Oregon's 2015 National Signing Day Wish List

Considering the season that the Oregon Ducks just produced, it should come as no shock that they are attracting interest from prized high school recruits as national signing day looms.

Oregon has already made a splash in recruiting this year and currently has the No. 16 class, according to 247Sports. The Ducks have signed 20 players so far this year, including five players who’ve enrolled early at the school and another one on the way in the form of 4-star quarterback Travis Waller.

While the Ducks have found success in recruiting this year and possess the No. 2 class in the Pac-12, according to 247Sports, there are still a couple of players who the Ducks would be ecstatic to bring in next season.

The Ducks have seen their fair share of late recruiting movement over the past couple of years, most notably when De’Anthony Thomas chose Oregon over USC on signing day in 2011.

Oregon is hoping that sort of luck swings in its direction once again and that none of its recruits are poached away in the final days before Feb. 4.

If the stars align for the Ducks, they could be looking at one of their best recruiting classes ever.

Here are the players on Oregon’s wish list as the Feb. 4 deadline approaches.

Quarterback Kyler Murray

LM Otero/Associated Press

The Ducks already have a made a splash in the quarterback market with 4-star recruit Waller, who is likely to enroll at Oregon in the spring. However, according to Andrew Nemec of The Oregonian, the Ducks may have a shot at flipping one of the best quarterbacks in the country: Texas A&M commit Kyler Murray. Nemec, citing a report by ESPN's Erik McKinney, writes:

"

In a recent ESPN recruiting video titled, 'ESPN 300 Recruits Most Likely to Flip,' ESPN.com Pac-12 recruiting reporter Erik McKinney indicated that Oregon is in the mix for a number of committed prospects, none bigger than five-star Texas A&M quarterback Kyler Murray.

'At this point, you can't assume that (Murray is) going to flip to Oregon, but Oregon is going to do everything they can all the way until the end, and obviously a big, big name to keep an eye on there with the Ducks,' McKinney said in the video.

"

The 5-foot-11, 178-pound QB from Allen, Texas, is the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2015 and the No. 33 overall player, according to 247Sports.

As a senior, Murray threw for 45 touchdowns and ran for 24 en route to being named both Gatorade National Player of the Year and the Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Player of the Year.

Oregon only has a handful of scholarships left and has a plethora of quarterbacks already in the program. That being said, Murray is a special player, and the Ducks would be foolish not to do everything in their power to get him to Eugene.

Offensive Lineman Darrin Paulo

247Sports.com

The Ducks will be without the services of Jake Fisher, Hroniss Grasu and Hamani Stevens next season. To say offensive lineman are a necessity for the program would be an understatement. 

Oregon has done a good job of recruiting O-lineman so far this recruiting season and has landed the likes of U.S. Army All-American Zach Okun, Shane Lemieux, Calvin Throckmorton, Brady Aiello and Jake Hanson so far. 

However, there’s always room for one more guy, especially when he’s as big as 247Sports 4-star guard Darrin Paulo.

Paulo, who stands 6’7” and tips the scales at 330 pounds, would be the type of physical guard the Ducks desperately need.

The Ducks hosted Paulo, who is from Sacramento, California, last weekend in Eugene for an official visit. While he hasn’t revealed his top three, he has taken a visit to Washington State and is planning to visit Nebraska at the end of the month. 

As Nemec points out, any recruit coming to Eugene this late in the game is likely a high priority come Feb. 4. Nemec notes, "Due to minor sanctions stemming from the Willie Lyles incident, Oregon's remaining number of official visits is dwindling, and one can safely assume any recruit that's invited to campus at this point either has the Ducks on their short list or is wanted badly by the coaching staff."

It’s clear the Ducks are extremely interested in the big man from Sacramento. Paulo’s size and strength would be a huge asset to the Ducks.

All-Purpose Back Kirk Merritt

247Sport.com

Kirk Merritt, a 5’11”, 206-pound all-purpose back from Destrehan, Louisiana, is the type of player who would fit right into the Oregon program. 

While the Ducks have already enrolled the 2015 No. 1 all-purpose back in the country, Taj Griffin, it never hurts to have more talented skill position players.

Merritt, a 247Sports 4-star recruit, won the Nike SPARQ national title last year, an award given to the most athletic player in the country. In the competition, Merritt ran a 4.46 40-yard dash and registered a vertical leap of over 45 inches.

Though Merritt is not a 247Sports top-100 recruit and projects as a slot receiver and kick returner, the Ducks are enamored with his potential. Sounds a lot like a guy who used to wear No. 6 for the Ducks: De’Anthony Thomas.

The Ducks are so high on Merritt that he received an in-home visit from head coach Mark Helfrich, offensive coordinator Scott Frost and wide receivers coach Matt Lubick, a meeting that was first reported by Matt Prehm of 247Sports.

Merritt took an official visit to Eugene on Oct. 31 for the Stanford game, and it sounded like he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

"I really loved it there," he said, according to Nemec. "I watched YouTube videos of the facilities and stuff. I really love the coaches. The coaches, I trust them about what position I can play."

Right now, it looks as though Merritt is down to three schools: Oregon, Texas A&M and Auburn, though Alabama is thought to have made a push in recent weeks. When asked about living across the country, he insisted that distance from home will not be a factor. "It's a non-factor," he said, according to Nemec. "My family wants what's best for me. It's not a big deal for us."

While Oregon’s offense is flush with talent at the skill positions, Merritt is the type of athlete the Ducks simply can’t ignore. Getting Merritt would be a huge victory for the Ducks in 2015.

Linebacker John Houston

247sports.com

Oregon’s defense will be going through a bit of a makeover. It loses six starters from next season, including linebackers Tony Washington Jr. and Derrick Malone.

The Ducks have hit the trail hard to find linebackers but have only been able to land commitments from 247Sports three-star recruits Fotu Leiato and Paris Bostick.

Houston, a four-star recruit from Gardena, California, is an inside linebacker who would likely find himself in a position to play for the Ducks next season should he choose Eugene.

As of Dec. 19, Houston had limited his search to five schools: Arizona State, Miami, Oklahoma, USC and Oregon.

Houston visited Eugene for Oregon’s victory over Washington in October and was definitely intrigued with the possibility of playing for the Ducks, per Nemac: "I could see myself going to Oregon. It's a big town, but it's a college town. Everybody is focused on football and I think I could keep concentrated up there to stay motivated and do better. The people on the team are good guys, and they seem like they are down to Earth and are ready to compete."

Houston also made some comments about Oregon’s defense:

"

Their defense is pretty good. Knowing that some of the linebackers came from different positions and they've been learning how to play linebacker through their whole college career – that really opened my eyes. The coaching staff has done a great job coaching them to play linebacker coming from different positions. The defense could be even better if they had (experienced) linebackers.

"

The Ducks definitely need some commitments from linebackers before Feb. 4. Grabbing Houston, the No. 6 inside linebacker recruit in the country, would be a phenomenal place to start.

Linebacker Josh Smith

247Sports.com

Yes, the Ducks are targeting two of the best linebackers in the country. If it is able to get both, Oregon will have sealed the deal on one of the best classes in school history.

Smith, who has been committed to Vanderbilt since July, recently announced that he had picked up an offer from the Ducks.

According to Barton Simmons of 247Sports.com, Oregon is not the only school that has targeted the No. 3 inside linebacker of the 2015 class.

In wake of his strong performance in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Oregon, Georgia, Oklahoma and other schools have been heavily pursuing the Vandy commit. 

Smith, who is from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is the No. 99 recruit according to 247Sports and the No. 4 player in the state.

While he’s still technically committed to Vanderbilt, it looks as though he’s still interested in checking out other schools before the Feb. 4 deadline. In fact, Smith is scheduled to visit Eugene on Jan. 30.

In his senior season, Smith racked up 128 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception.

Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise stated. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com unless otherwise stated. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.