2011 was a special year for Oregon true freshmen. De'Anthony Thomas was the star, setting a bunch of records and establishing himself as the most dangerous offensive playmaker in the Pac-12, if not the entire country. Colt Lyerla flashed his brilliance, hauling in five touchdown passes; Tra Carson was the team's fourth-leading rusher with 254 yards; Jake Fisher appeared in twelve games on the offensive line; and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Anthony Wallace, and Rodney Hardrick also contributed for the Ducks. While it would be awesome to expect a similar performance from this year's class, it also would be highly unlikely. True freshman like DAT or Colt do not come along every year. Let's take a look back at past freshman classes, and their contributions.

• 2010 - Josh Huff (1,086 all-purpose yards, Oregon's leading kickoff returner), Ricky Heimuli (5 tackles, 1 for loss), Drew Howell (long snapper), Alejandro Maldonado (punter, two games), Eric Solis (kicker, one game) Besides Huff, not a ton of production.
• 2009 - Jackson Rice (punter, awesome), Cliff Harris (19 tackles, one Jake Locker pick), Michael Clay (32 tackles, plus long snapping every punt) That's a quality threesome.
• 2008 - Darron Thomas (one almost-comeback, plus garbage time), Chris Harper (led winning drive against Purdue, threw ran and caught a TD), Garrett Embry (9 tackles on special teams), Josh Kaddu (5 tackles on special teams), Dewitt Stuckey (special teams, no recorded stats) DT and Harper are the only significant contributors, and were forced into the action that they saw.
• 2007 - Aaron Pflugrad (168 yards receiving and a score), Kenny Rowe (13 tackles, five sacks), Jeff Maehl (119 yards receiving and a score, plus 14 tackles), Casey Matthews (14 tackles and a sack), DJ Davis (three catches, one for a score), Tonio Celotto (seven tackles, two for loss), Malachi Lewis (three catches for 26 yards), Daniel Padilla (3-4 on field goals, 7-7 on PATs), Talmadge Jackson III (nine tackles), Anthony Gildon (special teams, one tackle) An Oregon record 10 freshman, putting up typical freshman numbers. I'd forgotten Kenny Rowe had five sacks. Man, he was fun to watch.

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The last thread is getting slow, so here is a fresh new one. The longer the night goes on, the more it looks like this is going to happen, barring some last minute change of heart.

I blame Rob Moseley for going on vacation.

I don't know what to say tonight, other than best wishes to Chip and we need to find someone soon, but I'm sure we'll have a bunch as the head coaching situation continues to unfold.

Continue your comments here.

Major Pac-12 news today. Cal's Tosh Lupoi, 2010's recruiter of the year, is leaving his post as defensive line coach at his alma mater, for similar position at Uw, though he will be run game coordinator.

If you head over to Cal Golden Blogs and check out the comments, it's easy to see just how big this hire is. Tosh Lupoi was one of the top recruiters in the nation. His defensive lines were regularly some of the best in the conference, and last season his line was one of the few that had the talent to shut down the Oregon offense (nevermind the eventually suspension for his shenanigans).

In the past weeks, Uw has gone from giving up 777 yards in their bowl game, to building the best young defensive coaching staff in the country. Justin Wilcox is a rising star, and he will be helped out by recruiting starts Tosh Lupoi and Peter Sirmon. They also recently stole Keith Heyward as defensive backs coach from Oregon State, and he was one of the Beavers' top recruiters. While this won't make a huge impact next season, we will see the repercussions in the near future. Recruiting is the foundation for any program, and washington is on the rise.

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Shocking news coming out this afternoon. Darron Thomas, set to enter his senior year already one of the most successful quarterbacks in Oregon history, will forgo his senior year and enter the NFL draft.

From the University of Oregon, here is Darron's statement:

"I came to this decision on behalf of myself and my family," Thomas said. "I have a dream of playing in the NFL and I'm going to pursue those dreams.

"I would like to thank everyone in Oregon for all their support and I would thank the coaches for all their help, especially Coach (Chip) Kelly." Thomas added. "I love my teammates and wish them the best of luck, and am confident they will continue the winning tradition that has been established. Last but not least, I thank all the Oregon fans for their help and support."

As those of you around here know, I was one of the biggest defenders of Thomas. I think there are few QBs in the country that can run Oregon's offense as effectively as Thomas. Yeah, he has some work to do mechanically, but Thomas is great under pressure, is a spectacular decision-maker, and led Oregon to the best two-year stretch in school history. He also leaves Oregon as the all-time leader in touchdown passes, despite only starting for two season.

With Thomas at the helm, Oregon was a top 5 team heading into next season. Without him, we get to see what Bryan Bennett or Marcus Mariotta will do. Both are supremely talented athletes, and it will be exciting to see what they can do. But losing both LaMichael James and Darron Thomas to the draft is a big blow for the team. These two were the leaders of the Oregon offense, and took the team to levels we have never seen.

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From UO Football SID Andy McNamara via Twitter:

KenjonBarner, currently enrolled at Oregon, will NOT be leaving school before his senior season #goducks

So not that it was a big concern, but it would seem that we can put this to bed for now. With LaMichael James leaving, the Oregon rushing attack will take a hit. But the Ducks return 3 backs with game experience, which is a better position than they were in last year.

Barner leaving would have put some legitimate worry into the 2012 season, but with him back, the Ducks should be primed for another championship run.

The end of the football season brings about so many things. There will be player changes with new recruits signing in the next couple of weeks, and you'll have guys leaving early to go to the NFL. We'll get to see and talk about spring practice, off season issues, NFL combines and NFL drafts. One thing that is inevitable is the changes regarding coaches. The Pac 12 has already experienced this with new head men at a quarter of its institutions.

These changes will happen in the NFL as well. Every year you see 6 to 8 and sometimes more head coaching changes in the NFL. There will always be demand for fresh new minds to populate one of the most exclusive careers in all of sports.

Conventional wisdom has recently been that college coaches just don't translate well to the pro game. The styles are different (ALL HAIL THE PRO SYSTEM OFFENSE) the personnel issues are different, the media are different, and college coaching is about recruiting. Whereas, pro coaching is more about X's and O's.

The proliferation of the spread offense in college football has had a two fold effect on the NFL. First, there are more athletes coming out of college with typical spread offense techniques and skill sets. Coaches that run a more traditional one-back or I-formation offense in the NFL are having to do more "coaching" regarding their system. A guy like Percy Harvin that played in a spread offense needs to learn all over again his route running, blocking schemes and playbook in Minnesota's one-back.

Second, the number of coaches that have traditional offensive experience are becoming fewer and further between. This means more regurgitation of the same coaches from one team to the other (I'm being serious when I tell you Mike Tice and Dirk Koetter are offensive coordinators in the NFL still).

These times are a changing.

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FTC disclosure: This contest is sponsored by Gameday Depot and SB Nation.

So Tonight is the last game for the ATQ Bowl Mania Challenge. The grand-prize winner, given our sponsorship with gamedaydepot this year will, get a $50 gift certificate and the runner-up will get a $10 gift certificate.

Remember, you can get either (1) officially licensed Oregon Ducks hoodies, jackets, t-shirts and more at the Addicted to Quack licensed store, or (2) your very own custom tees at the Addicted to Quack custom store.

The current standings for the ATQ group can be found here. I can't believe I'm going to have to buy Daisy a gift certificate and support her shopping habits. She holds a 13 point lead over JCasey with only one game left and no one is within 30 points of those 2. So one of them is going to get first and the other second.

Congrats guys, shoot me an email and after the final standings are out, I'll get you your prizes.

Thanks to everyone that participated.

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Well, it's official: LaMichael James is entering the NFL draft. While it seemed like a foregone conclusion since he decided to come back for his junior year, it was not an easy decision for him. Here is LaMichael's statement from the UO press release:

"My experience at the University of Oregon has been one unlike any other, and one I will never forget," James said. "I am grateful for the people I have met, the things I have learned, and the amazing community I have had the privilege of being a part of over the last three-and-a-half years. The community of Eugene welcomed me with open arms and has supported me since the day I arrived. I am lucky to have been a part of such an amazing place. I can truly say Eugene is my home away from home and a place I will always hold in high regards.

"As for my coaches and teammates -- they are my family. I love each and every one of them and am eternally grateful for having each of them be a part of my life," James emphasized. "It has been both an honor and a privilege to be a part of something as great as the UO family."

We've rehashed James' accomplishments over the past month, but he leaves Oregon the best running back in school history, if not the best player. With a Rose Bowl win, and another great performance, he leaves Oregon on an incredibly high note.

Selfishly, I'll miss watching James shred opposing defenses. His speed, power, and agility were a joy to watch. We were lucky to have three relatively healthy seasons from James, leading the Ducks on their best three-year stretch in school history.

Good luck LaMichael. We'll miss you, and thanks for the awesome memories.