As we saw yesterday in Part 1, Oregon is projected to return 62 scholarship players next season, meaning there will be at least 23 open scholarships for next season. In reality, Oregon could sign up to the NCAA max of 25, as attrition will almost certainly take two players off the roster at some point. At this point, Oregon currently has 11 verbal commitments accoring to Rivals, so they are probably looking at taking 12-14 more guys in this class. Of the 11, there are four offensive linemen, three linebackers, two quarterbacks, one receiver, and one defensive end. In this post, we'll walk through the commits so far.
Keep in mind, verbal commitment are fluid, and there is nothing keeping a player from changing his mind and commiting to Florida. That said, most of these guys are thought to be pretty solid. Also keep in mind that I'm no recruiting expert, and have no access to paid sites, so all of the information was what I was able to find for free. I've also heard people complaining about a perceived lack of four and five star guys, especially coming off the Rose Bowl season. Those types of guys tend to commit very late in the process, and we are in the mix for several.
Offensive Line (4):
6'5" 258 Lb. Offensive Tackle
Scottsdale, Arizona
Andre may be the big catch of the class so far. He is a consensus 4* OL and to 100 recruit by all three recruiting services. At 6'5", he's got the frame to put on more bulk for the college game. To quote ESPN "Yruretagoyena is a dominant run blocker in space vs. linebackers and defensive backs," which of course makes him a perfect fit for Chip Kelly's system.
6'7" 278 Lb. Offensive Tackle
Beaverton, Oregon
Euscher is a guy that Oregon hit hard really early on and he committed before anyone else offered him, as he apparently impressed at Oregon camp last June. He's a very large guy who certainly has the size, but there is some question mark about the level of competition he's playing against in Oregon. Scout and Rivals give him three stars, while ESPN is a bit more pessimistic with a two star rating.
6'6" 260 Lb. Offensive Tackle
Chandler, Arizona
Watching his highlight video, one thing that stands out is how long Johnstone holds blocks. He is a good long snapper for his high school as well, making me believe that he could switch to center if it were necessary. All services give him a three star rating.
6'4" 290 Lb. Offensive Tackle
Etiwanda, California
Prater is the largest of the offensive line commits at almost 300 pounds, but is also regarded as the least athetic. He's a consensus three star guy. He can be a little hard to spot in the highlight video, but he is #73, usually the right offensive tackle.
Wide Receiver (1):
5'8" 151 Lbs. Wide Receiver
Miami, Florida
Sumler may be the most hyped recruit in this class. He is small, but he is freaking fast (Rivals has him as a 4.38 40). Also, despite his size, the kid can LEAP! ESPN rates him as the 7th best receiver in the country despite his size. He is going to be a nightmare in space. The quintessential Chip Kelly player.
Quarterbacks (2):
6'2" 189 Lb. Quarterback
Hollywood, Florida
Everyone who runs a spread in college football sans Florida has offered this guy. Watch his arm strength and his touch on the deep ball. Then watch his speed and acceleration in the running game. If people are still looking for the next Dennis Dixon, this is as close as you're going to get. Also, he and Sumler are thought to be pretty good friends, so the fact that they're together makes it less likely either will bolt. Consensus 4* quarterback.
6'4" 185 Lb. Quarterback
Honolulu, Hawaii
Another good spread quarterback. He doesn't have the ceiling that Randall does, but we know you can never have too many quarterbacks. He throws a pretty good deep ball, but his mechanics are funky. Very mobile, though less acceleration and top end speed than Randall. Consensus three star guy.
Defensive Line (1)
Sam Kamp
6'5" 237 Lb. Defensive End
Mesa, Arizona
Oregon is recruiting Arizona hard this cycle, and Kamp is the third Arizona commit for the Ducks. Seems to be another one of those tall but undersized linemen that seem to fit the Aliotti scheme. He's been out with an injury the first half of this season, but its not one that should affect him at Oregon.
Linebacker (3):
6'1" 215 Lb. Linebacker
Lakewood, California
Cassell originally committed to Florida, but they started playing around with his offer so he switched to Oregon after visiting for the Portland State game. Extremely athletic and covers a lot of ground.
6'2" 200 Lb. Linebacker/Safety
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Coleman was Oregon's first commit for this class, commiting way back last fall. There is some question as to whether he'll play linebacker or safety at the college level. He also plays running back at Lake O.
Kyrie Wilson
6'2" 211 Lb. Linebacker
Bakersfield, California
Wilson is kind of a late bloomer, and at the time he committed to Oregon about a month ago, Washington State was his only other offer. However, he's a consensus three star guy just like the other two linebackers in this class. I can't seem to find any video of Wilson at this time.
Those are the 11 guys who have committed so far. Oregon has stocked up on the offensive line and at linebacker, but is still in need of some guys at D-Line and receiver. In part three, we'll take a look at what Oregon may do with the other half of this recruiting class.