A little less than a month after winning its first Rose Bowl in 95 years, Oregon announced its 2012 recruiting class Wednesday. Ranked No. 15 in the nation by Rivals.com, the Ducks’ 21-person class has players from eight different states. @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/teamrank/2012/all/all@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205372554@@
Speaking to the media at a midday press conference, Oregon coach Chip Kelly said the 2012 class fits the profile of past Oregon recruiting years in that it’s filled with athletic players.
“I think it’s a good group for what we’re looking for,” Kelly said. “There’s athleticism across the board at every position and I think that’s what we strive for.”
In signing two quarterbacks, two tight ends, and five defensive linemen, the Ducks also added depth to a number of key positions.
“We addressed a lot of needs in our program in terms of certain position-specific things,” Kelly said. “We needed some young quarterbacks to come into the program, some tight ends to come into the program, with David Paulson leaving and Brandon Williams being gone. (We also) addressed what we needed on the defensive line.” @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=3378&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&Q_SEASON=2011@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=3378&SPID=233&DB_OEM_ID=500&DB_LANG=C&Q_SEASON=2010@@
Oregon’s class includes eight offensive players, 10 defensive players and two athletes. @@Is “athlete” an actual designation?@@The Ducks also signed Dylan Ausherman, a junior college punter who has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining and is expected to redshirt next season.
The Ducks expect three signees — defensive lineman Arik Armstead, tight end Evan Baylis, and quarterback Jake Rodrigues (who is already on campus attending classes) to enroll in school in time for the start of spring football.
Kelly said that although Oregon does have scholarships remaining and could potentially add players before the conclusion of the signing period, the Ducks don’t anticipate adding additional signees.
Here’s a look at the 10 Oregon commits ranked four-stars or higher by Rivals.com.
Bralon Addison, (Missouri City, Tex.)
Rivals.com ranking: 4 stars, No. 18 WR @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Bralon-Addison-81314;_ylt=Av_3n4VUvpunEjr7Chd_hP5IPZB4@@
Kelly’s Comment: “Bralon is just an unbelievable athlete. Played quarterback, had been a receiver, can do a lot of different things. Led his team to the state championship game. He can play a lot of different positions for us.”
Arik Armstead, (Elk Grove, Calif.)
Rivals.com ranking: 4 stars, No. 6 DE @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Arik-Armstead-99535;_ylt=AjwRt.qAVuT7v7iLGOZNKxlIPZB4@@
Kelly’s Comment: “Arik is a big, big defensive line prospect. One of the things that intrigued us a lot about him is his athleticism. He’s athletic enough to be recruited as a college basketball player and will get the opportunity to play for (Oregon basketball head coach Dana) Altman.”
Brett Bafaro, (Hillsboro, Ore.)
Rivals.com ranking: 4 stars, No. 23 LB @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Brett-Bafaro-114889;_ylt=AmpfDWYq_H88BMSLxqQDsENIPZB4@@
Kelly’s comment: “A local kid, another kid that was in camp and just flashed. A competitor, good size, explosive, real good athlete, a great baseball player. Really I know (linebackers coach Don Pellum) was excited about getting him and adding him to the mix with the loss of Stuckey and Kaddu.” @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=3376&SPID=233&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Alex Balducci (Portland, Ore.)
Rivals.com ranking: 4 stars, No. 8 DE @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Alex-Balducci-112591;_ylt=AjJLhrYenSql7Hx.MyO0tYpIPZB4@@
Kelly’s Comment: “A great prospect for us. Alex is a big, tough, physical kid. He played really, really well in the U.S. Army All-American game and even better from the reports we got in practice down there.”
Evan Baylis, (Aurora, Colo.)
Rivals.com ranking: 4 stars, No. 9 TE @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Evan-Baylis-108928;_ylt=AvexFbgbaj_9_PgpfVCsQnNIPZB4@@
Kelly’s comment: “Evan’s a physical football player. He’s all of 6-foot-5.” He’ll get a chance, I think — because of our depth at tight end — if he can get in the mix in spring ball, to hopefully see what he can do for us next fall.”
Pharaoh Brown, (Lyndhurst, Ohio)
Rivals.com ranking: 4 stars, No. 3 TE @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Pharaoh-Brown-123142;_ylt=Ats94Cs1VoObdoEeF8yeHz1IPZB4@@
Kelly’s comment: “Pharaoh Brown is a tremendous athlete. (He) was a high profile kid, wanted to be a tight end, but got recruited and actually committed to another school as a defensive end. He’ll certainly play tight end for us. Reminds me a little of Ed Dickson and his athletic ability, like a basketball player.”
DeForest Buckner (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Rivals.com ranking: 4 stars, No. 17 DE @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-DeForest-Buckner-109508;_ylt=AjQT2ul_vvvL0CnovamjIfhIPZB4@@
Kelly’s comment: “DeForest Bucker is all of 6-foot-7. @@Is this styled correctly?@@A kid that was really a top prospect when you saw him on tape for the first time, just loved him. A great kid, another great basketball player … athletic, exactly what we’re looking for in a defensive lineman.”
Byron Marshall (San Jose, Calif.)
Rivals.com ranking: 4 stars, No. 8 RB @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Byron-Marshall-118317;_ylt=AlGmXLsz8jpDoDhRV9DRkR5IPZB4@@
Kelly’s comment: “Byron Marshall was our top running back prospect all along. One of the fastest kids in the country as a sophomore and will continue to run track this year. Really a kid that I think is dynamic with the ball in his hands. He has outstanding speed.”
Jake Rodrigues, (Rocklin, Calif.)
Rivals.com ranking: 4 stars, No. 5 Pro-Style QB @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Jake-Rodrigues-118258;_ylt=Aky_X.8Vz4tSk0z0LThRLbVIPZB4@@
Kelly’s comment: “Jake is on campus right now. Really like Jake’s athleticism. I think both him and (fellow 2012 Oregon quarterback signing Jeff Lockie) are what we’re looking for in a quarterback. They’re quarterbacks that have the ability to run, but they’re quarterbacks first and foremost.”
Dwayne Stanford, (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Rivals rating: 4 stars, No. 23 WR @@http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Dwayne-Stanford-89609;_ylt=AnwUU9rnZF.4hDcam16YhjxIPZB4@@
Kelly’s comment: “Dwayne Stanford is a big receiver. Another outstanding basketball player, played in the U.S. Army All-American game. Gives us that size that we were really looking for to make us a little bit bigger and a lot more physical along the perimeter.”