Oregon Football Recruiting: Predicting Biggest Stars of 2012 Class

De'Anthony Thomas was a breakout performer for Oregon in 2011 and was a major contributor to the Ducks' success en route to a Rose Bowl win. Thomas will get a chance to shine even brighter in 2012 after LaMichael James opted to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.

Oregon got looks at other promising players from the class of '11 such as Colt Lyerla, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Tra Carson. High-profile recruits Tacoi Sumler and Devon Blackmon red-shirted last season so expect them to be fully inserted into Chip Kelly's high-speed offense as well in 2012.

The class of 2012 is not yet complete. So far Oregon has received 21 commits, three of which are in ESPNU's top 150 high school players. Many will red-shirt next season but others will make an instant impact and star for the Ducks in Eugene. 

Arik Armstead, OT

The dual threat of an athlete that is Arik Armstead committed to Oregon and will play basketball and football for the Ducks. He's officially listed as an offensive tackle on ESPN.com, but Armstead played both sides of the ball in high school and could easily play defense at Oregon as well.

Four offensive linemen will be gone due to graduation, two of which started regularly (Darrion Weems, Mark Asper) and Armstead could be plugged in the line to set up blocks opening day.

Along the D-line Oregon lost just two members but both were major contributors in Brandon Hanna and Terrell Turner. Dion Jordan is returning at defensive end but the other side is open for competition. The other three defensive ends on the roster are freshmen, so it looks to be wide open for Armstead at this point unless a defensive tackle converts.

Regardless of whether Armstead is a starter Week 1, he will be in the mix in every game due to frequent rotations and subs. He's way too good to red-shirt, so it won't be long before he's a key player for the Ducks.  

Byron Marshall, RB

Although Oregon still carries a plethora of running backs on the roster, Byron Marshall could see significant playing time in 2012. Kenjon Barner and Thomas will be given a majority of the carries, but Coach Kelly loves integrating new players into the offense every week.

Byron Marshall is perfect for the Ducks with a great combination of speed and elusiveness, and will surely see action in blowout games or to spell his backfield counterparts. Tra Carson starred in the same roles last year and was impressive.

Red-shirting Marshall wouldn't be a bad idea either, since Barner and Thomas have the position locked up for this season, but it would be smart to keep Marshall available to get some snaps in his first season. 

Bralon Addison, WR

Bralon Addison played quarterback in high school but will mostly likely be a receiver at the collegiate level. He's a playmaker with great speed and is versatile. Expect Chip Kelly to find the proper fit for Addison over the summer and insert him into the offense early on in his career.

While the Ducks have many wideouts on the roster, few have much on-field experience and the group is young as a whole. Addison could play out of the slot and be very effective.  

Reggie Daniels, S

Reggie Daniels should get plenty of action in the secondary in 2012, especially with the graduations of Eddie Pleasant and Anthony Gildon and the dismissal of Cliff Harris. The secondary is very young and no one has claimed the strong safety/rover position.

A handful of defensive backs rotated through the spots throughout the 2011 season, so one of them could very well end up nabbing the other safety position to open the season.

Either way Nelson will play a lot of snaps by rotating in and helping out in dime and quarter packages. 

Pharaoh Brown, TE

Pharaoh Brown is a huge tight end/defensive end hybrid, very similar to Dion Jordan. Brown is listed at 6'7'' 230 pounds and would likely excel at either position for the Ducks. Starting tight end David Paulson won't be around in 2012, and the only other tight end on the roster with any experience is freshman Colt Lyerla.

Brown will compete for the starting job and will see playing time regardless. If he ends up being stationed at defensive end, how scary would Oregon's line be with him and 6'7'' 240 pound Dion Jordan?