Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said that on the eve of Signing Day, he typically loses sleep worrying about the possibility of potential football recruits changing their minds before signing Letters of Intent.
But for the 2007 class, Bellotti said he had the most restful night of sleep he’s had in the 19 years he’s coached football.
“It was the most uneventful signing day I’ve been through,” Bellotti said. “There was not one person that I thought we’d get that we didn’t.”
Not that his lack of worrying reflects on the quality of the recruits, however.
“I think top to bottom this may be the best recruiting class we’ve ever got,” Bellotti said. “(There are) 30 players that I think will certainly answer some immediate needs and also present a great future for us.”
And when a team boasts a class considered one of the top in the country, it’s one of the building blocks for a program with national title aspirations.
“You have to put several (top recruiting classes) together, but yes, that’s a great foundation for that goal,” Bellotti said.
Bellotti said the success of this year’s recruits can be attributed to the team’s 2005 season, when the team finished 10-2.
“We had 14 commitments prior to the season starting. We’ve never had more than one before,” Bellotti said. “What we did this year was based a lot on what we did the year before.”
And despite a 38-8 loss in the Las Vegas Bowl, Bellotti said the Ducks might have only lost one recruit because of that outcome.
If that’s the case, Bellotti says good riddance.
“If we lost a recruit, I’m glad we lost him,” Bellotti said. “I think the decision for a young man on where he goes to school shouldn’t be based on one game, probably not even one season.”
The class boasts a bevy of defensive standouts, a point of emphasis for the coaching staff this year after Oregon struggled to stop the run last season and fell victim to a rash of injuries.
“We felt like we needed an infusion of talent and numbers to the kids we have here,” Bellotti said. “The entire defensive side of the ball needed an influx of talent and bodies.”
Although the offensive line wasn’t a priority for the Ducks this year, Bellotti said that the team is fortunate to have even more bodies at the position.
“We didn’t set out to get a big offensive line group, but I think that the offensive and defensive line groups are as good as any in the nation,” Bellotti said. “I think we helped ourselves dramatically at the offensive line.”
Junior college transfers, wide receiver Terence Scott and defensive lineman Will Tukuafu, are the most likely to see playing time right away, Bellotti said. He added that Scott was the best JC receiver he saw and Tukuafu reminded him of former Oregon defensive lineman Matt Toeaina because he can play any position on the defensive line.
“I expect them to challenge for playing and starting positions immediately,” Bellotti said. “After that, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a receiver. If a receiver is in the top six (of the depth chart), he’s going to play.”
Among the freshmen, Bellotti believes that many of the defensive recruits will have an opportunity to see playing time, considering the lack of depth on the roster.
“I think some of the freshman will have to play on the defensive line and linebacker positions,” Bellotti said. “In our secondary, we were very thin and fortunate that after (cornerback) Jackie Bates went down we had no other injuries. We had basically one or two corners and that was it.
“When you’re facing three, four and five wide receivers, you need nickel and dime packages ready to go.”
Simi Fili, a 340-pound defensive tackle from Salt Lake City, was called “the strongest player we’ve ever recruited.” Fili can squat 720 pounds and bench 450, Bellotti said.
Myles Wade of Portland’s Central Catholic High School is listed as the Ducks’ highest-rated recruit on most recruiting services, and is also a defensive tackle with similar strength as Fili but better speed, Bellotti said.
Among the recruits, one has Oregon ties in Sheldon High School’s Aaron Pflugrad, the son of wide receivers coach Robin Pflugrad.
“One of the best route runners I’ve ever seen,” Bellotti said. “I don’t say that because his dad coaches for me – he truly earned this.”
On special teams, the Ducks’ new punter for next year will be Josh Syria, a transfer from Wofford College in South Carolina, who redshirted this season and was on the team’s practice squad before earning a scholarship for next season.
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