My friends, I have a tendency to downplay what a ton of “media-types” have to say about Our Beloved Ducks, since they are primarily great writers and not necessarily great football minds. Yet I do admit that many of them have so many interviews with the coaches and players that they get some good impressions and often draw some entertaining conclusions from all those meetings. Below is what was on the Pac-12 Network after the Rose Bowl with Mike Yam and in particular Yogi Roth, who played college football at Pitt, and coached at USC.
His observations are relevant and illuminating at times, especially with his own conclusion about what the recruiting “Secret Sauce” is Coach Mario Cristobal relies upon.
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Mike Yam: I start thinking about next year, and we were talking about the great recruiting class coming in at Oregon, now two years in a row. I know Justin Herbert and Troy Dye aren’t going to be there, but the next wave of great Oregon players might already be there!
Yogi Roth: Whew! I’m telling you Mike…they are just getting warmed up. Talk about the big brands in college football … Oregon is a giant … I’m talking giant. I’m talking to the top high school players every summer and the Oregon brand stands right next to Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma … toe-to-toe, even though they haven’t been to the college playoff. (Under Cristobal) Look at how they’ve recruited! So look out!
A recruit like Kayvon Thibodeaux can truly change the game…
It is a relentless effort that you feel around the country; college football is known for the head coach, but Oregon is unique. They are known for the brand!
Mike Yam: This relentless attitude … the more and more people you talk to around the conference about what Oregon is doing–they will tell you the same thing; they (Oregon) are changing the game in terms of recruiting on the West Coast.
What is the Secret Sauce for Coach Cristobal?
Yogi Roth: Mario Cristobal is old school values and is “new-school” communications. Talk to Juwan Johnson who said that, “for as hard as Cristobal is, for as demanding as the coach is … he is a lover too. He knows how to communicate with us.”
I think that is everything with the i-GEN, the iPhone generation or GEN Z players. If you can’t communicate, if you can’t show some empathy, then you will struggle. (As a coach) It is a different generation than when I played. This staff is big-time…
Now winning on this stage (Rose Bowl) in Southern California? They’ve got a chance to be the team in this conference … to me they’re in the drivers seat.
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How fun was that? I don’t know what was more enjoyable, hearing their words of praise and prophesy about Oregon’s football future, or knowing that the fans of eleven other teams in the conference were gnashing their teeth listening to it! Speaking of the future…
Brady Breeze reflects while Troy Dye hams…
Recruiting Update Using FishDuck Criteria
Some of you have been miffed at my lack of praise toward this recruiting class recently and while I thought it was superb…it was not at another level like last year’s class was. At the time of my last article in December, the Ducks had 10 of the four or five star players on Rivals.com and to me–that was a good year, but no better than what Chip Kelly did. Of course the disappointment with my understated reaction to this class manifested quite differently on a different Oregon site that actually had a thread titled, “Who Peed in FishDuck’s Cheerios?”
That thread of posts contained quite a few insults and denigrations toward yours-truly because I would not prostrate myself before the Oregon coaching staff with the December recruiting class signing results. No worries, as I knew things would change with the final recruiting results for 2020 to the positive, but I wanted to accurately portray the class as it actually was on that date. (And that thread of posts over-there makes me feel pretty good about our requirements of being polite and respectful to one another on this site!)
Let’s look at the recent year-to-year results from Rivals.com:
2020: 12 signed thus far that are 4-Star or 5-Star players.
2019: 14 signed.
2018: 12 signed.
2017: 9 signed.
2016: 5 signed.
2015: 8 signed.
2014: 5 signed.
2013: 8 signed.
2012: 10 signed.
2011: 10 signed.
2010: 11 signed.
2009: 4 signed.
2008: 8 signed.
2007: 12 signed.
As you know Donte Manning (a high four-star with Rivals) announced his signing in December and JC Safety Bennett Williams was upgraded on Rivals from a three to a four star recruit, hence a total now of 12 of the coveted players in the FishDuck criteria. Coach Cristobal has now equaled the best class prior to last year, and wouldn’t you think that he would sign at least one more four-star player in the February signing period?
If so, he would have the No. 1 and No. 2 best recruiting classes ever at University of Oregon!
“Oh how we love to ponder about our Beloved Ducks!”
Charles Fischer (FishDuck)
Eugene, Oregon Top Photo from Video
Charles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks, a season ticket holder at Autzen Stadium for 38 years and has written reports on football boards for over 26 years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports, and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He is single, has a daughter Christine, and resides in Eugene Oregon where he was a Financial Advisor for 36 years.
He now focuses full-time on Charitable Planned Giving Workshops for churches and non-profit organizations in addition to managing his two Oregon Football Websites, of FishDuck.com and the Our Beloved Ducks forum. He is a busy man!
He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football! See More…