Oregon Ducks

Receiver Tacoi Sumler, a member of the 2011 ESPN 150, has left the Oregon football program after just one season.

No reasons have been given in regard to the precipitating events in his decision. It is not unreasonable to assume, however, that playing time played a role.

Oregon offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich recently spoke about his young wide receiving corps and mentioned that Sumler was behind fellow redshirt freshmen B.J. Kelley and Devon Blackmon in terms of development.

With Josh Huff and Rahsaan Vaughn looking like two sure starters, the Ducks have one starting spot remaining. Kelley and Blackmon are joined in the battle for the third spot by Eric Dungy, Daryle Hawkins, Blake Stanton, Keanon Lowe and Will Murphy as returning players.

Add three freshman with Bralon Addison, Dwayne Stanford and Chance Allen, and it's a fairly crowded group.

At 5-foot-8, 177-pounds, Sumler was at a disadvantage in the Oregon offense, which relies heavily on downfield blocking by the wide receivers.

The No. 62 overall prospect in the 2011 ESPN 150 signed with Oregon out of Miami (Fla.), another major coup for the Ducks in their national recruiting efforts. Like Lache Seastrunk and others before him, Sumler left the program without ever stepping on the field in an Oregon uniform.

His departure thins the Ducks' receiving unit even more, as they also lost senior wide receiver Justin Hoffman to a medical retirement last month.

Among Oregon's highly touted 2010 recruiting class, which included the likes of Lache Seastrunk, Dior Mathis, Curtis White and Ricky Heimuli, there was one name that left people wondering how he fit in to the Ducks future. After a redshirt year and some fine tuning, Hroniss Grasu may be the most important player from the class.

More important than the four members of the ESPN 150 listed above, more than Josh Huff and more than Grasu's Crespi High School teammate, Bryan Bennett.

Grasu came to Oregon with only three years of football experience under his belt. Most people had him pegged as a defensive lineman due to his versatility and the Ducks' need for bodies on the defensive front. For those in the know, Grasu was the perfect fit on the offensive side of the ball in Eugene.

Jeremiah Ross, who played offensive line at Fresno State and coached Bennett, Grasu and Oregon WR Blake Stanton at Crespi, likely received raised eyebrows when he predicted Grasu would be the best player in Oregon's 2010 recruiting class.

The only raised eyebrows now are directed at the redshirt sophomore center for the Ducks. With just one year of experience under his belt at the college level, Grasu was named to the Rimington Award Watch List this week.

Ross had high praise for Grasu when the rising star committed to the Ducks in the summer of 2009.

"He is such a smart player and a great athlete for his size. He can dunk a basketball at 6-foot-3, 255-pounds (Grasu is now up to 285) and he moves so well on the football field. Oregon's offensive system is the perfect fit for him," Ross said. He has an unlimited future in the game of football. He doesn't know how good he can become. Hroniss has the potential to be the best offensive lineman I've ever been around. I'm telling you, he's going to be the best player in that entire class."

After a freshman campaign that saw Grasu start every game at center, the Ducks anchor is starting to make Ross appear like the smartest guy in the room.

With three years of eligibility left, Grasu seems primed to be the Ducks next great center.

Max Unger played an important role in the Ducks offensive prowess from 2005-2008 with multiple first-team All-Pac-10 awards (2007, 2008) and was a finalist for the 2008 Rimington Award. Unger went on to become the Seattle Seahawks 2nd round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Grasu may be better in the end.

Grasu has the potential to see his future play out in a similar manner if he continues to progress. With another three seasons of Grasu manning the snap, the Ducks offense will be in good hands at the beginning of every play.

While the weakness hasn't been as glaring as on the defensive line, Oregon's wide receiving corps has lacked sizzle in recent years. There has been some tantalizing talent in recent years with the likes of Cameron Colvin, Jaison Williams and others who had solid, yet unspectacular, careers. Jeff Maehl turned into one of Oregon's all-time bests and made more big plays than most Ducks fans can count. LaVasier Tuinei emerged in 2011 and turned in a Rose Bowl MVP performance in his last game in an Oregon uniform. A true gamebreaking receiver can make a world of difference and the Ducks are searching for their first truly elite receiver in years.

Similar to the defensive line, the current crop of wide receiver talent in Eugene is at an all-time high. Now it's time for one or two of the young and talented playmakers to rise above the rest and give Oregon a true threat on the outside. Josh Huff is the biggest threat among the returning pass catchers, but his inconsistency has been frustrating for Oregon fans in the past two seasons. Huff has the speed and athleticism to take over games but has been erratic in terms of reliability.

Joining Huff as veteran receivers in 2012 are Rahsaan Vaughn, Justin Hoffman, Eric Dungy, Daryle Hawkins and Will Murphy. While there has been improvement among this group, the prevailing thought is that one of the young guns needs to step up in order for the offense to reach its potential.

(Read full post)