This is where the Beavers need to start winning their battles. How high you’re able to perform on the field has a lot to do with who you sign on February 3rd. The Beavers consistently find themselves in the Sun Bowl and lower because their recruiting classes are consistently middle of the road.

This class has a chance to be special. Many pundits are already calling it the best class in school history, and this is without known verbals from Akuna or Owa. On the surface that sentiment appears valid, but circumstance will shave two 4-stars (i.e. Iona and Molesi) off the commit list and one high 3-star (i.e. Welch). Chances of seeing all three in Orange and Black are zero. If even one makes it onto the field be happy.

As far as the rest of the class, there are some nice players, but they are the same caliber that we’ve had until this point. There’s nothing about Fred Thompson that is better than say…Stephen Paea. Is Bibbee better than Roberson? Is Murphy better than Mitchell? You can see where I’m going with this. There’s no reason to believe any player in this class is more talented than the status quo. So while I like the class, unless it’s topped off with some elite talent (e.g. Akuna, Owa) I believe we’re looking at more Sun Bowls and below. I challenge you with these questions: where in this class is the player who stops Masoli on 4th down, and where is the player who covers a RB in the flat vs USC, or holds on to the ball vs Stanford? These eyes do not see him.

Here’s to hoping we can close on Owa and Akuna, because both (and more) are required to take the next step. As with any profession or talent (and much to the chagrin of Beaver fans everywhere), the greatest difference between being elite and middle-of-the-road lies in the measurables. Now let’s get out there and win the biggest game of the year, national signing day.

Alright, this is what I’ve gathered over the past couple days from every media source possible, reading between the lines, and one semi-decent source on campus.

1. Akuna is a Beaver–85%…I’ve heard “silent verbal” since his visit and everything he’s said has hinted the Beavers are the team to beat.

2. Gio will be a Beaver–51%. Riley’s in home tonight, meeting the parents again, talking Haiti, reminiscing about Yev…it should be enough to close the deal. Then again, it’s pretty much as far as you can travel without leaving the country…

3. Owa–Owa eliminated Oregon tonight. I gotta say, this kid seems like dust in the wind; I guess he commits wherever he happens to be when the breeze subsides?

4. Christian Thomas–Interesting that he canceled his Miami trip. I like this kid; he’s a character…from his comments about the chef to admitting to liking the weather in Oregon. We aren’t a lock, but we’re up there. USC is going to make a late push and we rarely win that battle, so I’m saying 40% on this one.

5. Taula–Arizona holds a soft commit, but since he’s been taking officials and taking them seriously, most acknowledge his word was given simply to secure a scholarship. It’s clearly between Udub, Arizona, and OSU…and I’d put them in that order. The Beavers had his interest early, but lost momentum when others offered and have not been able to regain it. Right now he’s a silent commit to Udub, even though he’s still listed as an Arizona commit. The Beavs chances are under 10%. Washington 65%, Zona the remainder.

Let’s admit it, these are the only 5 recruits we care about at this point. Others are topical, though, so discuss whomever you’d like.

We’ve heard this argument a million times: stars mean nothing because Riley turns over a rock and converts the hidden quartz into a diamond.

What’s interesting is that on message boards I’ve seen the same people (a) say stars don’t matter (b) act the most excited when guys like Owa show any interest and (c) inform everyone when a 3 star player gets bumped to 4 stars.

Just looking over at blitz, there’s a thread on the first page about Will Story. It has 287 views and 0 replies. On the same page there are two threads about Owa totaling 1804 views and 19 replies. So don’t tell me stars don’t matter and then have the nerve to click on an Owa thread and put him #1 on your “wish list.” What is the counterargument, that you’d be just as excited about Owa if he were a 2 star? Sure. Good luck backing that up.

This is my creed:

1. I accept the fact that I crave 4 and 5 star recruits
2. I will not let our program’s moderate success convolute me into thinking I prefer 2 star recruits.
3. Failure to land 4 and 5 star recruits will not result in my calling them prima donas and pretending I don’t want them.

What is fantastic about this creed is that it accepts our human nature. The worst thing about Beaver fans is that, after being kicked for 28 years, they don’t know how to expect more than what they get. In short, they’re content with low to moderate expectations and a pipe dream. They don’t want to crave the 4 or 5 star too much, because when he says, “no”, they’ll be crushed. They resort to pretending they never wanted him to begin with because he has academic issues, is a prima dona, or some other nonsense that is limpid as a pond. Recite the creed with me boys. We all want Owa, we all want Thomas, we are all happy Manion was bumped to a 4th star. It’s about prestige, respect, and unbounded potential; if you say anything different you’re lying to me, and more importantly, to yourself.

I’m not sure what to think of this.

On the 15th he comes back from the Army Navy game and writes off Oregon State, saying, “I just didn’t feel like I could see myself there.” Then, on the 18th, there’s a report saying Oregon State is back in the mix and Owa is searching for a reason to write off one of the 4 schools he’s still considering. To compound issues, Mike Riley has been rumored to have an in-home visit for about 3 weeks now but never seems to take the in-home. Oregon, ruled out about a month ago, is now rumored to be the favorite.

So what happens?

I still stick with my contention that having two Oregon schools in the top 4 means he wants to stay local. And you heard straight from the man’s mouth that he can’t see himself at OSU, which leaves Oregon standing.

I have to say…this is a really strange recruitment. The way Oregon shot into the picture, and Owa being pulled in every direction, well, it screams foul play to these eyes. You can bet there is some shady recruiting going on behind the scenes. The kid doesn’t seem able to see through it, though.