Recruiting Update: Heart of the Midwest

Mark Flores FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Football Recruiting

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Oregon’s seventh straight win over “little brother” (47-19) punctuated a regular season built on revelation. Along the recruiting trail, defensive coach John Neal is looking far and wide to counter the reality of losing cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and safety Erick Dargan. Neal currently boasts three secondary commitments in P.J. Locke (3-Star/Beaumont, TX), Jihree Stewart (3-Star/Corona, CA), and Dylan Kane (2-Star/Honolulu, HI).

Neal is also in the hunt to seal his fourth commitment in tabbed athlete Marquise Doherty (4-Star/Kansas City, MO). Projecting as a safety at the collegiate level, Doherty was in town for Oregon’s home finale and came away with a new understanding about what it means to be a Man of Oregon.

What stood out the most was the family type of atmosphere,” said Doherty. “It was cool to see all of the players mingle together, even the redshirt players as much as the starters. Coach (Mark) Helfrich was really involved with his assistants on a personal level, and that was cool to see.”

At 6-foot-1, 190 lbs., Doherty has been all over the field during his final prep season. Splitting time on both sides of the ball, Doherty’s cerebral approach to the game has paid impressive dividends.

“(Coach Neal) said he likes my ability to close on routes and my football IQ. He also said I have great football instincts.”

If the distance factor can be overcome, Oregon will pluck one of the Midwest’s top talents and will strengthen what will be a very young, but promising defensive backfield.

For up-to-the-minute recruiting news, please visit our friends at Duck Territory, who graciously provide FishDuck.com with in-depth analysis and player-generated material. Look for my latest recruiting update every Wednesday. WTD!!!

Top photo by Craig Strobeck

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