Oregon Ducks

HOUSTON, Texas -- After a busy track and field season, ESPN Watch List linebacker Zach Whitley Jr. is turning his attention back to football.

The 2014 prospect's time on the track for this season is complete and on Tuesday at Houston North Shore, the soon-to-be-senior was out at Galena Park ISD Stadium, barking out calls to his defensive teammates during 7-on-7 sessions as he and the Mustangs prepare for the 2013 season.

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With more than 20 offers on the table, ESPN Watch List safety Jamal Adams (Carrollton, Texas/Hebron) ultimately will have to make a big decision.

That decision became even more complex on Wednesday when Adams picked up an offer from Oregon, his 21^st overall and fourth from the Pac-12. The 6-foot, 195-pound safety is taking his time with the process, but he said Oregon is a major pickup for him.

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DuckNation has the latest updates after an action packed Monday on the recruiting trail.

ATH Dontre Wilson (DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto), the No. 55 player in the ESPN 150, announced Monday night that he will be attending Ohio State next year after being committed to Oregon since late May. Losing such a dynamic weapon always hurts, but the Ducks should be just fine.

One reason for that ...

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With signing day just three days away, the Oregon Ducks made a final push for a trio of recruits over the weekend. With a need for one more commitment at defensive line, linebacker and running back, the Ducks focused their efforts on three players who have already committed to other programs.

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Recruits, their families, coaches and football programs from around the country are holding their breath in hopes the right decision is made on national signing day. The truth is, no one knows what will happen between now and the time the pen hits the paper at high schools nationwide next Wednesday. What we do know is that both publicly and privately, the biggest decisions of recruits' lives are about to be made official.

For the Oregon Ducks, it appears as if their current commits are locked into the decisions they already have made. Now, the Ducks hope that their latest recruiting efforts provide a boost to an already strong class.

Here is where things stand for the Ducks and what their class might look like by the end of the day on Feb. 6.

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There is a silver lining in most situations -- sometimes you just have to take a step back and look around. For the Oregon Ducks and their fans, it has been hard to find that since head coach Chip Kelly and assistant coach Jerry Azzinaro left for the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Since the "modern era" of Oregon football began in 1994, the Ducks have done as good of a job as any other program in the country at identifying and developing under-the-radar talent. In recent years, the Ducks have also done a great job of finding the right fit with certain recruits late in the process. The Ducks have been able to host several official visitors late in the recruiting process and turn them into Ducks. Can they do it again in 2013?

With three weeks to go until signing day, the Ducks are targeting a number of prospects that are either committed elsewhere or are new to the Ducks' recruiting board. Some of them are big names and some are new names all together. We'll take a look at who the Ducks have recently made a push for and where things stand.

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The Ducks have never had the benefit of loading up on local players who grew up dreaming of playing for the them. The talent level just isn't there. The truth is, it likely never will be. The Ducks have always recruited California as well as they can be expected to. In recent years, the Ducks have done a great job of going into states not known for producing talent to secure commitments from some players that were mostly overlooked throughout their high school careers .

To continue the series of Oregon's recruiting by state, DuckNation examines the success -- or lack thereof -- that the Ducks have experienced when recruiting the states of Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming over the past decade. While the region is not exactly a recruiting hotbed, the Ducks have been able to land some impact players over the past 10 years.

Here is a look at who they offered, who visited, who they signed and how their careers played out.

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The Ducks have never had the benefit of loading up on local players who grew up dreaming of playing for the them. The talent level just isn't there. The truth is, it likely never will be. The Ducks have always recruited California as well as they can be expected to. In recent years, the Ducks have done a great job of going into states such as Texas to secure commitments from some top players.

The Oregon football program is basically the exact opposite of the Texas Longhorns' program. Texas has tradition, Heisman Trophies, national championships and dozens of recruits who come knocking at their door, begging to play for one of the most iconic college football programs in history. Oregon has no national championships, no Heisman Trophies and less than a handful of in-state recruits to choose from each year.

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Under Chip Kelly, the Oregon football program has risen to a level few ever thought it could reach. His coaching style and aggressive schemes have led the Ducks to become a powerhouse program. While they are still far from a recruiting powerhouse, the influx of elite talent is one of the biggest reasons for their recent success. On Kelly's watch, the Ducks have secured a number of top prospects, including one of the biggest recruiting coups ever when they flipped De'Anthony Thomas after a long commitment to USC. Thomas has been brilliant in his time with the Ducks. Even with the Ducks' new recruiting prowess, taking a local legend out from under the thumb of a school like USC is the exception more than the rule.

There have been a few notable misses and some heated recruiting battles in the Kelly era that could have made this season's Ducks -- one of the best teams in school history -- nearly unbeatable. With some members of the Class of 2008 still in college, we'll look at what the Ducks could have looked like had they landed a few more of their key recruits.

2008

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