One the one hand, who wouldn't like this class of recruits? But the duplication factor mutes it a bit to me. And, what I think was out biggest need, d-linemen, was a disappointment. Overall, and taking specifically into account addressing our needs, I give it a B. As to De'Anthony Thomas, I have some concerns. I have concerns about how he turned on USC so late and hoe he wanted to have a LaBron like stage after the day was done to say "look at ME" to the sports world. One of the reasons we went undefeated last year was leadership. Players like this make me wonder if they will either ever be a leader or tear down leadership with their 'me first' attitude.
they graduated 3 D Lineman from last years rotation.... how many did they sign? One or two more for redshirt depth would have been fine, but it's not like last year's D was bare bones. Expect Remington, Ebert & Washington to fill the rotation roles of the departed Seniors I relayed a quote from over the summer from De'Anthony in the recruit thread where he openly expressed interest in being recruited by Oregon. For all we know, their has been a ton of talk back and forth since that point. Does it make more sense that Oregon wouldn't talk to a top prospect who is openly expressed interested in them or that you're completely out of the loop and don't know what you're talking about? Also, I've seen the full video of Thomas's commitment and he wasn't only guy making the announcement at Crenshaw HS that night. USC OT Marcus Martin followed DT's announcement with his own while wearing a Trojan hat and jacket. Both guys received big congratulatory hugs from their coach and equal cheers from their teammates/crowd. so good news, not much of your hand-wringing holds water STOMP
thats true with most everything right? But they did replace 3 D Lineman with 3 D Lineman, one of which is a 4* ready to play DT/NT that is listed 20 pounds heavier then the stud that started there last season. They've got 5 other talented guys who have enough size to rotate inside too. Everyone is free to hold whatever opinion they want, but I'm far from disappointed in the state of their D Line and laugh at the thinking that this class only rates a B. If judged by the average amount of stars, rivals has them as the #6 class overall in the country. Pretty much everyone is calling it the best class in Oregon history! Of course things have to play out, but judged from the outset things look fucking awesome! De'Anthony's signing was not about the culture of ME as a HS teammate of his was also announcing at the same event. It's a celebration for their program on the first day that players can sign. With his voice cracking and tears pouring down his face, he credited family teammates coaches and teachers for making the day possible and vowed to come back and coach at Crenshaw. Further he challenged his teammates to win their league next year for the 3rd straight time... seems like classy leadership stuff to me. Other players (like Jadeveon Clowney & Cyrus Kouandjio) are taking even more time... are they all selfish "look at ME" players too, or are they just kids making tough decisions on where they're leaving home for? STOMP
I was pretty much bemoaning the 2 or 3 d-linemen that decommited. As to Thomas, while I think they're legitimate concerns, I understand he's young and hasn't been here yet... I just thought his antics were a tad bit overdone. I mean, what else am I going to talk about at this time? If you think it's all a bunch of hand wringing... well, who gives a shit, eh?
Have you watched a 5-star player sign his LOI before? Unfortunately, this is commonplace, but holding it against DAT while every other 5-star does it seems a bit harsh, considering that the kid chose Oregon and is going away from home.
Well, since UO doesn't sign a lot of 5-star players, no I haven't seen their signings. But don't misunderstand me, I hope the best for the kid. I really do. And maybe I'm totally misreading the situation. Still...
2-3 decommitted? I only know about Byers, who else are you referring to? another D Lineman or two would have been a nice luxury to have for the team's depth, but it's not that big of a deal as they are as deep as last year. I'll also point to the two best DTs on Auburn and Oregon in the NCG matchup last year as an example of how things change for guys of this age. One came out of HS as a 3* 257 lb. Offensive Guard and the other as a 2* 238 lb. TE. At least for me, seeing guys develop is part of the intrigue of following the sport. STOMP
BP you're looking at this all wrong... even if the kid doesn't ever turn out to be anything, we stole a 5 star from USC. That's just sweet, sweet justice. Sure, I'm very excited about DAT's potential, and I think he'll do great things here, but that fact alone makes me happy
a charismatic icon from the heart of LA. Guys like him and Blackmon probably aren't going to hurt Oregon's SoCal recruiting efforts, especially in the next couple season when USC has only a few scholarships available. Because they took so many guys this cycle, the Trojans will likely have under 10 spots available next season (depending on attrition) STOMP
they were probably talking about the 3 starters who graduated... Bair, Clark, and Rowe there were another 3 D lineman that they were in on who they didn't get, but in the end their depth is the same as last year STOMP
Well, on another thought, if we lose 3 d-linemen to graduation, it'll take more than 3 to replace them as well under 50% of a recruiting class become starters or second team even. It takes 5 to replace the 3 that left. So we're two short. But we can get them next year.
I've already answered this concern in this thread. Look for Remington, Washington & Ebert to step into rotation roles vacated by the departed Seniors. Remington and Washington were redshirted last year and Ebert is a highly rated 20 year old JR College transfer. I don't expect any of the three to start as last year's backups will probably ascend to those roles. Unless there is a rash of injuries, the other two new recruits (Kamp and Koa-Ka'ai) will probably be redshirted in 2011. They both should benefit from a year of learning the system and putting on good weight. STOMP
