If you read or listen to or watch any kind of sports media, you’ve heard more about Michael Sam this past week than even the Winter Olympics. Yes, it’s a big deal, Michael Sam coming out as the first openly gay major-level football player, and all the discussion is an important part of digesting this big step forward. His timing …
Many athletes and sports fanatics have heard the phrase, “There is no ‘I’ in team.” For Ben Carter, he not only embodies this idea, but also practices it. He makes himself available to play many positions on the court, not just one. That versatility is evident in that he is more than capable of defending a power forward, while also …
We all know of them, the “Web Wackos” who post crazy stuff about Oregon football on the major recruiting message boards. You would think they had never experienced a recruiting season before, and perhaps for some of the 14-year-olds posting (in maturity, if not biological), that is true. Sitting at the recruiting luncheon in Eugene, Oregon, a week ago made …
It’s the dark cloud on the horizon for the NCAA: Concussions. Two former NCAA athletes are already suing the NCAA over its handling of concussions, and with a U.S. District Judge rejecting the NFL’s $765 million settlement with its players, many speculate that a similar day in court could be had for the NCAA. But how is a concussion defined? …
Football Recruiting Offers Less than a week into the 2015 recruiting cycle, Oregon extended a slew of offers to preps both near and far in an effort to get out in front amongst the newly-cultivated recruiting landscape. Local phenom and 2013 Oregon 6A state title-winning running back Cameron Scarlett (3-Star/Portland, OR) received his Ducks nod late last week and is drawing …
In November, the Oregon Ducks (15-8, 3-8 Pac-12) seemed to be a prime contender for a deep run into March Madness, winning its first 13 games and reaching the No. 10 ranking in the AP Poll. That incredible start now seems miles away since they reached conference play, as the Ducks are 10th in the Pac-12 standings, and they have only seven …
Two of the signature days on the football calendar brought the season to a close last week. The first was last Sunday in the form of the Super Bowl, sport’s biggest spectacle, but also one of the truest meritocracies; the team that executes better on the field wins, and does so by presumably having the best combination of player talent …
It’s the easiest thing to do — to make snap judgments or knee-jerk reactions. Those are what this world is based on (smartphone and twitter in hand.) However, in this instance — and it’s the same every year — the results from college football’s ultimate exploitation event, National Letter of Intent day, won’t be seen for another 2-3 years, and …
First off, it has been a busy week for me. Not so much with National Signing Day (NSD) and paying attention to recruiting but more on the family aspect. My wife and I welcomed our 2nd child on February 1st. I know she will be a great child because she was born before the Super Bowl, allowing me to not …
TEMPE, AZ.- After an emotional roller coaster of a loss to the Arizona Wildcats on Thursday evening, we wondered how much more of a beating could the Ducks take before saying enough is enough. On Saturday, Oregon looked to push themselves beyond all of the adversity they have faced this season, and outshine the Arizona State Sun Devils. This was …
Oregon will never win any recruiting championships. While teams such as Alabama, USC and LSU tend to dominate in the rankings, the Ducks rarely crack the top-15. Year after year they bring in solid, but unspectacular recruiting classes, yet year after year, Oregon takes those same recruits and turns them into champions. Why is that? What is the key that allows teams without …
National Letter of Intent day has come and gone. How your Webfoots fared depends on who you ask. National publications list Oregon’s class in the 22-26 range. Those posting on Oregon message boards rank the class anywhere from “The bestest class in the history of classes, sure Hall of Famers every one,” to a class on par with the likes …