National LOI signing day is a lot like Christmas for those of us who follow recruiting. A few of us have rich parents and expect the world, while others come from blue collar families. All of us wake up early and wait in agony for mom and dad to come downstairs so that we can start opening presents. Sometimes, we …
A little over a month ago, Budda Baker, a prized recruit out of Bellevue High School in Washington, had Duck fans screaming with joy and Husky fans howling in agony when he announced he was going to play football at Oregon. It sounded great — here comes the next De’Anthony Thomas! But two weeks ago he made a U-turn that …
With less than a week left before national signing day, there are plenty of questions surrounding Oregon’s 2014 recruiting class. The only guarantee is that the next seven days will be eventful, one way or another. There are also seven names to keep an eye on during that time: DT Trey Lealaimatafao, DT Rika Levi, DT Ratu Mafileo, S Matrell …
I need to preface this article by saying that I do not know Budda Baker. Not personally, professionally, or in any other capacity. If I did, then perhaps I wouldn’t need to ask the following question: Who got to him? If you’re not following the recruiting trail, Budda Baker is a standout prep from Bellevue, Washington, and verbally committed to …
Recruiting is a merciless and often brutal component of the college football system. There’s no reason to sugar-coat it: the past couple weeks haven’t been ideal for the Ducks. This is not going to be another article about Budda Baker. There are plenty of those. The fact is Baker is a great player and a great kid with a chance …
Coaches don’t get gray hair in November, they get it in January. This is the time of year, while most think college football has gone cold and dark, that coaches everywhere are making a frenzied final push to sign the best class they possibly can. This includes ensuring their class doesn’t suffer any losses, which is tough considering the number …
Football Recruiting Commitments This past Friday via Twitter, top 2014 Oregon target Budda Baker (4-Star/Bellevue, WA/Rivals100) made official what the masses expected, by announcing that he will don Lightning Yellow and Thunder Green. “I picked Oregon because it was a gut feeling, I just knew,” said Baker. “I felt real comfortable around the players and my host was Bralon Addison. I felt …
Kevin Cline Usually, early December is far too early to accurately predict an Oregon recruiting class, but this year might be the exception. After landing their 15th verbal commitment earlier in the week from JUCO stud Offensive Guard Haniteli Lousi, it appears that the Ducks are going hard after just five more players. Who are these five special targets? 1) …
Kevin Cline Like they always do, the Ducks are closing strong as the 2014 recruiting cycle begins to wind down. The recent commitments of OT Braden Eggert, DB Glen Ihenacho and DE Henry Mondeaux give Oregon 14 commits to date. Given that the Ducks are expected to take between 18-20 players, only 4-6 spots remain. Who will fill these remaining …
Craig Strobeck Football Recruiting Visits Saturday’s 44-21 stomping of Utah took the edge off a week filled with uncertainty. Now, back in the driver’s seat for the Pac-12 Championship and a Rose Bowl berth, the Ducks look to make a late recruiting cycle push to add to an already impressive class. Saturday’s matchup saw a few visitors with the firepower …
Kevin Cline This has been a year of firsts for Mark Helfrich, and after his first loss as a head coach, Saturday’s game against Utah was another: preparing the Ducks to respond to adversity. And respond Oregon did. It wasn’t much of a surprise that the Duck came out a bit flat, after all, just nine days prior they had …
Steve Francis Football Recruiting Visits Check out SB Nation’s Pacific Takes for my first Oregon Recruiting Q/A! For this writer, a Saturday spent inside the confines of Autzen Stadium will be a welcome relief following last Thursday. Oregon, at home for two of next three weeks, will welcome arguably our biggest prep target of the 2014 class, athlete Budda Baker …