Oregon fans may still be basking in the glow of the team’s first Rose Bowl win in 95 years, but the Ducks’ coaching staff is hard at work on the recruiting trail.
National signing day, arguably the most important non-game day of the football schedule is less than a month away.
High school seniors will sign letters of intent to play football at colleges across the country Feb. 1. Oregon currently has 19 verbal commits to its 2012 class, and will likely add several more players before the recruiting cycle ends.
The next few weeks will be crucial for Oregon’s recruiting efforts. The final contact period of the recruiting calendar runs from Jan. 12-28. During that time, Oregon’s coaching staff will make in-home visits with the Ducks’ current commits and uncommitted prospects. The visits can be crucial in swaying undecided prospects.
The Ducks will likely host a number of prospects on official visits to Eugene as well. Four-star prospects David Perkins (linebacker), Bralon Addison (receiver), and Thomas Johnson (receiver), will reportedly visit Oregon over the next few weekends, in addition to a number of other uncommitted and several already-committed prospects.
It’s against NCAA rules for Oregon coaches or administrators to comment on recruits, but it’s expected that the Ducks’ class size will end up in the mid-20s.
Four prospects made verbal commitments to Oregon within the past couple of months. On Nov. 12, Iowa Western Community College defensive tackle Stetzon Bair announced his verbal commitment to the Ducks. Bair, the younger brother of former Duck star Brandon Bair, has three years of football eligibility remaining. @@http://oregon.scout.com/a.z?s=128&p=9&c=4&yr=2012@@
A few days later, on Nov. 18, the Ducks received a commitment from another player with a familiar last name. Junior college offensive tackle Kyle Long, the son of NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, chose Oregon over reported offers from Florida State, Auburn and UCLA, among others. Long, a four-star prospect, signed with Florida State out of high school. Long has only one year of football eligibility remaining, but his family is reportedly petitioning the NCAA for an additional season. @@http://oregon.scout.com/a.z?s=128&p=8&c=1&nid=5807065@@
Oregon’s most recent two commitments came in high school all-star games. Ohio tight end Pharaoh Brown announced his pledge to Oregon Dec. 29 at the Offense/Defense All-Star game. The 6-foot-6 Brown, who was formerly a verbal commit to Michigan, chose the Ducks over reported offers from the Wolverines, Nebraska, Michigan State, Arizona State and several others. @@http://oregon.scout.com/a.z?s=128&p=8&c=1&nid=5421508@@
Four-star defensive end DeForest Buckner added his name to Oregon’s class days later. Buckner announced his commitment to the Ducks on the CBS Sports broadcast of the Semper Fidelis All-American Game. At 6-foot-7, Buckner is the latest example of the importance Oregon’s coaching staff has placed on recruiting tall defensive linemen — according to Rivals.com, the Ducks have five defensive linemen that stand 6-foot-4 or taller currently committed to the 2012 class. @@http://oregon.scout.com/a.z?s=128&p=8&c=1&nid=5043950@@