Oregon Ducks

The West team at the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl has just a handful of uncommitted players on the roster, all of whom are highly sought after recruits.

One of them might not be the biggest name of the bunch, but he has impressed his coaches, teammates and even a United States Marine. OL Thomas Oser (North Hollywood, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) also has an impressive offer list that features schools from the Pac-12 and the SEC. Out of the offers he does have, the same three schools he has been eying for months make up the list from which he will choose later this month.

Oregon, Stanford and Vanderbilt -- where Oser's friend and high school teammate, QB Chad Kanoff (North Hollywood, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) is committed -- make up the 6-foot-5, 280-pounder's finalists and all three have something that gives them an edge over the others.

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SANTA ANA, Calif. -- With a strong performance during the first two days of practices for the 2013 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl, one of the top uncommitted prospects in the West is showing why he is a member of the ESPN 300.

DE Austin Hooper (Concord, Calif./De La Salle) has been one of the stars for the standout defensive line that the West squad is featuring this week. After helping De La Salle capture yet another California state title two weeks ago, the versatile Hooper has shown good quickness, hands and a motor that doesn't stop during the first two days of practice.

"It's been good. They have me playing defensive end this week and it's good to play with so many talented guys," said Hooper, who also plays tight end. "I don't really care where I play; I just want to help my team win."

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FULLERTON, Calif. -- Zach Cunningham (Pinson, Ala./Pinson Valley) didn’t receive the early recruiting attention that some of his peers did. Thanks to a terrific senior season, however, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound outside linebacker will experience all of the pros and cons of a heated recruiting battle as signing day, Feb. 6, approaches.

Cunningham said he didn’t start getting offers until Week 9 of his senior year, but he now holds double-digit offers and has narrowed things down to a final four of Auburn, Oregon, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

“I don’t really have much time to choose between the schools,” Cunningham said. “I’m really trying to wind down the number of colleges I’m picking between.”

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Offensive tackle Cameron Hunt (Corona, Calif./Centennial), committed to Cal since July, is about to get busy again with recruiting.

Hunt plans to visit Michigan on Jan. 11 after he returns home from the Under Armour All-America Game, Oregon on Jan. 18 and Cal on Jan. 25.

He’s also considering Ohio State, though he has yet to set a visit. It has been a long road for Hunt, who drew little recruiting interest before a breakout camp circuit last spring.

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SAN ANTONIO – ESPN 150 wide receiver James Quick (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) has drawn plenty of attention for his play through two practices for the East team in preparation for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

He’ll garner even more eyes his way on Saturday when he announces his commitment during the game.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder said he is down to Louisville, Ohio State and Oregon. Though his decision will come Saturday, it could be finalized by Wednesday morning, as he sits down to discuss his options with his parents, who are in town for the event.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- There were several standouts at Tuesday's Day 2 practice for the Under Armour All-America Game (5 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN). Two players -- one for Team Nitro, the other for Team Highlight -- said they are closing in on their college decisions and will make their announcements Friday. Meanwhile, the nation's No. 1 player left the field at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports with an injury.

Folston closing in on decision

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On Thursday night, the fourth-ranked Oregon Ducks will take on the fifth-ranked Kansas State Wildcats in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Thursday is also a big day for the Ducks -- as well as every other program around the country -- as the recruiting dead period will end when the clock strikes midnight.

Once coaches are able to contact and visit recruits again, expect a flurry of activity from the Ducks' coaching staff. With a few of the Ducks' top remaining offensive targets announcing at various All-American games it seems likely that the first kids they will contact are ATH Tarean Folston (Cocoa, Fla./Cocoa), WR John Ross (Long Beach, Calif./Jordan) and TE-Y Thomas Duarte (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei).

Ross and Duarte -- two of the elite offensive weapons in the West -- both confirmed Monday that they will announce their college choice during the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl on Friday. Both four-stars have the Ducks among their finalists. Both players also have UCLA and Washington in their final group as well, with Duarte also considering Notre Dame.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Oregon coach Chip Kelly is rumored to be high on the list for several NFL coaching jobs, but ESPN 150 athlete commit Dontre Wilson (DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto) said he remains a solid commitment to the Ducks.

The 5-foot-10, 174-pound prospect said his relationship with Oregon running backs coach Gary Campbell is key to his not considering other options.

"I've heard that if Coach Kelly leaves, then Coach Helfrich, the offensive coordinator, would be the new coach," Wilson said. "So it really doesn't bother me at all. I have a strong relationship with Coach Campbell, and I don't think he's going anywhere. I'm still a solid commit to Oregon. Coach Campbell and I have always been close, he was a big reason I chose Oregon."

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FULLERTON, Calif. -- Wisconsin has done a terrific job in-state with this recruiting class, as the Badgers earned verbal commitments from four of the state's top six prospects. But new head coach Gary Andersen could have a battle on his hands for the state's top-ranked player, four-star defensive end Alec James (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield East).

While James still considers himself a Wisconsin commit, he will take visits between now and signing day. While he isn't sure how many he will take and when he will take them, he said trips to Clemson, Florida State, Michigan State and Oregon could all happen. The only one that will definitely happen is the Oregon visit, as James will see the Ducks on Jan. 11.

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SANTA ANA, Calif. -- One of the most active players for the West team on the first day of practice for the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl was impressive all day. So much so that he had three future Oregon Ducks in his ear about his upcoming decision.

Four-star WR John Ross (Long Beach, Calif./Jordan) made a lot of noise when he announced that he plans to announce his college decision during the second annual Semper Fidelis All American Bowl on Friday. Oregon, UCLA and Washington appear to be the front runners for the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Ross.

Ross wasn't the only one making noise, as Ducks' WR commit Darren Carrington Jr. (San Diego, Calif./Horizon), ATH Tyrell Robinson (San Diego, Calif./Lincoln) and his injured twin brother, WR Tyree Robinson (San Diego, Calif./Lincoln), were giving their best sales pitches to Ross. The small, but fast and dynamic, Ross impressed the trio with his ability to make defenders miss and make plays out of nothing.

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SAN ANTONIO -- ESPN 150 outside linebacker Mike Mitchell (Plano, Texas/Prestonwood Christian) isn’t big on speaking publicly. He’d rather let his game do the talking -- and it speaks volumes.

On Monday, the 6-foot-5, 222-pound linebacker officially confirmed that he will announce his college plans during Saturday’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Oregon, Texas A&M and Ohio State are his three finalists.

Mitchell said all three schools -- and even a fourth, Oklahoma -- had their positive qualities throughout his recruiting process. It was a feeling of comfort, however, that seemed to win him over.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -– Team Nitro and Team Highlight took to the fields at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports on Monday for Day 1 of practice for Friday’s Under Armour All-America Game (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). Two powerhouse programs in the Southeastern Conference look to battle it out for one of the standout running backs, and one of the top uncommitted offensive linemen is out with an injury.

Tide and Dawgs at top for RB Kamara

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