Duck Recruiting Update

I mentioned in a prior blog post about Oregon's recruitment of running backs Bryce Brown and Dasarte Yarnway for the 2009 class. There is new information regarding these two, and news that isn't so surprising in terms of Yarnway. As many had already come to expect, Yarnway committed to the California Golden Bears this afternoon after narrowing his choices to either Oregon or Cal. This doesn't surprise me in the least considering he is from the Bay area and never officially took a visit to Oregon in the first place. This may have seemed like a real bummer if it wasn't for Andre Harris, a 4-star JC running back according to Rivals, express his current interest in the Ducks and actually contacting them on his own. Unfortunately, this kid is enrolled at El Camino C.C. which recently put out highly touted recruits Simi Kuli and Justin Thompson. Kuli committed to Oregon State and Thompson to Oregon, but neither have found themselves academically eligible to enroll at their respective schools. I'm wondering if we could expect the same from Harris in terms of ACTUALLY showing up on campus if he does choose Oregon.

The newest twist in the Bryce Brown saga is Miami's addition of ANOTHER top-flite running back for this years class. That makes 3 RB's added to the list thus far, and the newest addition just may be the catalyst that has Bryce Brown seriously looking elsewhere. Lamar Miller, a 4-star recruit per Rivals/Scout and the #1 RB in the state of Florida, committed to Miami this afternoon. After browsing the Miami boards many of the posters in the "know" seem to think that he will ultimately be better than Bryce Brown in the long run. Mike James, the other 4-star running back committed to the "U," is also very talented and said he welcomes Miller to the tailback competition. Bryce Brown could start immediately at Oregon which may seem more and more appealing. Oregon's recruitment of current QB Darron Thomas was a perfect example of too much talent at one school. Last year Thomas was committed to LSU until they proceeded to load up on 4 QB's which ultimately lead to his decommitment and enrollment at Oregon. If Bryce Brown does end up at Oregon I suppose Duck fans should send a personalized "Thank You" note to Lamar Miller for pushing him in our direction. Or perhaps somebody should inform Brown that the "U" hasn't been relevant for over 5 years and that Miami is currently 2-3 in a piss poor ACC Conference. To make matters worse they don't have a QB or O-Line either. Miami's 2008 recruiting class was ranked #5 overall, but out of the 33 individuals they signed only TWO of those were offensive linemen. This year they are already ranked #15, but still only have ONE offensive line commit. Don't they know you need a plethora of solid offensive Linemen to run the rock? Who knows...maybe THAT's why they suck.

The Ducks did receive a big WR commit on Saturday that will definitely fill a need for the future. Diante Jackson, a 3-star recruit according to both Rivals/Scout, had offers from nearly every Pac-10 school (except for USC). Many of the moderators on the recruiting boards believe he will be elevated to a 4-star recruit due to his outstanding play so far this season. Jheranie Boyd, a WR on the Rivals Top 100 list and ranked #4 overall at his position, had removed Oregon from his list of schools but has recently added them back. If Oregon could get a commitment from Boyd their WR worries would significantly dissipate. Overall, Oregon's recruiting class is already shaping up to be a good one.