Transfer Portal Will Be a Disaster For Student-Athletes

David Marsh Editorials

College football is more complicated than ever, especially when it comes to recruiting and the transfer portal. The transfer portal has been a boon for players looking to better their chances of seeing the field and, in some cases, finding a school that is simply a better fit for them and their education. With each passing year, more players are …

Lawsuit Against NCAA Opens the Floodgates to Pay Players

Jon Joseph Editorials

Amateur athletes aren’t getting paid yet, but things are heading in that direction. The subject of compensation for student athletes has dominated the college football and basketball landscapes for years now. From Ed O’Bannon’s groundbreaking lawsuit to a handful of Northwestern football players attempting to unionize, it seems that the NCAA’s current structure is inching closer to a total facelift. …

The Pac-12 is in TROUBLE

Ryan Robertson Editorials

The Pac-12 conference has been left out of the playoff again. That is news to no one. The conference’s best bowl game will be the Rose Bowl, featuring 9-3 champion Washington. The Pac-12 is the only conference without either multiple “New Years Six” bowl teams or a team in the College Football Playoff. The case could be made that since Marcus Mariota left Oregon, there hasn’t been …

Saban Coerces 2017 Najee Harris, “Go East, Young Man”

Jon Joseph Editorials

If the nation’s 2017 No. 1 recruit, running back Najee Harris from Antioch, California, stays true to his verbal commitment to the Alabama Crimson Tide, he will follow QB Blake Barnett as another recent top-rated California high school football player opting to play for St. Nick Saban. Indeed, Blake was “committed” to Notre Dame and then to Oregon (for a nano-second) before he tripped to Alabama, was seduced by …

ShrineDog Awards of 2016 Class: Recruiting Vavae Malepeai

Jason Fowler Recruiting

The anticipation of the ShrineDog Awards always makes me happy. If you’re not familiar with this FishDuck.com original award, you may get a better explanation from the first ShrineDogs article here. Another signing period is over, so that requires me to evaluate and analyze the talent that pledged for the next three to four years to their university of choice. Of …

Final Analysis of Oregon Football Recruiting 2016

Jason Fowler Recruiting

The recruiting class of 2016 for the Oregon Ducks did not end as well as I would have liked. Expecting to crack the top 15 for the first time under coach Mark Helfrich was initially promising but, like the second half of the Alamo Bowl, slowly got away from the Ducks. Considering the two-quarter fallout and changes in key personnel, …

Oregon Football Recruiting: Interest Growing in WR N’Keal Harry

Jordan Ingram FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

While the Oregon football team has shown a growing interest in junior N’Keal Harry from Chandler, Ariz., the Ducks have yet to make an offer, according to azcentral.com. “They’re reaching out to me but they haven’t offered yet,” Harry told Richard Obert of azcentral.com 2-sport star & #Rivals250 member N’Keal Harry feels right at home at #USC http://t.co/8rAqe1iNss pic.twitter.com/DuIyIE0zRR — Rivals.com …

Vernon Adams to Fly With the Ducks

Jason Selby FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Eight days after his official visit to the University of Oregon campus, Eastern Washington’s quarterback Vernon Adams has chosen to fly with the Ducks. Adams, who will be transferring in as a fifth year graduate student, announced his decision this morning via his Twitter: Getting Adams almost certainly fills the quarterback hole that Marcus Mariota left after declaring for the NFL Draft. Adams brings extreme skill and experience that none of …

Just One More Recruit: Iman Marshall

Adam Kruse FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

One of the most amazing aspects about this year’s Oregon team has been their ability to overcome injuries. Lost to significant injuries this season have been starting left tackle Tyler Johnstone, starting right tackle Jake Fisher, primary backup offensive tackle Andre Yruretagoyena, starting wide receiver Bralan Addison, running back Thomas Tyner, starting tight end Pharoh Brown, All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, …

Ohio State Preview: Recruiting to Performance

Adam Kruse Editorials

Looking ahead to Ohio State, the Ducks are obviously up against a solid team and a historic program. How did Coach Urban Meyer assemble this team? How did the pavement-pounding days on the recruiting trail translate into a title game experience? The rich history of Ohio State ranges from coaching great Woody Hayes to seven Heisman winners: Les Horvath (1944), Vic …