Arik Armstead: How Will He Compare with Top Oregon Duck Recruits of the Past?

Arik Armstead is the biggest recruit—physically and in terms of ranking—for the Oregon Ducks in 2012. But will he pan out like last year's No. 1 recruit, De'Anthony Thomas? Or will he be out of the Oregon program quicker than a Cliff Harris punt return, like the No. 1 signings of Oregon's previous two classes?

Duck fans expect big things from the 6'8", 275-pound monster who is rated by Scout.com as the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the country. Never mind that he's going to play defense at Oregon—signing Armstead is huge for the Ducks.

The guy's a freak.

Armstead is a 5-star football commit headlining another impressive class of preps headed to Eugene. (He also plans to play basketball for the Ducks.) Seven more 4-star recruits have verbally committed to the Ducks and should sign soon, as should a number of 3-stars.

But predicting which one of those recruits will be the best Duck is a tougher matter altogether.

After all, LaMichael James arrived on campus as the nation's No. 40 running back recruit just four years ago.

Here's a look at how the Ducks top prep signings have fared over the last five years and what some star players were ranked as high school seniors.

Class of 2007

Top Recruit: Terrance Pritchett

Grade: F

Know who Terrance Pritchett is? If you do, it's not for what he has accomplished on the field.

Pritchett—the No. 2 middle linebacker prospect in '07—was suspended twice and kicked off the Ducks football team.

His legacy is what the Ducks need to avoid in their recruits.

Malachi Lewis was the next big recruit of the class. Like Pritchett, he was a 4-star linebacker prospect. Lewis spent his time at UO at tight end. He finished his four-year career with nine catches for 84 yards.

While the headliners made little noise, this class received great production from its recruits with fewer stars.

Casey Matthews, Jeff Maehl and Eddie Pleasant are all looking at NFL careers after stepping foot in Autzen Stadium as 3-star recruits.

This year's Moshofsky Award winner—awarded to the team's outstanding offensive lineman—was a 2-star recruit in this class. His name? Mark Asper, also known for saving a guy's life during the Rose Bowl festivities.

Class of 2008

Top Recruit: Dion Jordan

Grade: A-

Jordan and Dewitt Stuckey arrived in Eugene at the same time, both as highly regarded defensive recruits. They both received 4 stars from Scout.com.

Jordan was the No. 10 defensive end prospect, Stuckey the No. 13 linebacker.

They lived up to the hype.

Jordan was named to the All-Pac-12 first team this season. Stuckey ranked third on the team in tackles.

While they lived up to their hype, a number of their classmates exceeded the hype. For example, 3-star running back LaMichael James. James was rated as the 40th-best running back prospect. Shortly thereafter, he was voted the top RB in all of college football when he won the Doak Walker Award.

His backfield mate, Kenjon Barner, showed up as a 3-star cornerback prospect. Scout.com thought he was the No. 93 CB in the nation. We don't know how he would have done on defense, but he has established himself as a standout running back.

Also sneaking in under the radar was the No. 15 QB prospect, Darron Thomas.

Kiko Alonso and Josh Kaddu also showed up this year as 3-star linebackers.

Regardless of the number of stars they were issued as recruits, plenty of players in this class became stars while wearing Oregon’s many colors.

Class of 2009

Top Recruit: Cliff Harris

Grade: C-

Harris' introduction to the UO football team is legendary.

"I'm Cliff Harris. I'm here to lock s*** down."

The sixth-ranked cornerback prospect garnered 4 stars. He lived up to the hype as a playmaker in the defensive secondary and as a fantastic punt returner.

I don't think Scout.com factored quotability into its ranking system, but if it had, Harris is an easy 5-star, as he became a media darling for his brash and hilarious comments.

One of the best also summed up his departure from the program: "We smoked it all, officer."

Because he couldn't behave responsibly, Harris is no longer with the program.

Two 4-star defenders are still with the program. They are linebackers Michael Clay and Boseko Lokombo.

Clay was the team's second-leading tackler in 2011. Lokombo had two interceptions—both returned for touchdowns. They were both top-15 linebacker prospects when they were recruited.

Class of 2010

Top recruit: Lache Seastrunk

Grade: F 

Seastrunk committed to Oregon as a rare 5-star recruit, the No. 4 running back in his class.

He never played a down for the Ducks.

Mired in a recruiting scandal, he transferred to Baylor. Oregon fans are still waiting to see if the $25,000 paid to Seastrunk's mentor, Willie Lyles, will come back to haunt them.

Seastrunk was one of two 5-star recruits in this class, along with Curtis White.

White was the fifth-ranked defensive end prospect. As a redshirt freshman in 2011, White did not record any statistics.

While the 5-star recruits have not paid immediate dividends, their lower-ranked counterparts have.

Hroniss Grassu and Terrance Mitchell both arrived as 3-star recruits. Mitchell started all 14 Oregon games as a cornerback in 2011. He had two interceptions, three forced fumbles and 12 passes defensed.

Grassu started every game at center.

Bryan Bennett also arrived with this class. He was the 10th-ranked QB prospect, a 4-star recruit.

Class of 2011

Top recruit: De’Anthony Thomas

Grade: A

Thomas was named to the Football Writers Association of America's Freshman All-America Team as an all-purpose player.

He deserved it.

Thomas arrived as another 5-star recruit stepping foot onto the University of Oregon campus. He was the No. 1-ranked cornerback but adjusted nicely to the offensive side of the ball.

The lightning-quick running back/receiver/return man led Oregon with 2,235 all-purpose yards in 2011, and his 18 touchdowns were second only to the 20 from LaMichael James. Two more years of production like this moves his grade to an A+ and moves Thomas to the NFL a year early.

Other notables who contributed as true freshmen: Colt Lyerla (4-star, No. 4 LB), Tra Carson (4-star, No. 22 RB), Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (4-star, No. 18 CB).

Lyerla—who moved to tight end—tied for fourth on the team with five touchdown catches.

Carson carried the ball 45 times for 254 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and one touchdown.

Ekpre-Olomu appeared in all 14 games and recorded 34 tackles.

Class of 2012

Top Recruit: Arik Armstead

Grade: Incomplete

Notable recruits: Evan Baylis (4-star, No. 9 TE), DeForest Buckner (4-star, No. 12 TE), Reggie Daniels (4-star, No. 16 safety), Jake Rodrigues (4-star, No. 17 QB), Byron Marshall (4-star, No. 18 RB), Alex Balducci (4-star, No. 33 DE).

Potential standouts: Dwayne Stanford (3-star No. 51 WR), Brett Bafaro (3-star, No. 62 OLB). 

Stanford is a 6'4", 195-pound receiver with 4.5 speed and a 35-inch vertical. Aside from the physical skills, he also carries a 3.6 GPA. That shows he's disciplined and will hopefully stick around the program a while.

Bafaro is fast and physical. He's 6'2", 220 pounds with a 4.5 time in the 40-yard dash. He flies to the ball and punishes ball-carriers. He has also spent a lot of time at running back and is a terrific baseball player, proving he's no slouch athletically.