rahmel Dockery enjoyed his visit to OS campus this past weekend.

    It sounds like he’s still holding out for an offer from UW, Hole or TCU, but if they don’t come, we’re his best offer. (Idaho, Hawaii, Wazzu)

    TCU offer is doubtful, they’ve already locked down two CB in this class. Hole has one commit but several offers to better players. Washington has no commits, but has several offers out there.

    I think when all is said and done, we get Peters and Dockery.

  8. Wow! This is all great stuff to hear! A lot of comments since I last posted, I was hoping just to get a response. Keep the info coming if you get any more!

  9. Nice, Vi Teofilo loved his trip. Gut feeling only, but I think he picks the Beavs over ASU. He canceled his SDSU visit. Just thinking logically, why would he cancel a visit (right after leaving Corvallis) unless he was completely blown away and knows where he wants to go? Good sign.

      • Because Hoke is gone.

        The poaching OSU is attempting (mentioned above) is very likely Ma’ataua Brown.

        I think Faitele Fa’afoi is a great prospect, but since he gets looks by the big time schools but no offers I’m thinking grades are an issue. he might be an OSU commit that makes it as a late qualifier.

        • Brown would be interesting. He plays either side of the ball at 6’5″, 300#. I think UW is telling him he’s going to be a DT, and he might want to play OT. It fits that he might want to keep it on the down low, because he’s a quiet kid (hates the recruiting process). If Heyward pulls him in to talk to Seumalo or Cav, we might be in the mix.

        • Good thought process.

          You’d think Stanford would lose guys…I’m surprised to see them remain mostly intact. The lure of that degree is too much I suppose.

  10. So, are we assuming six slots? Maybe seven if DeRego decommits?

    This is what I understand from this thread: Peters and Teofilo are likely.
    Parker and Dockery are maybes.
    We’re trying to poach McGill from Utah, Foster from Houston, White from UCLA (and in their minds, USC), and maybe Brown from UW.
    Moore is out, and nothing on Peat Jr.
    The Grant 4 are probably not an option.

  11. I think there is a fine line between recruiting rankings and finding players you need to be a successful program. To be more specific, I heard that if head coaches recuited based on stars or rankings, then they will be out of a job real soon! There is probably some truth to that, however I think if you are recruiting legit talent the rankings will follow eventually! Or your talent will transpire into wins on the field. OSU won’t sign a top 15 class this year, but they should be in the top 30 every year if they want a Pac-12 Championship! Just my opinion.

  12. Off-topic I know, but what does CFN know that we don’t: In its “First Look” rankings for 2011, OSU is #23, Oregon #11.

    http://cfn.scout.com/2/1040315.html

    Cites return of Katz and 4 O-lineman as a reason, as well as D line and outstanding secondary:

    “2010 might have been a disappointment, and Jacquizz Rodgers might be gone, but the offense has more than enough returning experience to be solid. Who’ll step up and become a playmaker? QB Ryan Katz will the focal point of the attack, and he should get time to work behind a line that gets four starters back. The defensive front should be a major positive even with the loss of star tackle Stephen Paea. The secondary should be outstanding. “

    • I’m not far off from that assessment.

      We’ll be better. Despite the kvetching about our offensive and defensive lines, we should overall be better. A stronger, more experienced O-line is better than a weaker, less experienced O-line. Right? Hope hope…

      But Oregon loses key positions…3 OL and 3 DL starters as well as 2 LB and 2 WR.

      Overall, I think they’ll be down from last year and we’ll be up a little bit. Probably won’t win the civil war, but I’m fine with a battle for the Holiday/Alamo bowl, which is kind of what I expect.

  13. I think we will be better too. Maybe I am a Beaver homer but our biggest weakness was DE and LB play which is huge in Bankers system and it seems like the coaching staff has done a ton to address this. Paea will be a tough loss but in the past we have been put out good defenses with DT’s that just take up bodies. Dock will be a huge loss and it is too bad we didn’t lose Hardin too but safety play will be improved. Since Hardin will likely remain a CB I hope he is not lifting any weights and working exclusively on agility type stuff.

    The other huge issue is O-line (I think RB is an overrated position). We’ll see, I am cautiously optimistic that Riley will allow some competition. Also the pass protection for the most part was decent so I think that bodes well for a team that will look to establish the pass first next year instead of trying to force the run. It seemed like the run blocking really started to sag as the games went on last year… for a while I was thinking it was conditioning but now I wonder if it was more because we were trying to force the issue instead of attacking the opposing defenses weaknesses. We’ll know early what this team is about… we got to win that BYU game.

  14. Angry, in your opinionhas this weekend been a “flop” or is this normal for the “biggest recruiting weekend ever” to not have gotten a single verbal and on top of that crossed off 1 of the 2 4* lists. Maybe I’m over thinking it but seems odd to me. Maybe we’ll get Peters and Teofilo in the next couple days. I’d be happy with that. Just need that DT.

    • Honestly, I think if this same group of recruits visited 4 months ago we’d have some commits by now. Since they have relationships elsewhere this late in the game, they have to tip toe around, and that takes longer to resolve. It’s not a flop until they all sign elsewhere, but it is disappointing that none liked it so much they went ahead and changed on the spot.

    • Sometimes it is easy to forget that these are still 18 year olds. I know my advice to my kids on a decision that is this important is always to wait out the emotion of a situation before you make a decision. I would not expect immediate decisions from these kids. That being said, I sure hope the coaching staff can close some of these better recruits.

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