Oregon football head coach Mike Bellotti announced a recruiting class of 30 players Wednesday, but it was the final recruit who garnered the most attention.
More than half an hour after Bellotti announced the initial 29, De La Salle High School’s Cameron Colvin told a national audience during ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that he had chosen the Ducks over Southern California and Michigan.
“I think that he’s a great young man that we’re very proud and pleased to choose Oregon,” Bellotti said. “I know the people recruiting him — (defensive coordinator) Nick Aliotti and (wide receivers coach) Dan Ferrigno — felt we were in it.
“I think it puts an exclamation point on that recruiting class.”
Colvin, a 6-foot-2 wide receiver, was ranked as the fifth-best player at the position. This season, he racked up 29 receptions for 470 yards and nine touchdowns for the Spartans. He was academically ineligible the first five games of the season, but was still in the top five of most recruiting lists. Bellotti did say that he is on track to graduate and will be eligible to attend Oregon.
Colvin became the fourth player from the Concord, Calif., school to commit to the Ducks this season. Cornerbacks Jackie Bates and Willie Glasper and safety Terrance Kelly were announced with the initial 29 players.
Next season, the Ducks will have six players on their roster from De La Salle. Cornerback Charles Favroth will return for his senior season in 2004, and wide receiver Demetrius Williams will be a junior.
“These young men know how to win,” Bellotti said, alluding to the Spartans’ 151-game winning streak.
Bellotti proved quality is worth just as much as quantity with his recruiting class.
Of Oregon’s signees, 17 come from the defensive side of the ball. Seven of the 13 offensive players are linemen, including Aaron Klovas, a 6-foot-6 Graham, Wash., native.
Klovas is “probably one of the most decorated and highly-ranked players we’ve recruited,” Bellotti said. “He is a physically talented young man.”
The Ducks’ haul earned Oregon a No. 12 ranking by Rivals.com. TheInsiders.com ranked the Ducks 20th early Wednesday, but Colvin’s signing is expected to bring the Ducks down to the top 15, or lower, by Thursday.
Also, this current haul includes exclusively high school players — the first time, Bellotti said, he has not signed a junior college player during a recruiting period. That’s a surprise, especially considering the list of junior college players the Ducks have signed in the past, including Maurice Morris, Saladin McCullough and, most recently, Rodney Woods.
“Ideally, most coaches would say you want to go with high school players,” Bellotti said. “But we have had success with junior college players.”
He did say the Ducks recruited two or three junior college players but they did not commit to Oregon.
Oregon also failed to sign a quarterback, instead figuring that a quartet of Kellen Clemens, Johnny DuRocher, Brady Leaf and Dennis Dixon was good enough to start the 2004 season. Bellotti did go after one quarterback, Glencoe (Hillsboro) High School’s Erik Ainge, but he committed to Tennessee.
“We’re very excited about the young quarterbacks we have,” Bellotti said.
After failing to sign a running back a year ago, Bellotti landed two: Moreno Valley, Calif.’s, Terrell Jackson and Portland’s T.R. Smith. Both signed to play with the Ducks, and both are highly recruited athletes.
Jackson was named one of the top 15 running backs in the nation by SuperPrep magazine after rushing for 2,664 yards for Centennial High School.
“He is an explosive back that is very good in terms of making people miss, then finishing the play,” Bellotti said.
Smith originally made a verbal commitment to Oregon State, but changed his mind and will be coming to Eugene. The Jefferson High School star was rated as the state’s third-best running back.
“When you have the ball in his hands, great things happen,” Bellotti said.
In addition to Colvin’s announcement on ESPN, the Ducks made inroads nationally. Kwame Agyeman, a 5-foot-10 safety from Lake Park High School, is from Itasca, Ill.
“He is a hitter,” Bellotti said. “He has the ability to contribute on special teams and earn playing time next season.”
Micah Howeth signed with the Ducks out of W.T. White High School in Dallas. The defensive lineman was ranked in the top 100 prospects in the state of Texas.
Besides Smith, the Ducks signed three players from Oregon: David Faaeteete, a 6-foot-2 defensive lineman from Medford; 6-foot-4 tight end Ryan Keeling, from Springfield’s Thurston High School; and Forest Grove’s Cole Linehan, a 6-foot-4 defensive lineman.