The Oregon Ducks’ football success is no secret to anyone in the Eugene area — BCS T-shirts, Oregon football jerseys and other memorabilia are found everywhere around town.
The team’s success, it appears, hasn’t been lost on a number of the nation’s top high school recruits, either.
Due to several recent commitments, Oregon has vaulted all the way up to No. 6 in the latest Rivals.com recruiting rankings, behind only Texas, Alabama, LSU, Florida State and USC.
The Ducks were lower in the Rivals.com rankings months ago, but received verbal commitments, which are non-binding, from several highly touted prospects in recent months. Since late November, Oregon has picked up commitments from seven four-star (or higher) recruits.
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, a four-star cornerback, chose the Ducks over an offer from California, among other schools, on Nov. 20.
Anthony Wallace, a four-star linebacker, chose the Ducks over offers from nearly every school in the country, including USC, Oklahoma and Texas, on Nov. 21.
Christian French, a four-star athlete from Iowa, gave his verbal pledge to Oregon on Dec. 9. French chose the Ducks over many offers, including Notre Dame and the home-state Hawkeyes.
Rahsaan Vaughn, a four-star junior college wide receiver, committed to the Ducks on Dec. 14 over reported offers from several schools, including Arizona and Georgia.
Then, earlier this month, the Ducks picked up verbal pledges from perhaps the two most highly touted recruits yet — four-star Devon Blackmon and five-star Colt Lyerla.
Blackmon, a receiver from Southern California, is ranked by Rivals.com as the 35th-best player in the nation. He reportedly claimed offers from USC, UCLA, Florida and Nebraska, among others.
Lyerla, one of three Oregon natives to commit to the Ducks’ class of 2011, is ranked as the 26th-best player in the nation. The 6-foot-5 recruit could play a number of positions in college, but might be best suited as a linebacker. He picked Oregon over reported offers from Oklahoma and USC, among others.
The Ducks reportedly have 21 verbal commitments from seven different states. They are expected to take commitments from a few more prospects before, or on, Feb. 2, which is National Signing Day.
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