Oregon Ducks

With every new recruiting class that a program signs come a couple of players who will make an immediate impact on their new team. The Oregon Ducks signed 19 players last week to add to an already loaded roster.

With a roster stacked with young talent, it will be tough for any of the newcomers to crack the two-deep next fall. There are two members from the Ducks' Class of 2013 who stand out as having a legitimate shot at seeing the field early.

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After flipping ESPN 150 prospects on signing day in 2011 and 2012, it appears the Ducks will have the tables turned on them this year.

ATH Dontre Wilson, a long-time Oregon commit, has been waffling on his commitment since Chip Kelly's departure last month. On local television Monday night, the No. 55 player in the ESPN 150 announced that he is switching his commitment to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

What will it mean for Oregon?

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The last DuckNation recruiting mailbag before national signing day has received a record number of submissions. With so much action recently surrounding the Oregon football program, there are a lot of topics to cover.

Warren S. (Henderson, Nev.): With the Ducks landing Devon Allen (Phoenix/Brophy Prep), do you think that has more to do with their feelings on what [Darren] Carrington (San Diego/Horizon) will do or how they feel about Allen?

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With national signing day exactly two weeks from today, DuckNation looks ahead to what Oregon has coming and who the Ducks still need and why.

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When ESPN 150 ATH Dontre Wilson (DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto) announced he would join fellow ESPN 150 member, RB Thomas Tyner (Aloha, Ore./Aloha) -- who committed in November of 2011 -- in the Oregon Ducks' recruiting class, it gave the Ducks a great start to their recruiting class.

Not much has changed since then as the Ducks still have the two elite running back prospects committed to help fill the void that will be left when Kenjon Barner heads to the NFL in 2013. Barner's absence will leave the Ducks with only sophomore-to-be Bryon Marshall and De'Anthony Thomas -- who is more natural in the slot -- as the Ducks' lone returning scholarship running backs. Despite having two elite backs on board in the Class of 2013, the Ducks are still pursuing a third option to help solidify the depth in their talented, but thin backfield.

After months of targeting fellow ESPN 150 members Derrick Green (Richmond, Va./Hermitage), Alvin Kamara (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) and Tarean Folston (Cocoa, Fla./Cocoa), the Ducks' recruiting picture has become a bit more clear. The Ducks recently dropped their pursuit of Green, the No. 5 RB in the country. The other name that has been a constant through the entire process is Terrell Newby II (West Hills, Calif./Chaminade), who was just named player of the year in one of Southern California's toughest and most talented leagues.

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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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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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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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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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Another week, and another win is in the bag for the Oregon Ducks. This time around, the bag is carrying some extra weight.

The Ducks secured verbal commitments from twin brothers and two-sport stars Tyrell Robinson and Tyree Robinson (San Diego, Calif./Lincoln) after their official visit to Eugene.

Time to sort through the mail in order to get to your questions for this week's Oregon Recruiting Mailbag...

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Nearly two weeks into Oregon fall camp, there is plenty of speculation as to who has the upper hand in the position battles and who has put themselves in position to see the field early on.

All eyes are on the ongoing quarterback battle between sophomore Bryan Bennett and redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota.

When it comes to discussing his team, Ducks head coach Chip Kelly plays everything close to the vest. There is no greater example of this than when it comes to who will be given the keys to his high-flying offense.

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Very few programs in the country can lose someone like LaMichael James and hope to simply replace him with a similar talent. One of the biggest ways to be a true power program in college football is the ability to do just that.

The Ducks hope to prove themselves this year as they have a talented group of backs who should continue the dominant Oregon running game.

With James' departure, senior Kenjon Barner finally has the chance to be the go-to back for the high-flying Ducks. Being the go-to back means little in Chip Kelly's system, as Barner knows very well.

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