Huge, HUGE pickup for the Oregon Ducks today. Arik Armstead, the elite two-way lineman from Sacramento, has chosen to play his football in Eugene. Armstead is the #1 rated prospect in the entire country by Scout.com, and regarded as one of the best lineman in the country by most other scouting services.
Chip Kelly deserves a lot of credit for getting Armstead to sign with Oregon. A week ago it seemed like the Oregon recruiting class was in serious jeopardy, as Chip flirted with the NFL and linebacker Jeremy Castro switched his commitment to UCLA. But Chip stayed, and now he's nabbed one of the best recruits in Oregon Ducks history. Said Armstead, "He was honest with me. They never talked bad about any other program. They recruited me without recruiting me." Awesome.
Armstead plans to enroll in school in March, and will compete for playing time right away. He will also play basketball for coach Dana Altman.
Rejoice, Ducks fans. This gives Oregon great momentum heading into signing day.