The biggest challenge in college sports is filling the spots of those who move on. Whether that person is graduating and moving on, or taking their talents to the professional ranks, the recruiting battle is forever endless. With that being said, the Oregon Ducks have extended an offer to Nathan Smith, a top lineman recruit in the class of 2016, according …
The Ducks’ 42-20 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game had many people shaking their heads in disbelief. It seemed Oregon was finally positioned to claim its first college football national championship. The Ducks had everything a championship team needs to win: a dedicated and innovative coaching staff, a Heisman winning quarterback, a solid running game, a …
In an interview for FishDuck.com Thursday, I spoke with Oregon’s offensive lineman Doug Brenner at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex. Football is rough and rugged. It will often leave you with scars, sore muscles and bruises. In a season that has been full of injuries, no team knows that better than the Ducks. Although Oregon’s record indicates that they’re 9-1, which has them at …
Oregon’s running game against the Bruins was aided by a most unlikely player–Stetzon Bair, who recently moved over to the offensive line from the defense! It is amazing how much better a coach Steve Greatwood became this week with the return of Jake Fisher, the improvement of Matt Pierson and Tyrell Crosby and the emergence of “transfer” Stetzon Bair on …
Since the previous week featured so much condemnation and in-fighting among Duck fans, a win over a ranked UCLA team was just what the doctor ordered to settle down some heated feelings. It appears that it isn’t just Duck fans who have trouble getting along when their team is losing. UCLA coach Jim Mora blessed us with quite a show …
Besides being disappointing to those who came out on the short side of the upset stick, this weekend had to wreak havoc with the playoff selection committee members’ digestive systems. At this point in the season it is hard to imagine that four teams are going to distinguish themselves as being truly above the rest. Settling it on the field …
In a June 27 analysis, ESPN’s Ted Miller rated Oregon’s receivers as “We’ll see.” Ted awarded “Great shape” to receivers for Stanford, Arizona, WSU, USC, ASU and the Berkeley Bears. UCLA, Utah, Washington, OSU and even Colorado got “Good shape.” That left only Oregon to receive the dreaded “We’ll see.” Einstein and I disagree. Just as the theory of special …
Is Mark Helfrich a better recruiter than Chip Kelly? That question has slowly crept into the minds of Duck recruiting fanatics as the early commitments have seemingly poured in over the last few weeks. Earlier this week, writing for Duck Sports Authority, I talked about the change in early commitments not being significantly different for the Ducks. At the time …
Football Recruiting Commitments Saturday’s “Salute the Day” spring game had more than on-field revelations as several recruits made their own headlines. Long time Oregon target Shane Lemieux (NR/Yakima, WA) verbally committed to Steve Greatwood & Co. after what was a fantastic weekend visit. “I’ve always thought Oregon was my favorite,” said Lemieux. ”I sat down with the staff in …
Basketball Recruiting Sometimes no matter how committed an athlete is, the apprehension surrounding the recruitment only subsides when a fresh letter of intent slowly emerges from the fax machine. Oregon head coach Dana Altman netted top guard Jaquan Lyle (5-Star/Huntington, WV/Rivals150) last month but locked up the touted shooter for good when Lyle released a photo of his signed …
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 …
John Giustina “Come all without, come all within . . . You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn!” -Manfred Mann A forgotten starting defensive lineman made a major impact during Oregon’s late 90’s – early 2000’s rise to fortune and fame. A quiet leader and huge anchor to Oregon’s defensive line, this valuable defensive end speedster played a key …