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Recruiting is really a year-round process. Prospects visit schools throughout the season, and the rest of the year. Coaches do home visits as well. There are dead periods when coaches cannot contact recruits though, In fact, there was just one about a week ago. Dominique Easley, a DT, who blew up at the Army AA game was thought to have been a silent commit to Oregon, but had to actually call Urban Meyer himself on the morning of his announcement and received an offer only then. So, he verbaled to UF...as if they didn't have enough talent coming this year.
So, no recruiting is still a war right now. I love recruiting, and I know Oregon is pressing hard on numerous big recruits including the #1, #2, #5 rated running backs and several DL recruits, which we desperately need. We are also trying to steal some recruits from that dirty, soon to be sanctioned program down south. It will seriously come down to signing day, which is Feb. 3rd, like Anp said. However, the powerhouse programs have the luxury to have kids falling at their doorstep to sign, so their classes may fill up faster. Keep in mind, that is only the first day a player can officially sign. You can still have kids, like Bryce Brown last year, take more time and sign.
But, this could all be remedied if all the 5 star recruits came to Eugene and signed on to be Ducks. Oh well..
According to rivals.com the class for Virginia looks sparse this year.
UVA does have a small class according to Scout, like 12 commited players. They may not have many schollies to give out this year. But, they probably are scrambling to get more commits these last 2 weeks just like Oregon. Heck, they may have a few silents that fans don't know about. Recruits may play their hand close to the chest until signing day (don't you love all this figurative language?). UVA may have a few surprises come the 3rd, one who may not qualify, or a current player who decides to transfer because of an incoming player.
Heck, Oregon's needs are the DL. But, we have had 3 straight years of 4 or 5 star DL recruits who didn't qualify. Sucks, but that's college football.
Well here is another question; local talent. How do schools get the best (or at least good) local teams to stay for the state school?
Maryland is getting hammered by Penn State and WVU despite having good athletic facilities and coach.
Take the Ducks for example, How are they at recruiting in the homestate? I know that all pac 10 teams always get fat off of california like Big 12 teams get fat off of Texas.
Your guess is as good as mine. The powers will always get the pick of the litter. The Ducks are not the best in keeping superstar Oregon athletes. All UO sports seem to struggle getting them to commit: Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Kyle Singler (Duke), Kevin Love (UCLA), Troy Polamalu (USC), etc.
Oregon does get most of their players from California. Recently, we have started to pull in athletes from across the country. We seem to have a Texas pipeline that looks promising. If everything goes according to plan, it looks like we may get commitments from 3, count em, 3 Texas running backs...the Texas Trio! One of them is a 5 star back that is rated the #2 back in the nation. The other two are 4 stars. I don't want to jinx it though. We'll see on January 27 when he announces.
IMO everything in life runs in cycles. College football is no different. The historical, elite programs will always be in the conversation. However, even teams like USC, Alabama, Notre Dame, etc. have had years, or even decades of being down. There is too much talent in this country for those teams to keep. In fact, with limited scholarships, they can't.
Duck fans can be a bit cocky at times. We joke that football was not around before 1995 (the year we went to our 3rd Rose Bowl). Since then, we have steadily become a better football program. We had some very, I mean, very bad years!
As of now, I would say Oregon is a program on the rise, knocking on the door of NC talk. UO is a good university with some top rated programs (education, sports marketing, architecture, etc). It is located in a very beautiful city/state with nice weather for at leat half of the year (the other half it drizzles). The athletic facilities are the best in the Pac-10, and one, if not the, best in the nation. The fan support and game day setting is SEC-like. And of course we are supported by Nike. We are Phil Knight's baby. We know it, you know it, everyone knows it. We love it! We have been successful on the field and we are attracting some of the best recruits in the nation to at least look at us. We are now starting to land those recruits every so often. IMO opinion, it will only be a matter of time until you see the Ducks in the NC. Some in Eugene are saying next year, I don't know, we'll see.
UVA had some good years with Shawn Moore, Herman Moore and Terry Kirby (who I believe was the #1 recruited RB by Parade Magazine- and no, I didn't look up on google for that. I was in Pop Warner when I saw that...yikes!). They've been down lately, but they could rebound. Maybe they need to harness the power of those old school uniforms. Yep, maybe it was the unis. I'm a Duck and many of us believe that our team plays better in certain uniform combos...Nike can make you a wee bit delusional...or full of excuses!
On Oregon, I read about you guy's history and it was very similar to UVA. Only RIch Brooks stuck around FOREVER getting the program up to a respectable level. Now it seems un real the turn around. For UVA, football probably wasn't around before 84 when they won the Peach Bowl.
You cite an SEC atmosphere. UVA doesn't seem to have that (thier fanbases are continiously and probably someways justifiably derided as snoots who aren't commited to their team) but winning ways could change that. The celebration over Clemson win in 1990 breaking the 28 and 0 streak they had on us was CRAZY its on You Tube.
So we can get at it. (The formal ware and wine at games are too much for me though).
Shawn Moore is back on the coaching staff and George Welsh who still has an office in UVA likes the coaching pick of Mike London so I have hope. Our Bball seems to be on the right track.
I guess I am in the minority in that I actually LIKE the Ducks new age uniform styles. Tradition is one thing but you can't knock creative asthetic and old school Penn State style unis are BOORING.
That being said some of the color designs on the variants are atrocious and the wings on the shoulders make the entire deal look busy. Stick to the all green and yellow O IMHO. Although the throwbacks color scheme during the Civil War with the green Modern O were nice too.
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