Football:
The countdown to next February and 2013’s installment of National Signing Day mania is on! This past Wednesday, Coach Chip Kelly signed 21 prep/junior college stars and may have landed one of the most complete classes in recent Duck football history; for a full list and analysis of Oregon’s newest football recruits, please click here.
Oregon Class Rankings
>Rivals – #16
>Scout – #15
>247Sports – #15
>ESPN – #18
After the Casanova Center fax machine cooled late Wednesday night, the Ducks made a home amongst the mid-teens in several media class ranking lists. The numbers might not fly off the page now, but it remains to be seen how this incoming group of talented youngsters will complement their elders.
Kelly’s style of molding players to fit his ideology allows Oregon to recruit in ways unseen in college football. This presents a quandary to media groups and experts, as Oregon recruits very atypically. Passing traditional analysis/judgment on Oregon is becoming more and more difficult, as Kelly and Co. build new creations that don’t resemble anything traditional…
“The future for us is right now…The big thing for us is identifying who the right guys are in terms of how we do things…What we’re looking for is different than what other schools are looking for…I know we’ve never had a top 5 recruiting class by whatever the experts say, but we’ve had two back to back top 5 teams. It’s really where you’re ranked at the end of year, not where you’re ranked today.” – Chip Kelly.
Speaking of never having a “Top 5” recruiting class, Oregon’s push to three straight BCS Bowls and a Rose Bowl victory this past January was spear-headed by classes (2007-08) which were found in the mid-20s and even the abyss known as “not-ranked.” Shows how much the experts know…and more importantly, how much tutelage and determination Oregon instills in its players…
Signing Day, aka America’s newest holiday, might be over, but several uncommitted recruits remain at large. On Tuesday, Oregon received news that wide receiver/athlete Julian Brooks (3-Star/Chatsworth, CA) canceled his upcoming trip to Eugene but intends to keep talking to the Ducks. If Brooks, an Arizona de-commit, ultimately decides to attend Oregon, he will compete with one of the deepest receiving corps in the nation with the likes of returning junior Josh Huff, redshirt freshman Devon Blackmon, and newest recruits Dwayne Stanford and Bralon Addison.
Track & Field/Cross Country:
Just a quick swim across the Willamette from Autzen, track and field coach Vin Lananna inked a class of six incoming recruits to showcase at hallowed Hayward Field.
“After signing the No. 1 and No. 2 classes nationally for both the men and the women the last two years, we had specific areas of need in our recruiting for this year. Our coaching staff did an outstanding job of identifying those student-athletes who will help us in those areas and augment our already talented team.” – Vin Lananna.
Oregon high school cross country legend Megan Fristoe joins the Ducks along with fellow Bend, OR teammate Ashley Maton. While at Summit High School, Fristoe and Maton led The Storm to four consecutive 5A team titles, seeing Fristoe capture three straight individual championship honors. On the track, Fristoe is a two-time 3,000 meter winner while Maton took her first 1,500 state title this past year.
Fristoe – 1,500 Meters (4:36.46); 3,000 Meters (10:06.08); Maton – 1,500 Meters (4:34.80).
Abbey Leonardi heads to Oregon toting four-straight Maine “Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year” honors along with a clean sweep of individual accolades at the prep level. On the track, Leonardi boasts another six individual state titles highlighted by a win in the 3,200 meters at the New England Championships in 2011.
Leonardi – 1,500 Meters (4:36.71); 3,000 (9:47.64).
Jasmine Todd, a seven-time state champion from Chandler High School, comes to Eugene as the Arizona all-time record holder in the triple jump (41-5). Todd ranks 10th overall nationally in the long jump (18-10.75) and holds the third best mark in the indoor 60 meters (7.53).
Todd – 100 Meters (11.64w); 200 Meters (24.84); Long Jump (19-11).
Rounding out the recruits are throwers Brittany Mann from Beverly Hills, MI, and Ryan Hunter-Simms of Highland, CA. Mann currently holds a National Top 10 mark in the discus with a throw of 163-7. On the men’s side, Hunter-Simms ranks third in the state of California and 19th overall nationally with a heave of 192-5. Mann – Shot Put (42-6); Hunter-Simms Shot Put (57-6).
Look for an analysis of Oregon Baseball Recruiting next week. WTD!!!
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Mark Flores, a Salem, OR resident, is a Firefighter/Paramedic and an avid Oregon Ducks fan. Prior to the fire service, Flores, a graduate of nearby Corban University, spent over seven years in professional journalism including a stint at the Statesman Journal in Salem and held the position of Sports Editor for the Hilltop News (Corban). A career transition however never dampened his love of writing and FishDuck is now his source to share his love of Mighty Oregon. Flores brings detailed knowledge of Oregon recruiting to the FishDuck team and welcomes your feedback.