The future of Oregon football doesn’t appear to be bright on paper. The Ducks’ 2017 recruiting class ranks 32nd in the nation — the same ranking it finished in last year. Oregon has zero five-star commitments and just lost in-state recruit Elijah Molden to Washington this past week.
It may be time for the Ducks to panic with no five-star recruit or big-time recruiting class on the way.
But at Oregon, class rankings have not always dictated the success of the program. It’s about growing those two, three and four-star players into bona fide contributors for the program.
“One of the best things about Oregon is the way they’ve developed players over the years,” freshman safety Brenden Schooler said. “Oregon doesn’t get a ton of high-profile recruits, but each year they have a handful of three-star guys who make a huge impact — that’s what I want to be a part of.”
This year, Oregon is being led by three true freshmen: Justin Herbert, Troy Dye and Schooler.
Herbert is a former three-star recruit who almost committed to Washington before staying home to play for the Ducks. He took over as starter halfway through this season and hasn’t turned back.
Dye, a former three-star recruit, leads the Ducks with 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks — his tackles for loss and sacks both rank second in the nation by a freshman.
Meanwhile, Schooler was so undervalued that he wasn’t given a ranking. He now leads Oregon with four interceptions — third in the nation among freshmen — and is third on the team with 57 tackles.
“To me, the recruiting rankings really don’t mean a lot because it doesn’t guarantee how good you are going to be at the next level,” Schooler said. “It’s all about who’s going to come in, regardless of rankings, and work their butt off to see the field and help the team.”
The offensive line, which is leading Oregon to a top-25 rushing offense in the nation, has four redshirt freshmen on the unit. Of those four players, two were four-star prospects and two were three-star prospects.
“We pride ourselves in getting the right guys for our program — not necessarily the best guys,” offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said. “This offensive line group may not look like anything special on paper, but we knew we had something special when they all came here.”
This trend of developing players into big-time contributors isn’t something new to the program.
Former five-star prospects De’Anthony Thomas and Arik Armstead grabbed the headlines when they committed to the Ducks, but neither of those players ended up being the best in their classes.
In 2011, Oregon signed two-star quarterback Marcus Mariota. Eventually, Mariota would break multiple school records, lead his team to the national championship, win Oregon’s first Heisman Trophy and be selected No. 2 in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Likewise, 2012 three-star defensive end DeForest Buckner ended up being named Pac-12 defensive player of the year and an All-American. Buckner was drafted No. 7 in the 2016 draft — up 10 spots from where Armstead was drafted the year before.
When Oregon made its runs to the national championship games in 2011 and 2015, both teams were led by low-star recruits who transformed into star players.
The 2011 team was anchored by three-star players LaMichael James, Jeff Maehl, Casey Matthews and John Boyett. The 2015 team was led by Mariota, Buckner and other three-star players Tyler Johnstone, Hroniss Grasu and Derrick Malone Jr.
Greatwood and the Ducks know they won’t always impress national analysts with five-star recruits — but they may just develop those low-star prospects who eventually lead the team.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka
Oregon recruiting lacks star power, but makes up for it in development of players
Ryan Kostecka
November 15, 2016
Adam Eberhardt
The future of Oregon football doesn’t appear to be bright on paper. The Ducks’ 2017 recruiting class ranks 32nd in the nation — the same ranking it finished in last year. Oregon has zero five-star commitments and just lost in-state recruit Elijah Molden to Washington this past week. It may be time for the Ducks to panic with …
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