While Oregon football coach Mike Bellotti spent nearly 45 minutes singing the praises of the 24 high school and junior college football recruits who officially signed letters of intent yesterday to Oregon, there are a few more players on the Ducks’ radar whose future decisions might make an even bigger story.
Wednesday was the first day football players could officially commit by signing letters of intent, and coaches in the football offices at the Casanova Center waited as 20 high school players and four junior college transfers signed with Oregon. Two national recruiting services, Scout and Rivals, ranked its class as the 26th and 37th best classes in the nation, respectively.
“I think this is a very good group,” Bellotti said. “Whether it becomes a great group depends on their work on the field. To say anything about it is premature.”
The team’s two biggest positions of need, wide receiver and defensive line, were answered by signing eight on the line and three receivers, although two more junior college wide receivers could sign this week if academic issues are cleared up, Bellotti said.
Two names not on the official list are Bryce Brown and Tyrece Gaines.
Brown, from Wichita, Kan., is the top-ranked running back in the nation, the second time this season and third time since last year (when UO went after Terrell Pryor) that the Ducks have been a finalist for one of the top skill players in the nation. The other, quarterback Tajh Boyd, chose Clemson last Tuesday. Reports say Brown will wait to make his decision, ala Pryor last year, between the finalists, said to be Miami, Oregon, and Auburn.
“I think that we’re really maybe one of two or three out of all the schools in the nation,” said Bellotti, who could not comment directly on Brown. “But those things are only as good as your ability to close the deal.”
Gaines, the nation’s top junior college wide receiver, meanwhile, was reported to have committed to Oregon but hadn’t by the time Bellotti held his press conference.
Of those who have signed, Bellotti was pleased with the commitments, arguably none so more than Fresno, Calif., corner Cliff Harris, a 5-foot-11, 168-pound player one recruiting service called the “best cover corner in the country,” and who Bellotti called, “maybe the most decorated player that we have.”
Harris played in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American bowl in December, and the four-star recruit ranked as the sixth and seventh-best cornerback in the nation by two services. Bellotti said he didn’t believe Harris’ commitment had much to do with cornerback Jairus Byrd’s decision to enter the NFL Draft early.
Along the defensive line, the Ducks replaced departing seniors Nick Reed, Cole Linehan and Ra’Shon Harris with eight players. Bellotti said junior college transfers Terrance Montgomery, who is already enrolled, and Andrew Iupati have the best shot right now at playing, calling the other six high schoolers “projects.”
Without Brown, the team didn’t sign any quarterbacks or running backs, which he said was disappointing, but altogether not a dire area of need like other positions. Bellotti also said he did not believe the succession plan for head coach, nor the releases of defensive line coach Michael Gray (who is still on staff while they search for a replacement) and receivers coach Robin Pflugrad (whose position was filled last week by Scott Frost) adversely affected many recruits.
“I didn’t see that as a big issue and I don’t think it was putting my head in the sand,” Bellotti said. “It couldn’t have helped us in all honestly … I think there might be one recruit out there or two that it was a concern to and they didn’t come here.”
Linebackers coach Don Pellum helped recruit three speedy linebackers who fit into the defensive philosophy, and has nearly 10 players who he wants to rotate into playing next season.
“Once we got ’em here we built them up,” Pellum said. “We will favor strength and speed over size.”
Those three linebackers were junior college transfer Bryson Littlejohn, and high schoolers Michael Clay and Boseko Lokombo, who played a year at South Eugene High before schooling in British Columbia this year. All three have been solid commitments for the past three weeks, Pellum said.
“Bryce Littlejohn is a monster,” Pellum said. “He’s extremely aggressive and extremely physical.”
At wide receiver, Diante Jackson is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound player rated the top prospect in the Bay Area whose recruitment took several turns. He committed to Oregon this fall, before switching to Colorado in early January, along with a brief commitment to Arizona State. On signing day, he chose Oregon. Receiving the fax was the first time Bellotti felt comfortable with his commitment.
“The saga of Diante finally comes to an end,” Bellotti said. “Probably we could all write a book on this one, but we won’t.”
Jackson joins a crew of talented Bay Area players, including Nick Cole and Avery Patterson.
Another wide receiver with intrigue is Georgia-native Braxton Lane, who is a top baseball prospect as well who didn’t play football as a senior in high school. He was the Fayette County offensive player of the year as a junior, catching 55 passes for 1,072 yards. His talents don’t stop at the football field, though. He was named to the 2008 Aflac All-American baseball roster and is an Under Armour All-American this year.
Bellotti said Oregon’s reinstatement of baseball was crucial to signing Lane.
“We would not have gotten him if Oregon did not have a baseball team,” said Bellotti, who added he is not worried Lane will leave if he is drafted in the spring. “He would not have come here just to play football.”
The Ducks signed two players at special teams with the potential to impact the team in the fall.
Punter Jackson Rice was the top rated punter in the nation out of Moraga, Calif., and is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound punter in the mold of ex-Oregon and Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Josh Bidwell and Josh Syria, Bellotti said.
Not only did kicker Mike Bowlin play football, playing defensive end and fullback, he played basketball, wrestled and competed in track and field in Aliso Viego, Calif.
“He’s not your average kicker,” said Bellotti, who oversees punters and kickers as head coach. “He’s a football player who just happens to be a great kicker.”
Invariably, the story turned from the recruits to whether it would be Bellotti’s final season recruiting for Oregon as head football coach. Though he said he would miss meeting recruits and parents, he doesn’t like the expanded travel.
Could it impact his decision to coach this season? Yes, he answered. And again, he said he will take a little less than a week in March to meet with University President Dave Frohnmayer and Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny to discuss the details of being athletic director.
Asked if that summit would be on a golf course somewhere, Bellotti, said no, and shot back with a joke about other reports in the media he would go atop a “mountaintop” to decide his future.
“Probably right here on Mount Casanova.”
[email protected]