Mark Helfrich and the Oregon football coaching staff have certainly created some interesting storylines on the recruiting trail since December — the most significant news bit coming when former Montana State quarterback Dakoto Prukop elected to take the same route as Vernon Adams Jr. and sign with Oregon for his final year of eligibility.
In addition, the hiring of former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke as Oregon’s new defensive coordinator in January seemed to carry extra weight given his track record as a recruiter. If anything, Hoke would only help the coaching staff’s final efforts.
But, as Wednesday’s National Signing Day nears, Oregon appears to be in an uncertain position. It is in the race for multiple highly touted recruits — such as four star defensive end Connor Murphy and five-star linebacker Caleb Kelly — however the chances of either being on the Ducks’ 2016 roster appear slim.
It is a reason why Rivals lists the Ducks as a team that will “disappoint” in the Pac-12 this week.
“Given how successful the program has been in the last decade, finishing outside the top three in the conference recruiting rankings would be disappointing,” the recruiting site said.
Oregon’s class currently ranks 19th in the nation,according to Rivals, behind only UCLA (No. 10) and Stanford (No. 13) in the Pac-12. But, according to The Oregonian, USC appears to be a lock to jump them in the final rankings. The Trojans are projected to nab five-star athlete Jack Jones and four-star tight end Devin Asiasi this week.
It’s not as if Oregon’s tripping its way to the finish line, though. The class doesn’t include a coveted five-star prospect, but does have six four-star recruits and 12 three-star recruits. Seven of the 18 commitments have already signed and enrolled.
The class also features a solid contingent of players that address the Ducks’ most apparent needs. Prukop is the favorite to replace Adams, but Oregon also has commitments from four-star quarterback prospect Terry Wilson, who ranks 114th in the ESPN 300, and Eugene native Justin Herbert.
After losing four linebackers from 2015’s roster, Oregon scored big on its need for a group of talented members of the front seven too. The Ducks scored commitments from four-star outside linebacker Darrian Franklin as well as three-star linebackers Lamar Winston Jr., Keith Simms and junior college transfer A.J. Hotchkins.
Of course, the Ducks  are expecting to keep the line of dangerous offensive playmakers to continue with this class. Tristen Wallace, a 6-foot-3, 228-pound athlete who ranks 11th best athlete on the ESPN 300,  flipped his commitment from Ohio State to Oregon in December and there’s a myriad of of positions he could play for the Ducks by the fall. Wallace was a quarterback in high school and threw for 2,167 yards and ran for 1,478 yards more in his senior year. In addition, four-star running back commit Vavae Malepai has an enormous amount of potential, and he put that on display in the Army All-American game in January, running for 66 yards on eight carries.
While this class may rank behind many of Oregon’s over the past seven years, it’s clear the Ducks scored where they needed to. And barring any surprises, Helfrich will sign another formidable group of prospects that rank in the Top 25 Wednesday.
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise