Oregon Ducks

An issue that seems to arise every year in recruiting is which players Oregon chooses to pursue and sign on the defensive line. It always seems to be a source of worry for fans and recruiting pundits alike.

While Haloti Ngata isn't walking through the tunnel at Autzen Stadium anymore, the Ducks have equipped themselves nicely with a patchwork defensive line over the past few years.

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It isn't often that an athlete who has the ability to play multiple sports in college comes along.

The Oregon Ducks are no stranger to that concept. Highly touted freshman Arik Armstead played a role on defense for the Fiesta Bowl champions, before hitting the hardwood for the sweet 16-bound Ducks. While playing two sports might be an option, or have an appeal to some high school athletes, how do a school's other athletic teams play into their college decision?

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In case you just awoke from a long winter's nap, you might have heard that the Oregon Ducks had some big news this week. Chip Kelly pump-faked everyone and decided that the NFL was worth it. Ducks DL coach Jerry Azzinaro followed him out the door and joined him in Philly.

The DuckNation Mailbag has never been so packed, so let's see what you've got on your mind.

Bob C. (Bakersfield, Calif.): Now that Chip has taken his ego to Philadelphia, who will take over? Can the Ducks maintain their success on the field? What about recruiting?

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For those Oregon fans who worry about how many commitments the Ducks have at this point in the recruiting cycle, all they need to do is take a look back over the past decade or so, starting with the 2002 recruiting class, when the Ducks landed some guy named Haloti Ngata on signing day.

With a handful of spots to fill in the class of 2013, DuckNation decided to take a look back at who the Ducks have added in the final weeks of the recruiting cycle in each year since 2003.

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With the decision by head coach Chip Kelly to return to Eugene after nearly leaving for the NFL for the second year in a row, the Ducks are settling in for the stretch run of the 2013 recruiting cycle.

The return of Kelly, a win in the Fiesta Bowl and a No. 2 ranking in the final BCS poll give the Ducks plenty of momentum as they look to close their recruiting class with a bang for the third year in a row.

Here are some of the best questions submitted to the DuckNation mailbag in the past week.

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When you have one of the nation's most exciting offenses, top-notch facilities and fashion-forward uniforms, other programs have to combat those advantages. For those programs competing for recruits with the Oregon Ducks, it even means negative recruiting against a team that will appear in its fourth straight BCS bowl next month.

In the past, programs have used Oregon's high-flying offense against them by telling offensive linemen that the zone-blocking scheme and the up-tempo pace won't be as fun or rewarding to play in. They have told wide receiver recruits that they will block more than they will catch the ball.

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Coming off three straight recruiting classes that have loaded Oregon roster with talent and an undefeated season so far, the Ducks are in prime position to close the 2013 recruiting cycle with a bang.

Since Chip Kelly's arrival in 2007, Oregon recruiting has taken things to a whole new level. Three consecutive league titles -- and the subsequent BCS appearances -- have helped place the Ducks in the midst of recruiting battles with some of the top programs nationwide. They way they have dismantled every opponent this season has them squarely in the sights of several top prospects from across the country.

While Kelly has built his program by turning unheralded and under-the-radar prospects like Marcus Mariota and Kenjon Barner into stars, he has shown an ability to battle the big boys for top recruits. In each of the past two years, the Ducks have used late pushes to sign California's top prospects -- De'Anthony Thomas and Arik Armstead -- away from USC.

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After the Ducks program began to take off in the mid-1990s, California hired former Ducks' offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford in 2002. As the Ducks' upward climb reached a standstill, Cal stepped up and looked like it might be the next in line to challenge USC.

The Golden Bears did win four of five games with the Ducks between 2004 and 2008, including a game for the ages in 2007. After they walked out of Autzen Stadium with a 31-24 win over the No. 5 Ducks, things began to change between the two schools. Cal did win the following season in Berkeley, as the Ducks fumbled gave away a game they dominated. Starting in the class of 2008, the Bears responded by going on an unprecedented run of recruiting success. The Ducks began to dominate the series on the field with a 42-3 win over the Bears in 2009. Despite the dominant performance over the then-No. 6 Bears, Cal beat the Ducks head-to-head for a number of elite recruits from 2008 to 2012.

Whether it was location, academics, Cal's plans for facilities upgrades -- which are now complete -- or former Cal assistant -- and current Washington assistant -- Tosh Lupoi, the Bears won the majority of the recruiting battles between the two schools. Similar to the recent history with USC, the Ducks don't care about recruiting rankings as much as they do the on-field results.

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After a second straight win against USC in Los Angeles gave Oregon its 13th consecutive road victory -- and 12th straight win overall -- the Ducks are flying high, and recruits are taking notice.

In recent years, the Ducks have made a habit of sitting back and letting things play out in recruiting. Last year, they added two ESPN 150 players -- Bralon Addison and Arik Armstead -- at the end of the recruiting cycle. So far this year, the Ducks have a small but talented recruiting class. If the latest rumblings and recent history are any indication, the Ducks seem to be in prime position to make a late push up the class rankings.

The biggest news of the recruiting weekend is that one of USC's top recruits -- Max Redfield of Mission Viejo (Calif.) High School -- chose to open up his recruitment. Redfield decommitted on Sunday after a couple weeks of speculation that he would do so after a strong visit to Notre Dame last month.

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The Oregon Ducks haven't won many direct recruiting battles with the USC Trojans over the years, but they are making strides. Oddly enough, there aren't too many examples over the past few years that had the two West Coast power programs going toe-to-toe. The fact of the matter is, the Trojans usually have who they want locked up early on, especially during the probation period that limits them to 15 scholarships per year.

In the past few recruiting cycles, the Ducks have signed plenty of recruits that USC had extended offers to. Cliff Harris, Andre Yruretagoyena, Tyler Johnstone, Devon Blackmon, Colt Lyerla, De'Anthony Thomas, Byron Marshall and Arik Armstead are some of the big names the Ducks were able to sign in spite of the Trojans' efforts.

On the flip side, the Trojans have beaten the Ducks for dozens of prospects in recent years. There are too many to list, but a couple of the biggest names on the list are current Trojans -- and former top targets of the Ducks -- George Uko and Marqise Lee.

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Since 2000, the Pac-12 has been all Oregon and USC. Other schools have snuck in to share a conference crown, but only the Ducks and Trojans have won the title outright.

For most of the decade, the Trojans were the team to beat. Since Chip Kelly took over the Oregon head coaching job in 2009, the Ducks have been nearly unstoppable. The Ducks won the head-to-head battles on the field with USC in 2007, 2009 and 2010. USC topped the Ducks in 2008 and 2011.

The Ducks have begun to take over as the best program in the conference under Kelly's leadership. Passing USC on the field is one thing. Doing the same in recruiting, where USC has maintained its dominance in the face of NCAA sanctions, is a lot harder.

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With Oregon and USC being the only two teams to win outright Pac-10 or Pac-12 conference titles since 1999, it would seem likely the two have enjoyed the most recruiting success over the same period. If recruit class rankings are the way to judge them, USC is clearly the head of the class. If it's success on the field in comparison to a program's recruit class rankings, Oregon is among the best programs in the country at developing talent.

The Trojans will almost assuredly have the most talent on paper every year due to their tradition, success and -- perhaps most important -- their location. USC can usually name who it wants in each recruiting class, especially in Southern California. The Ducks, meanwhile, have little-to-no recruiting base and have built their program on finding so-called diamonds in the rough. Oregon has stepped its game up on the recruiting trail in recent years but still sits behind the Trojans and others in terms of recruiting prowess.

Recruit rankings are not an exact science, and the only thing guaranteed with recruiting is that nothing is guaranteed. While the Ducks have taken on some heavyweights for blue-chip prospects in recent years, there have only been a few cases in which the Ducks actually beat the Trojans for a recruit's signature. The promising thing for Oregon fans is that in each of the past two years, the Ducks have swooped in and nabbed the state of California's top recruit -- each of whom were committed to USC for nearly a year -- right out from under the Trojans.

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It's that time again. The Ducks have a bye this week, so it's time to dig through the Oregon recruiting mailbag and see what's on your mind.

Ruben G. (Hillsboro, Ore.):
What is going on with the Ducks' defensive line recruiting? Haven't heard hardly any news about a position that has always been tough for them.

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Much has been made about the size -- or lack thereof -- on the Oregon roster. In past years, that was a legitimate argument, as the Ducks were smaller than most of their opponents. With a recent emphasis on matching up better with power teams, the Ducks have begun to recruit bigger players at every position.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly said as much during the Ducks' spring game in April, when he told ESPN's Brock Huard that he realized the Ducks were built to win the Pac-12, but they needed to be built to win the BCS.

It was mostly the offensive and defensive lines that took the heat for being undersized. Last year's recruiting class saw the Ducks add 6-foot-8, 300-pound Arik Armstead, 6-7, 270-pound DeForest Buckner and 6-9, 280-pound Stetzon Bair to the defensive line. The three of them have the size to line up on anyone's defensive line.

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