Football Recruiting
Commitments
Its a sign of the times. Oregon’s pull on big-name recruits is producing early-cycle commitments and the message to the rest of college football is clear; speed kills.
Wide receiver Theo Howard (4-Star/Westlake, CA/Rivals250) shook-up the West Coast recruiting landscape when he committed to wide receivers coach Matt Lubick following an unofficial visit last weekend.
“I called and committed (on Sunday) and the coaches were pretty shocked,” said Howard. “Coach (Matt) Lubick figured I’d take more time but I just knew Oregon was the place for me. Ever since Oregon offered it had been in my head that was the right place for me. This visit confirmed everything I expected.”
A 5-foot-11, 170 lb. speedster, Howard will add the customary 15 lbs. of muscle once under the tutelage of strength and conditioning guru Jim Radcliffe.
“I kind of knew going into the visit. It wasn’t an exact plan, but I knew in my head I wanted to commit early. Oregon had everything I was looking for and I just couldn’t see myself finding anything better. My parents were very impressed with Oregon too. They loved the coaches and the college town. Eugene is a nice city and there’s a great chance to just really focus on football.”
Howard’s frame is almost impossible to touch in the open field, as the shifty wideout makes even the most sound defenders miss. And if that weren’t enough, he will do his best De’Anthony Thomas impression and hit a whole new level of speed once a seam emerges.
Top photo by Gary Breedlove
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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.