Big day for Ducks yesterday as they firmed up two commitments. So let's get to it:
- Jerrard Randall, the highly sought after 4* QB recruit out of Florida, has been in Oregon the past few days, and though he's been listed as a soft commitment for some time, he's now officially committed to Chip Kelly and the Oregon Ducks! Kelly won't officially accept a commitment until a player visits campus, so this was the last step in Randall's recruitment. Randall is done with his trips, and excited for his official visit during the PSU game.
- Oregon also got a commitment from 3* CA offensive lineman Jamal Prater, who is 6'4, 290 lbs. Prater had been widely rumored to want to come to Oregon, but needed a visit to make that official. Prater is Oregon's 4th offensive linemen commit, so the Ducks seem to be set for this recruiting year at this important position.
- We learned yesterday that Joey Harrington will be joining OSN, but it looks like we'll also get a good dose of Mike Bellotti during the season, who will be working primarily on the West Coast for ESPN, and will be teamed up with Brock Huard. How great would it be to have the announce Oregon/Washington this year? I like a bit of homerism in my announcers. Also, for a fun blast from the past, KVAL has the first 5 minutes of the first ever Mike Bellotti Show.
- Aaron Fentress looks over the best Oregon linebackers of the decade, and...well, this is one area where we're hurting a bit. Kevin Mitchell is the only real stand-out of the group, having achieved second-team all conference honors for his junior and senior years. I'm glad this trend seems to be changing, as Oregon is loaded with talent at the LB position, which is the biggest reason for Oregon's resurgence on defense.
- Remember when we were celebrating the last Pac-10 game at Mac Court? Whoops. There's going to be at least two more, as the Matt Court opener has been pushed back a week. The new Matt Court opener will be a women's game between Oregon and Washington State.
- The coaches poll was released this morning, and defending champ Alabama is at the top of the poll. Oregon is the top Pac-10 team ranked, coming in at #11, though USC cannot be ranked in the coaches poll this year. Oregon State was the only other ranked Pac-10 team, coming in at #22.
There's a lot of other quack floating around, so if you've got anything else to share or discuss, leave it below. GO DUCKS!