The last post was getting cluttered. In here let's discuss what's transpired so far today, etc.
So far signing day has been status quo. No poaching either way. Pretty boring day overall. I held out a small hope we’d land a signing day surprise, but as is their wont, the staff failed to deliver. It’s a good class by OSU standards, but we needed some positive twists on signing day in order for this class to be special, especially in comparison to some other classes around the conference. Our benchmark shouldn’t be the 2007 Beaver class. It should be the 2011 Oregon, USC, Cal, and Washington classes, and we fail pretty miserably by those standards. It doesn’t mean we won’t be competitive, but it does mean we won’t get over the hump.
Still on the board are White, Moreland, and Dockery. Personally, I think we land none of them, but for you pessimists with latent hope, that trio will give you something for which to secretly hope.
I would like them all. However, I’m prepared to get none of them and end up deflated about this class today.
Probably for the best man…Riley’s efforts in recruiting have been pedestrian, at best..but I suppose we’re going to have a crap ton of depth on the D-line.. when all we really need are offensive linemen and DB’s. And some dufus’ head is on the screen in the “war room” at the moment. More like the “give up and die, lose the Civil War room”
Yawn. Boring. Yawn.
“A crap ton of depth” on the D-Line will make our DBs look a lot better.
Gotta agree with you there. You pressure the QB a lot you won’t get beat deep as often cause in order to complete a lot of those deep passes the QB needs time in the pocket.
Yep, but with such an awesome player like Brandon Hardin covering a player a QB just needs one second to escape pressure, hurl the ball, and we’re burned down field for a touchdown.
Sorry, but we needed to recruit 1-2 more DBs but we struck out on anybody we went after.
I agree we need better corners. I gotta believe the secondary scheme has a lot to do with why OSU can’t land some of these recruits.
agreed… when your system is based on man coverage in the secondary and a quick pass rush and selling out to stop the run you really should rank in the top half of the conference in run defense and sacks. The fact that we have not is a testament to how terrible our front 7 has been.
The lack of a pass rush by the DE’s has been a major problem for most of the last two seasons, ’09 in particular. I have no problems with creating some depth there. Would like to see some more OL/DL as well of course, but I don’t mind all the DE’s,
I’m not disagreeing with that, but part of the pass-rush problem is that they didn’t recruit well in the years leading up to 09 and 10, and so we were left with NOBODY during that time. However, during the last season the DL was serviceable (needed some recruits, yes) but it was stellar athletes like Pankey, Hardin, in Suaesi Tuimanei in the LB/DB/SS that let us down in a fantastic way.
Meanwhile, our offensive line COULDN’T EVEN BLOCK FOR QUIZ!!! And for those people that say “well Langsdorf was a predictable fuckhead on playcalls” the fact is that he got that from Riley, who himself is predictable but has a better sense of when to call plays, and the thing that made 07 and 08 work was the fact we had better offensive lines back then.
I just wish I would have seen like…12-14 line recruits on both sides to make sure we’re never lacking in that department again. But instead we get 2 OL and the aforementioned crap ton of DL’s…and we’ll be seeing the second year of “drought” on the offensive line that we witnessed with the D-line.
There, rant over.
There is some solid depth on the O-line. I count at least a dozen O-lineman on scholarship. I just hope that the young guys are given a fair shake at earning a starting spot because the returners clearly didn’t get it done.
Ooo, they just did a scroll down of names. You know what would have been huge…adding a fuckin name to that.
OSU is so lame. When it comes to marketing or building suspense for their product they are the equivalent of a kid with downs who picked up a camera and then later edited it with the proud, tardly exclamation “I AM ORANGE” YAY!!!!
When thinking about how they’re now doing it – I’m remembering back about 4 or 5 years ago they’d only release the names about every couple of hours. People on the what is now Pure Orange board were screaming because they couldn’t find out what the hell was going on. Cal and other schools had live up dates while the OSU fans were in the dark.
So from that perspective I feel like I’m in hog heaven when I look at the current set up.
It sounds like we’re going to strike out with Moreland.
Duh?
I am a little bummed that OSU went 0 for 4 with that fabulous Grant 4, from Grant High School in Sacramento, CA. I thought we had a chance with all except for maybe Sample. I wonder if OSU could get a higher ranked class if we went to a BCS, Rose, Alamo, or Holiday Bowl? Or if OSU won every game they played with a National audience on ESPN or ABC? I really think if OSU can get over those humps first, they will get over their recruiting humps later.
What a concept…winning games on national television. So far all we’ve done in that arena is offer up our ass for the other team to fuck. Make no mistake our non-conference failure is a bigger reason for this because life is all about first impressions.
I really believe this is what is keeping OSU from reaching the next level! Imagine what could be for the OSU football program if we beat LSU, Cincinnati, Louisville, Utah, Penn State, TCU, Boise State x2, all on the road, every one of those games were on ESPN, or ABC! All but 2, maybe 3 of those games were blow out losses, embarrassments, laying eggs on National T.V.! Winning just one of these big games, would drastically improve not only that image of OSU, but the attitude within the program, and fan-base as well!
Moreland is a Mustang. *uck
Moreland officially signs with even more crappy SMU…. excellent choice dude!
Dockery will probably choose WSU and Torian White will stay UCLA
I can only hope the laws of probability catch up with us today, considering we’ve missed on literally every recruit in our sights in the last three weeks.
Since there’s no way OSU can compete with the ‘ucks when it comes to facilities (what’s phil up to now $300M?) is it possible that the Beavs could scrape together enough money so they could hire a coach who can recruit? One possibility would be someone like a DE. Someone who has name recognition. Another option would be a lesser known coach but someone who has proven they can recruit.
Will the new Pac-12 give OSU the finances to be able to do something like that?
DE is many things, but a stellar recruiter is not one of them.
It’s sad watching these guys sitting around the fax machine. I feel like I’m watching a loner constantly refresh his internet dating profile praying for a hottie to write him.
#18 Akeem Gonzales.
-The end
Thought Dockery was announcing at 11?
Equally sad that Dockery is now our A recruit. Sort of funny how that process works, too.
must be a 1 hour prime time special.
He’s dragging it out possibly. LeBron James thinks he needs to just make the announcement already.
Warren, I told you not to believe that “insider”…there’s absolutely nothing earth shattering around OSU or the PAC-10. Everything fell into place as we figured. He tries to sell memberships with cryptic messages that can’t be right or wrong–it’s much like Tarot card readings or astrology in that way.
Justin Rogers is still out there… someone please snag him.
Could we at least have that blond lady walk past the camera?
+1
Dockery is a Cougar. UnFuckingBelievable.
Where did you see that?
all over twitter.
Read it off Twitter. I felt I would be disappointed and I am. Torian White will say UCLA and I will be completely deflated.
Time to sign up some 4 and 5 star kids who we know won’t qualify just to keep the fans happy (for the time being that is).
Haha, Rahmel Dockery isn’t the brightest diamond in the rough, is he?
He did everything he could NOT to choose the Beavers. OSU was always his LAST RESORT choice.
Screw him.
At least now Michael Thomas has more incentive to choose OSU
He’s good but apparently didn’t wanna leave the state no matter what. Really disappointing.
Michael Thomas will not be a Beaver. That ship sailed 2 months ago.
Says who?
Hey guys… keep the chins up… there is always next year… at least until next year starts sucking.
That is true. We can be disappointed in the coaching staff yet again.
I just had a revelation: I’m watching a chalkboard with kids walking around it when I could be watching porn.
See ya, guys.
I got to imagine 1 or 2 of the WR’s will end up as DB’s.
Does this recruiting class justify keeping Riley on as HC? I’d say no.
Not sure? But if he keeps losing more Civil Wars, then no way!
Every team in the Pac-12 has a huge signing to cheer about today except OSU
I don’t want to watch Torian White’s announcement. I already know the answer.
wheres the link to his?
http://www.foxsportswest.com/pages/high_school_signing_day_special
“UCLA. I wanna be an actor.”
At least it beats Peat,
“I saw a Nebraska license plate on my way to the signing”
It’s hard trying to predict the behavior of mentally inept humans.
Wow I just read that. That might be the dumbest reason of all time for choosing a school. That’s just beyond ridiculous.
And the staff is left with nothing to do but to try and get their face on camera. Who was that butt ugly black guy who managed to get his face in the field of view?
haha Torian White to USC
The disappointment continues yet again. Times like these I question why I’m a fan of OSU
HOW ARE YOU DISAPPOINTED?!
Didn’t you read his quote, “I want to be an actor.”
Why would anyone believe he’s leaving LA after reading that???
I was referring to all the misses on recruits. I wasn’t talking specifically about Torian White.
All these kids have Oregon State on their lists just to have other “possible” choices to fool the TV people……
When was the last time Oregon State beat out USC for someone?
Markus Wheaton was going to go to USC but he wanted immediate playing time…
I believe Wheaton is the only one. Riley needs to promise more early playing time. Most coaches make promises they don’t intend to keep.
Oregon State is officially “0-everyone” today
Note to war room: turn off the camera, turn out the lights and at least save some electricity.
Are there any fish left out there?
Is OSU officially done?
Being a Beaver fan is just cruel punishment. Every single year is just disappointment. You know it’s bad when you’re losing recruiting battles with SMU and the Cougars.
Just wait, in a few hours you’ll have to hear that DeAnthony Thomas committed to the Ducks…
FML
We beat Utah State, Idaho, and New Mexico State, though!
Suck it, Vandals!
Hey, completely unneccasary!
Go Vandals!
Good fucking god you people bitch too much.
We signed a pretty good class. Compared to every year in the last 10…this is probably 2nd or so on paper.
Dylan Wynn looks like an absolute badass. Darryl Jackson should compete for playing time from day one, hopefully allowing Phillip to move to guard. Cooks/Trosin/Zimmerman (he will sign, there’s a huge snowstorm in Lawton right now)…one of those guys will have a breakout season and contribute early. One of Agnew and Woods will likely bust out as well.
Compare this class to past classes and I think it might be among the best we’ve had in 10 years. Would it have been great to get Moala, Peat, McClure, etc…sure. But if you want guys like that, you better start donating more money to the athletic department. We can’t compete at landing the big name 5* kids. We get leftovers and we develop them pretty damn well if you ask me.
It’s like some of you are on your first recruiting go-round or something. We ALWAYS have classes exactly like this and we generally find ourselves in the top half of the conference. Get used to it.
Does RayBan make glasses with Orange-tinted lenses?
Are you kidding me? Is my post any less realistic than the wrist slashing bullshit from nearly everyone on this board?
Facts are facts…we never have highly rated recruiting classes. We’re generally 9th. Over the last 10 years, we’ve averaged 7.5 wins.
So does this class, which is rated higher than most we’ve had during the last 10 years, indicate that we’re sliding down to the basement of the pac-12 like basically everyone on here is indicating? Nope.
You are wrong.
This isn’t grade school where you compare 2nd grade report card where you earned all D’s to your 3rd grade report card where you earned Cs. Once you’re an adult, the point of comparison becomes peers. Our class is dead last in the Pac-12, and you’re trying to spin it as a positive?
Sure, there are about 8 great players. But that leaves 2/3 of the class as bad/projects etc.
Also, fans don’t enjoy being lied to. Those recruiting services are going to take a major hit in memberships. Even until this morning they tried to say there were a half dozen Beaver surprises by “reliable sources”. This gets people hopes up, and then when that hope evaporates you’re left with enraged fans who can’t appreciate the 8 great recruits their school did sign.
I’d maybe agree if we weren’t a fucking doormat for 30 years and if our recruiting wasn’t getting better year over year.
It’s simply unrealistic to expect us to compete (in recruiting) with schools that spend 5x as much on recruiting as us, have a better university and have a shit-ton of historical success. Overall, we’ve competed on the field pretty well…which is all that matters.
I agree, we need to make everything better…recruiting, facilities, academics…but it’s just not realistic to expect all of that to change overnight.
So kvetching and gnashing teeth over a recruiting class that’s better than we generally get is ridiculous.
Who has a better school?
The school at the bottom of the Pac 12 in terms of academics has the “best facilities” in the world.
Using the doormat defense just makes you look like a pussy, just sayin’. It’s like you’re okay with expecting to be mediocre because you were mediocre once. If that was the case, nobody would ever successfully complete rehab because they’d think, “well, I used to suck at life once” so I’ll do this activity again to feel good. Only to end up worse than you were…which has been the case since 2007- you know, that one year where we WON a civil war?
Recruiting isn’t getting better every year. 2005/2006 was much better than 2007. 2008 was okay. 2009 was good. 2010 is a little better, but definitely not great.
Cal does not have a better history than us, and Oregon doesn’t have a better university. All the recruiting problems OSU faces are OSU problems. They are inefficient, don’t “play the game”, and are stuck in stubborn ways. And consequently, they lose battles off the field and that translates on the field. If recruiting is getting better, why have the Beavers lost something like 13 of their last 19 games? This with arguably the school’s best RB in history.
The class is average by all other standards not called 1997 Oregon State recruiting. If you’re stuck in the past and that’s your benchmark, there’s nothing else to say. Enjoy what you think is a great class.
On paper this year and last year are two of our best classes ever. There’s going to be some really good football played at OSU in a couple years. The problem is that we find ourselves getting too few immediate impact players in the trenches. Some of the skill kids are really good to great, but they’re skill.
Next year’s class should be really good because it should start off with an all-world kid in Seumalo (notice I do say should). He will be one of the top five recruits in the nation, and he will be in the ear of a lot of kids with whom he will rub shoulders in all-star games and combines.
The problem is that next year we have to piece together our trenches and hope the youth make some serviceable impact. Unless the O-line takes three steps forward, I expect there to be some good ball played, but only a mediocre finish with some possible stellar moments.
2012 through 2015 looks REALLY good right now.
I pretty much agree, but I don’t see the type of defenders needed to stop the Ducks on this roster or any roster down the line. We’ll be good against slow/average speed teams. Auburn (and Ohio State) used size inside and speed on the edge to neutralize Oregon. We struck out on every player who could provide that, specifically Peat. It’s a valid reason for concern, and a valid reason to believe that while this class is good, it will not “put us over the hump.” I feel like we’ve been uttering that phrase for five years now. Anyway, yes, this class is better than past OSU classes, but that cannot and should not be the point of comparison. Comparisons should be gauged against foes in the North division.
seumalo is that good?
He’s better than that good. If he was a 2011 kid, the world would be saying, “Colt who?”
I thought Matthew Devereux at Marist was really good… a borderline trench kid who would be a star in the WAC but a bench guy/senior producer at the Pac 12 level. Marist against Corvallis was a joke this past year because Seumalo made it that way.
What movies are they going to put Torian White in anyhow? “The Blind Side 2”???
“I want to be an actor” is code for “I don’t want to do the work involved with traditional courses of study and want to breeze by college while banking on an NFL career through the exposure USC will give me”
Maybe he just made a friend with Charlie Sheen? Ha Ha! oops my bad.
You beat me to it. My line was going to be about actors having easy access to drugs and whores. But then so do rock stars and I always wanted to be one of them. However, I couldn’t sing or play a guitar. :-)
Oh well
I’m a little dense, in fact my wife tells me I’m more than a little dense. That said here goes –
OSU can sign umteen great skill players on offense but if they don’t bring in some good OL players those WRs, RBs & QBs won’t look so good. In fact they’ll look like hell unless one of them is another Quizz.
Also, bringing in 25 DEs does not make for a great or even good DL Every class should have at least one GOOD DT and one DE. We should have the DE part covered but how about the DT?
Did OSU fill it’s DB needs?
How can this class be rated until we see which of the kids actually make into fall practice, in other words they’ve qualified and are enrolled.
DB is a big time concern. They got 0 DB’s in the class. That’s unacceptable. That is my big concern with this class.
According to “The Board” Larry Scott is listed as a DB, and Kerry Eggers reported that Zimmerman could possibly be moved to DB. According to Cliff Kirkpatrick, DE/DL was an area of need, next year DB/CB is an area of need. Some of the many DE’s recruited will move around to different positions such as LB, DE, DL, or possibly OL/TE. OSU likes to have a large rotation on the defensive front and were unable to last season due to depth.
Yeah, I was referring to true DB’s. I doubt Zimmerman becomes a DB though. he’s too valuable as a receiver. Next season though, the Beaver will need a lot of DB’s.
I really hope Zimmerman #1 signs, and #2 plays the WR position, he is too skilled not to be and offensive weapon! It is time for the Reynolds’s, Hanford’s, Anderson’s Martin’s, Watkins’s and the Parker’s of the world to step up and contribute at CB!
I don’t know anything about Seumalo’s family situation but if he’s that good of a player I will not be surprised if he goes elsewhere to play football.
Lots of reasons to leave, including the fact that Riley can’t recruit worth a damn.
Well right now Oregon State is on top of his list. If he of all players doesn’t commit, I will give up all hope.
I would say we fire his father if he doesn’t commit. If a dad can’t get his own son to commit to OSU, that means he doesn’t believe in the place. I will publicly protest on OSU’s campus if we don’t sign that kid. Riley and co. would NEED to be fired.
Rivals has us 8 of 12 in the Pac-12 and Scout has us 6 of 12.
5th in Pac 12 North though.
This class seems about average to me by OSU standards. We got our typical one or two borderline 4-star kids. The rest are 2s and 3s. At least we finally have some decent LBs on scholarship again. Between this year and last- assuming there is no attrition- Johnson, Doctor, Akuna, and Welch should finally provide some improved speed on the edge to better match up with Oregon.
I’m somewhere in the middle. Not gloom and doom. Not joy and champagne. We got some good skill players who may turn out to be better than good (e.g., Brandin Cooks, Richard Mullaney, Storm Woods, Tyler Trosin). We got at least one potential stud for the trenches (Darryl Jackson). But we didn’t get enough trench-studs, or enough potential stars at LB or DB — not even close. This class could have been — should have been — so much better. And that’s really frustrating.
To me, there seems to be a pattern here, and a systemic problem. OSU is doing something fundamentally wrong when it comes to recruiting potential star linemen, LBs, and DBs. And I’m guessing it comes back to the people doing the recruiting, and also to the way those people are trying (and failing) to sell OSU to those types of recruits.
From the outside, it’s hard to say exactly what’s going haywire here. But something is, and Riley and Bobby D need to take a long, hard look at this, because it needs to get fixed, as quickly as possible.
I disagree with fans who say OSU is doing the best it can with what it has to sell. I think OSU has a LOT to offer these kids (starting with a chance to play early and often in the PAC-12, and a straight-shooter head coach who ran an NFL program, who is likely to be here for a recruit’s entire career at OSU, and who treats all his players with respect and honesty). Darn it — I really believe that I could sell this package effectively to recruits and their parents, so why can’t the OSU coaches? That’s what’s so frustrating to me (and I think to other OSU fans) when I see kids choosing schools like SMU over OSU.
I’d feel a whole lot better if Riley would say he is going to take a hard look at all this. I do see Riley around town sometimes. Next time I see Riley, I really am going to get a bit pushy and try to talk to him about this. Wish me luck!
Yeah, I really don’t get the o-line situation. Are these kids not noticing the guys in the NFL or that OSU runs a pro scheme? Cavanaugh is generally regarded in the upper tier of college line coaches and a recruit is going to typically be blocking for some pretty good skill players. What is missing here?
Jabral and Tyrequek are officially in
Nice, you got the 1st names, I got the last names, great teamwork!
hahaha
ZIMMERMAN just signed his LOI!!!!!!!!
SO DID JOHNSON!!!!!!
Good news! I just took a quick look at the live video, and Jabral Johnson and Tyrequek Zimmerman just committed!
2011 Pac-12 Champs it’s a lock now lol
I’ve actually been nervous about those guys…this class needs them.
Wonder if Agnew will be a CB if the other RB’s are solid? Sounds like he was a good CB in school and a lot of programs wanted him for that spot.
DT Brandon Bennett LOI is delayed due to power failures in Texas.
The Ducks have lost out on a handful of highly ranked recruits today, choosing other schools like USC and UNC, and they had a big decommit who chose Clemson.
Hopefully DeAnthony Thomas stays with USC, too.
Their top QB commitment sounds like he won’t be able to sign his LOI due to poor academics and other issues.
That is sad when your academics are so bad that you can’t even attend UO.
I think he has some gang affiliations.
That fits their MO. Their best players have criminal histories that recur in college.
They got some pretty decent kids that contribute. I mean Collins and Mitchell came from some rough areas. Who knows for certain but Randall did have an old MySpace page with gang references and him holding a gun like he was tough shit. He could just be a wanna-be gangster I guess. Either way it is not good.
I think it is ridiculous that our program can’t seem to sign a few talented guys at every position each year. Our coaches addresses a need by signing 7 guys at the same position. I wonder if they realize that all 7 DE’s can’t play. Short of moving guys around (which has been suggested), many of them will sit on the bench and waste schollies. It would make more sense to sign a few guys at every position so that we effectively reload each year. Instead, we get 7 DE’s and our teams talent focus will be the DE like it was in 2008. Some point down the road, after these guys leave we will have a 2009 and 2010 and recruit another 7 DE’s. It would make more sense to fill the roster with DE’s over years instead of all in the same class. This really goes for all positions, it simply baffles me.
What confuses me most though is that we can lose recruiting battles to WSU?!? Seriously, they are one of the worst teams in the country. If kids will commit to WSU, then we must suck at recruiting because they have the same challenges in recruiting as us. Speaking of WSU, can we follow their model of success? Instead of “reloading”, why don’t we shoot for massive success every couple of years. That was a team that would go to the Rose Bowl, have a couple of mediocre years (with talented young players) and then return because they had great seniors.
Where to start with this?
A) It’s not 8 guys at the same position. It’s 8 guys between 4-7 positions on the field. As you said, some of them will change positions. Robins looks like a DT to me and from what I’ve heard, that’s where the OS staff projects him. Fernando is a LB for sure. I think Jaswha James looks better at LB as well.
B) Three of them are Juco players so they’re not going to be graduating at the same time as the high school kids, right?
C) One is going on a Mormon mission, so he won’t even count until 2 years from now, assuming he ever makes it to OS. And assuming he’s a defensive lineman. There’s no telling what he looks like in 2 years. And of the others, if one or two redshirt, you’re splitting those 8 players between several classes.
So…we signed 4 HS players for 4 positions on the field.
How is that a problem?
The problem is that you are projecting, we can’t fairly predict who will change positions until the coaches actually make those changes. That said, I don’t like the idea of a guy being separated by only one year (a redshirt). Think about it, a guys back-up will only play one year after the other graduates, kind of a waste. I will hand it to you on the JUCO mention. But you have to ask, where are the OL, DB’s and LB’s. I know we scored a few LB’s last year but a LB who is recruited now and redshirts has a two year separation from guys like Doctor. That two year separation means a lot compared to one year.
Anyone else think that recruiting is trying to pick up chicks in the bar? I have always thought about it like that. The trick is lying and deception. You can’t just walk up and tell her that you wanna get laid and that she isn’t a 10. You have to make her feel special, needed and that there could be a future. I know this is dirty, but isn’t this the same story with recruiting. Who cares if you get a “reputation”. Guys who have a “reputation” still get laid all the time, because they have game and the lies work.
I think that OSU is the guy in the bar who is unwilling to lie and deceive. Thus they go home alone or maybe even worst yet… the ugly fat chick. Occasionally, they might land something skinny but come on, who are they fooling.
I know this is a little insensitive but it is a hyperbolic metaphor of OSU.
lol! That seriously made me laugh.
yes… it is a seedy game I don’t know that Riley has what it takes.
All is fair in love and war and from what the guys who are out there say – it’s war. So have at it. :-)
Brandon Bennet is in… hope we can get a few DB’s out of the leftovers out there… not holding my breath though.
RIley just said in a press conference that he is done with the class where they are at now… he claims this is a perfect number and will make it easier to get the roster figured out.
dang… was hoping or a DB or two.
I want Justin Rogers and Michael Thomas.
Ma’ataua Brown is in play. He still doesn’t have his test scores in (or he hasn’t taken them), so he can’t sign anything until he does. But I’m hearing that Heyward has been in his ear for the whole of the recruiting cycle, and Brown has always welcomed him.
That, and UW is over their limit. They need to grey shirt everyone over 21 signings I believe.
I’m also very interested in Kamalani Kaluhiokalani. I have absolutely zero idea why he has received no offers from anyone to my knowledge… not even Ivy Leagues. He’s smart, agile, very strong and he wants to be an engineer. He’s 6’1″, 300#, and he moves very well. His older brother was a DL at Princeton. His father is a regional director for Merrill Lynch. His mother is a math professor.
Did I mention that he’s 6’1″, 300#, and strong as an ox?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtgY14iOkJg
Kaluhiokalani is going to be this year’s Terron Ward for me. I’m gonna start the drumbeat now.
Interesting. Some of those kids blocking him look pretty darned good. When he was playing D it seems like there was only one play where he made it into the backfield. Maybe we need to be looking at the kids who were blocking him?
You’re evaluating a DT here. He was doubled quite a bit, and when he wasn’t he was filling a gap. He was pushing into the backfield on most of those plays, and he tackled the back through the blocker on several.
I guess what I’m saying is he’s a space eater with massive size and strength. His agility is superb, but his technique is raw. Since he’s on the brilliant side, I’m guessing he has the capacity to be coached so that technique is not an issue.
Anyone know if this link a legit representation of who signed?
http://insider.espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/school?id=204&class=2011&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fcollege-football%2frecruiting%2fschool%3fid%3d204%26class%3d2011
In the header they have 24 as signed but in the list there’s 30 (including 3 kids who are identified as being from JCs). They’re showing 6 kids as verbal but not signed. Walk-ons perhaps?
On the Rivals site they show that 24 signed and the list has 24 kids in it.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/commitments/2011/oregonstate-61;_ylt=ArDDnaa.aLesmglVCwB6UexJPZB4
I love how Steve Sarkisian was trying to call so many kids yesterday to get them to commit. He tried to get Marcus Mariota to commit but he wouldn’t pick up the phone. I find it funny how so many kids straight up ignored him.
I passed out for a couple hours.
1. What position is D’vante Henry supposed to play?
2. Who did the Ducks lose out on?
Fwiw – On the board that was being updated live (streaming) they had Henry as DL.
Jerrard Randall their top QB commit can’t sign LOI due to poor academics and pretty much needs a miracle on his SAT’s to get into school. He also has other issues. Also heard, Deanthony Thomas will be a Trojan.
Nice. Those types of players always seem to find miracles (aka smart Asians) and pass the exams, though.
Henry to be a DE. My dream is to build a DE out of an extreme athlete like him. I like it.
Ducks don’t get anyone they wanted at DT, and they lost a LB commit (Byers?) to Clemson at the last second. So they re-offered and signed the LB they dumped earlier in the week.
I would think they want Henry at about 225-230. He seems like he would be a speed rusher like Victor Butler was for the Beavers. I’m interested to see how he will do.
just hope he gets to that point with a few years left to play.
He should get there by say his RS Sophomore season. Then he will have 3 ears left of eligibility left to be a beast.
years*
the other issue is… it doesn’t make sense to have a speed rush specialist against a team like UofO that doesn’t allow a defense to sub between plays. Or if they go for it on 4th you don’t have time to get a run stopper back in. I think a speed rush specialist is a waste of a scholarship. We need all around DE’s.
I think they might do what they did with Norris and Butler. They would bring them in on passing situation to rush the QB but didn’t make them the full time DE till they became better all around DE. This kid is faster and more athletic than they were. It will be nice to have a kid on the end who can move so QB’s can’t break contain so easily. That was a slight issue last season.
Oregon verbal Roderick Byers (DT) de-committed today and signed with Clemson.
5-Star DT, Delvon Simmons chose North Carolina over Oregon.
4-Star DT, Christian Hayward chose USC over Oregon.
DeAnthony Thomas will be a Trojan.
Overall, Oregon did not get the class it could have. They obviously still get great players, but the trip to the BCS Title Game and Phil Knights money STILL wasn’t enough to put them in the upper echelon of recruiting. I’m happy for it.
They could’ve done a lot better but sometimes you never know what certain kids will do. Perfect example is Todd Peat.
My brother is a student at UO and has been letting me know about the panic the Duck fans are in, especially since Deanthony Thomas is going to be a Trojan. I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
Must be brutal to have a top 20 class.
I suppose there’s still a chance Thomas choses Oregon. It will depend on if Oregon outbids USC.
Doubtful. Family is really putting a lot of pressure on him to go to USC. More often than not they usually win out. Just the way it goes.
I imagine they can… USC is probably a little gunshy about paying players.
I wouldn’t be too sure they won’t break rules to keep him. There was talk they already did break rules trying to make sure he stays.
Torian White will be a Bruin after all. Jesus!
I was wondering about the numbers at USC. They corralled a lot of players today.
SCum are claiming that he really wanted to go to USC, so he announced. Then his mother made him sign and send the UCLA LOI instead.
Funny SCum.
More likely Fink rejected his LOI because he got higher rated players that he didn’t want to turn away.
Is it possible we might get that OL from Hawaii, Samson I for get his last name as a greyshirt or walk-on potentially?
Samson Kaleikini I think could be a greyshirt. Don’t think they would get him as a walk-on though.
Kaleikini has offers from UNLV, Hawai’i, Colorado, Arizona, Montana and the Beavs. His only offer which is not a grey shirt offer is to Montana. He visited Montana and Corvallis in January, so I would guess those are what options he feels he is down to (and staying home of course).
He signed with Montana as did Trent McKinney, a 6-0, 182-pound quarterback from Mililani; and Hassan Richardson, 6-4, 190-pound wide receiver from Mililani.
I figured he would do that. The Hawai’i blogs all said he wanted to go to school now.
Somewhere in all the verbiage of the past week I seem to recall there was mention that OSU didn’t have a recruiting coordinator. If that’s true, look what they missed – practically at the doorstep. Perhaps this is old news and I simply missed it. In any event . . .
http://missoulian.com/college/griz/article_a24bb47a-2b6c-11e0-8601-001cc4c002e0.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Gragg
It’s somewhat old news. Plus, I thought Gundy was given that role recently.
Sean Mannion’s father moved his family up here and took over for Gragg at SHS.
Yeah, Gundy was given the role.
I met Sean Mannion’s dad recently, nice guy.
Everyone, take a look at this picture and tell me what you see:
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs156.snc1/5811_129065804032_630249032_2420012_4419915_n.jpg
I see GSP on the left, who are the other two?
Looks like Leonardo Dicaprio on the right.
I’m guessing he wears random college hats for the fun of it?
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Leonardo-DiCaprio-and-his-many-college-caps?urn=ncaab-249629
yep
Nice collection of fitted caps. I wonder how much the morons at Yahoo! are paid to confuse a Grambling hat with an UGA hat.
I believe there is even a picture floating around of him in a UO hat.
Even though he wears many college hats, his Grandmother did live in Bandon.
So what school did DeAnthony Thomas choose officially? It’s past 6:00…
Why don’t we head into a chat in order to catch up on the Signing day?
Is getting 9-10 DE’s a good thing or a bad thing? I’m thinking some of those guys will be able to move to the inside aka DT.
I’m in there. We’ll see if anyone else joins.
Thomas is a duck.
Word on d Thomas ?
DeAnthony Thomas to UW would have been more fun. I would have loved to see how Bishop Sankey resolved his new found status of four-year bench rider after being considered all world and a savior at Wazzu.
Now we get to see if the rumors of Lache Seastrunk being unhappy are really true.
Ah! The slippery nature of tender youth.
Not sure they are. He was one of the Ducks who was trying hard to get Thomas to commit. I did find that odd. Have to wonder how things will be in 2012 and beyond. Barner will be around then and where does Seastrunk fit in? They will have Barner, Thomas, Seastrunk and Williams. Will they be happy splitting the carries between all of em? No way. Somebody will end up transferring. I still don’t know why Thomas won’t be playing CB for Oregon. That’s his best position.
Definitely will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
From what I’ve heard, Seastrunk is simply not that good and I don’t really think they care if he’s unhappy.
Speaking of which, I just watched Thomas’ film for the first time this morning…highly unimpressed. He looks like a 3-star athlete, not a 5-star. I care so much less about the Ducks getting him after watching that.
I’m sure he’ll put up yards in that system, but he won’t create any on his own.
Can we have that saved so in a season or so when DT is playing DB and creates havoc for opposing quarterbacks you can backtrack and say you meant as a player on offense? Wow, a cynical look at the Beavers athletic programs seems to trickle over to UofO. We’ll have to send your comments over to Thomas so he can work that much harder to “impress” you.
Yeah, I’m sure he’s going to be really motivated by what somebody on here has to say.
Anyway, I agree with angry…his tape is not very impressive.
It’s called sarcasm and evidently without the proper font it is lost in translation. Those that have seen him play in person are duly impressed but we will have to wait and see how it all shakes out on the field in the CW in a couple of years. I just think it’s interesting that a big time UofO recruit gets mentioned on this site in what seems an attempt to mollify a perceived dearth of talent in OSU’s recruiting class. If that helps salve it on.
I haven’t watched film on any Duck except Thomas and Lyerla, and both were unimpressive. Sorry. You have plenty of national media saying both are great, so go read some of that if my opinion offends you?
There are plenty of Beavers (e.g. Collins, Addie) who are unimpressive. It doesn’t really matter to me where the player signed.
All comments are saved.
Is he being recruited as a CB? I thought the reason he chose Oregon was to play RB.
Anyway, I watched his Army All-American highlights where he played CB. Again, I wasn’t too impressed. The interception he had was on a terrible throw right to him. He even admitted so much after the game. I was most impressed that he seemed humble given all the hype he’s received.
If you like him and believe he’s a five star talent, then revel in that glory while it lasts.
If DT starts giving our offense any trouble, we’ll just hand the ball off to Tyler Anderson and watch him cower for fear of being hurt again.
The thing is, DT doesn’t need to be a great RB to succeed in UO’s system. He just has to be fast and pointed in a direction without defenders. Then he’s gone.
I think Barner will be the one of the current players to succeed at the next level. LMJ could succeed in the right system, but he is nowhere near being a first or second down back on the next level… except for his speed. He needs to do a lot of work on blocking if he wants to be taken seriously, and UO doesn’t ask that of their RB’s.
I think Dontae Williams will be the best of them all when all is done. And I think Tra Carson is intriguing. Though I have to wonder about film where the RB and the refs are the biggest people on the field.
In the end, DT could be an excellent DB, but he came to UO specifically because he was promised as a RB. And his mind is set on that track. I think his speed is enough to allow him to succeed in the read option, but i also think he’s going to spend a lot of time nursing injuries.
He also wasn’t the best RB in LA. I realize his stats were diminished because his coach wanted to protect him in blowouts. But Matt Bowen at Fairfax is head and shoulders above anyone at RB down there… even if he is just 5’7″.
I feel bad for LMJ… he isn’t learning the skills he needs for the next level.
Oh, he’ll get on somewhere because of his speed. My prediction is that Al Davis will pick him and destroy what possible career he might have ever had. But his pass protection skills are horrid. There were a couple times last year I thought he almost killed Darron Thomas because he did try to block someone and lifted them into Thomas’ head without slowing the hit.
yeah maybe…. it is just LMJ is going to be a ST guy with a Reggie Bush like role on offense and UofO uses him as an every down back. Oh well… he will still get paid.
Looks like Ted Miller is joining JackBeav in the Clute fan club next year.
“Top prospects: Darryl Jackson is a huge — 6-foot-7 — offensive tackle. He might get into the mix pretty quickly, considering the Beavers’ offensive line struggles in 2010. Brandin Cooks is a top-fifty receiver. More than a few folks believe tight end Kellen Clute is an underrated prospect. “
We’re calling it “Clute’s Corner” I believe…JackBeav and Ted Miller are the only two members right now.
I might have to join up in a year or two. His film is decent but that mug shot the Oregonian ran a couple of days ago make the kid look like a psycho… OSU needs a psycho.
Where did you see Clute’s film? I was under the impression they didn’t have video cameras in Spokane.
I might be mistaken… but I thought there were a few little clips on O-live a while back.
Hey! 50+ catches for 1100+ yards and 10 TD’s has to count for something.
Btw, I also really like Tyler Perry… when he’s not making bad movies. Again though, my favorite part of his tape is his play at MLB. He was a beast there. I just don’t get why we (OSU staff) or the kids think TE is some kind of glamor position. It’s important in our scheme as it is in any pro set. But why play there when you can run downhill and hit people?
To all of you Duck lurkers getting a chubby over signing DeAnthony Thomas, I have two words for you:
Cameron. Colvin.
Exactly. We are getting a “chubby” as you say not just because DeAnthony has an upside in the system but moreover it was a loss for the trojans as well. If you scan any Duck site you will read a lot about our worries on the D-line as that is a true area of need. DT is icing on the cake in the realm of the offense and I haven’t read too many Duck fans that are absolutely blown away by DT at this point. I, like many other UofO fans understand that the rating system is terribly flawed and is more a means of drawing attention than actual assessment of a player’s future success. I trust that the coaches know the system and the targets and will succeed in getting bodies into the appropriate spots. My earlier point was that I found it interesting that persons on this site were using UofO recruits video and subsequent lackluster opinion of them to somehow mitigate their own misgivings about OSU’s recruiting class. In the end I don’t think video, stars, hype etc can readily translate into wins on the field. As any good coach will tell you it’s sheer hard work and focus that translates and getting the kids together and coaching them up can one really get a feel for how well the team will perform. I think ultimately that DeAnthony will move to the defensive side as he appears a better fit there. Chip has said he will play any kid in any position he wants assuming that if he lacks playing time he will figure out where he can best contribute. I see way too many RBs in front of him save injuries and transfers, for him to start.
I must have missed the post which said, “DT’s tape doesn’t impress me, therefore the Beavs have a better recruiting class than I thought they did.”
I don’t understand why the Ducks can’t pull in a top level DT. The Beavs can’t because they don’t know how to recruit against the top recruiting schools. But the Ducks know how to recruit, and the big DT’s stay away.
I know Heimuli is not going to mission, so they’ll have someone in the middle. Btw, Heimuli had one of the worst highlight tapes for high school football I had ever seen. It gives me great hope for Desmond Collins. I think the people in Utah think it’s funny to put lowlights on a highlight tape.
@casey – “My earlier point was that I found it interesting that persons on this site were using UofO recruits video and subsequent lackluster opinion of them to somehow mitigate their own misgivings about OSU’s recruiting class. ”
Riiiiiiiiiiight. (that’s how you do sarcasm son)
Evidently you haven’t read much of this blog and you have failed to comprehend what little you DID read. (UfO education no doubt.)
98% of the posters on this blog, most of whom actually went to Oregon State, are mercilessly shitting on our class and our recruiting efforts.
When the observation was made that De Anthony Thomas’ tape was relatively underwhelming for a 5* athlete…you chose to misinterpret that as somehow an attempt to mitigate the half-assedness of our class? Are you friggin’ joking? Nobody even MENTIONED any of our prospects in relation to De Anthony Thomas.
You’re right, he’s probably a better CB prospect than RB…but his tape says he’s not as good at either position as we had feared he might be. I
Only three things sure in the world: death, taxes, and shitting on the recruits your rival sign.
What happened to Lylera being unable to meet admission requirements, Angry? Oh wait, he is graduating early to play spring ball. Nice try though.
Angry shits on the Beavers recruits as well.
Man meeting the admission requirements at UO isn’t that difficult.
Lyerla is really overrated. if he played in say LA or Texas he wouldn’t be rated as high or thought of as highly. I look forward to it when Oregon sees the flaws that we all see.
DeAnthony as I pointed out a couple days ago, going to Oregon is just not that big of a deal. he’s always hurt and going to college he may be hurt more, considering how small he is and he’s going to play RB.
A couple years down the road people will look back at this Ducks class and be like” they had some terrific players but the class wasn’t as good as it was hyped to be”.
I’m not saying the Beavers have as good of a class because I think Oregon’s is better unquestionably but Oregon’s class is nowhere near as good as some people think.
Ummm… I don’t know about that. I’ll take their O-line commits.
Sweet! I’m super-stoked Colt will be getting to Eugene a little early. It’ll give him a BIG jumpstart to getting kicked off the team for being a jackass.
Oh wait…
Let me clarify: Thomas doesn’t look like a bad player, but I was expecting highlights that would blow me away given that he’s a 5-star who USC and Oregon were fighting over. When I actually watched the tape, I thought he looked like a high 3-star. That’s still an above average player. JackBeav is correct that any back is going to put up big numbers in that offense, so it’s hard to gauge Duck RBs while they are entrenched in that system. I’m curious to see how James does in the pros when he’s asked to block and play the game more intelligently/completely.
I just think the whole “lets trash the other teams recruits, even though we’d love to have them” act is too predictable, Angry.
To me, Seastrunk was always an overrated prospect and was shown as such in the High School All-star game, but Colt and DaT were standouts in the game this year. And thats not just my opinion, that was the consenus from the experts.
Calling a guy a high 3-star is hardly trashing him.
If you are new to reading this blog, you might not know that I give the Ducks their due. I’m sure Thomas will put up big numbers in the Duck’s system, but I don’t think he’s better than James (who was a 4-star) so why would I agree with his 5-star rating? I think he’s a bit worse, hence the high 3-star tag. That’s what my eyes see when I watch the film; it’s not envy over the player (though I would gladly take him at CB…but I’d take any high 3-star CB).
Trust me, I have been reading quite some time. Its all good we can agree to disagree. I tend to put more stock in the all-star games because I know the level of play whereas a highlight tape can be deceiving.
I didnt really understand why DaT was so important to Trojan fans until I did some research on the kid. Its an interesting article, and it is good to hear such a dominant athlete stay grounded.
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/columns/story?id=5905189
In my initial post about DaT had this line in it: “I was most impressed that he seemed humble given all the hype he’s received.”
At least we agree he’s grounded for a 5-star.
But Angry, sometimes film is a little misleading based on a kid’s fluidness. DT was the fastest HS kid in the entire nation at two sprint distances. I believe LMJ took fourth in the Pac 10 100 meter dash last year and DT’s HS 100 is faster than LMJ’s. Not trying to compare the two, just saying the kid has serious serious wheels.
And check this out from Scout.com:
The only player I’ve ever said that could legitimately be 5-Stars at four different positions, RB, S, CB, WR. The only thing that keeps Thomas from being the #1 prospect in the country is that he’s on the small side. But his combination of raw speed, change of direction, balance, and natural athleticism is at the top of the heap. His long term future may best be served at corner where his size isn’t a liability. Scott Kennedy, Scout.com
That is pretty serious praise.
Not to be a nitpicker, but DT ran a personal best of 10.57 in the 100m at the CIF state meet prelims last year, and that wasn’t good enough to get into the final. It wasn’t even the fastest from his school. It also wasn’t as fast as fast as the 10.55 that Donnell Welch ran the year previous, and Welch is a Beavs OLB.
I believe LMJ’s best time was 10.52 in the Texas state meet his senior year, good enough to run in the final most years in the CIF but not win.
You can compare that to Thomas Tyner’s best time of 10.48 last year as a freshman. And he was the second fastest in Oregon behind Arthur Delaney, a junior last year.
DT did make the finals of the CIF 200m, but he came in last place (9th) in that race.
So yes, he’s fast. But he’s not THAT fast.
Looking at the stats, I see that DT also ran a 10.57 in the LA city sectional meet as well as posting the best national prep time in the 200 at that meet. But both times were wind-aided, thus his more human efforts against better competition the next week at the CIF meet.
I’m not sure where you get the tidbit about him being the fastest at two different distances. His wind-aided time in the 200 was the best mark, but his 100m time doesn’t register in the top 100 times (not athletes) in the nation.
And I’m not sneezing at the wind-aided time, but his teammate (who is faster over 100m) did run the third best 200m nationally in the same race. And he is not an elite 200m runner (or wasn’t last year).
Come on Jack, don’t let my lack of facts get in the way of my argument, that is just mean you big bully.
But I do believe the kid is very fast:
He did run a 10.57, 100 meters.
Also ran a 20.61 (fastest in the nation for a high school athlete), 200 meters.According to what I found…. But I could be off again.
What makes me the most happy about DaT is that we walked right into USC back yard and took him. He was there highest rated recruit and he is from a high school (Compton) that is within walking distance of SC. That is crazy cool from my perspective. SC is not used to that like we Oregonian are… Malaluga, Palamalo, Nd’Su…etc (sp?)
NOW – we did strike out at DT AGAIN!!! Not happy about that at all. Not sure what the issue is there. We seem to do pretty well at DE, just can’t get the DT’s we need.
Scored at LB though, which should help our thin (pun intended) DT’s going forward. We are very deep at DB and we have that Davis kid who transfered a year ago from Texas (started several games as a true freshman) who seemed to do well with our scout team this year. I think we will do well on D this year. Not sure about our O-line, but I like that we did VERY well recruiting big uglies this year and did very well at WR. We will definitely be faster on the perimeter in the coming years with Blackmon, Sumler, Kelley, which is only good if they can catch… 2 years from now should prove to be interesting on offense for Oregon if the improved o-line recruits gel and the kids with speed produce. Talk about a two headed monster run/pass.
Sorry about the typo’s. I thought Angry said we could edit our posts? I don’t see that option.
Register above. Once registered, you can see and use the edit function.
I do like Rahim Cassell. He will be a nice player for you guys in the years to come. And it is nice to beat Fink and Ogre and the whole circus that is SCum. So congrats on that one.
And just because DT is a bubble top ten sprinter in CIF doesn’t mean that he’s not fast. He’s still only 160# soaking wet. Maybe if he puts 30 to 40 pounds of muscle on, he will be an elite runner with some power. Even if he’s not, speed isn’t as big a factor as some would like it to be at the RB position anyway. It might help in the Ducks system, but I seem to recall Blount and Stewart doing just fine in green and yellow…
… you know…
… back when green and yellow were your school colors. ;)
Touche’
Given that the main two position groups that were prioritized were DE and WR, I think:
– Trosin and Mullaney are going to be nice pickups, along with Zimmerman and Cooks. I’d like to see Riley diversify things in the offense to take advantage of this many threats. Hate to see only one or two of them catching the ball – spread it around and make teams pay.
– the DE’s, it looks like a lot of depth, there may be little drop-offs going from the 1’s to the 2’s to the 3’s, but am a but I am wondering if there are any real impact players?
Throw in the greyshirts, and overall, its probably above average. Despite Riley’s remarks, I see few, if any true freshman getting playing time at RB, WR (probably understandable here – will we see Gwacham this year?), DT or DE.
Other – The lack of true CB’s seems like a mistake, some nice LB additions.
Impact players on D Line there too many right now. However, Dylan Wynn was a tremendous get. He will be a star on defense. Kid is a straight up stud. Think of a better version of Bill Swancutt and you have Dylan Wynn.
Wow, that Collier block of IT just aired. What a sequence.
Washington missed a ton of open shots tonight, huh?
Yes but their rhythm was thrown off so that’s why they missed em. Suggs is their only true knock down shooter. If you throw off Thomas’ rhythm he isn’t as successful shooting it. Beavers did a great job of that. The defense on Ammaning was fantastic overall and ultimately was why they came out on top.