National Signing Day 2010: The Oregon Ducks

UPDATE (4:48 PM)  Kelly spoke earlier and per Rob Moseley of the Register-Guard Newspaper out of Eugene says that the Ducks still have scholarship room despite signing 23 high-school and junior college players.  

If this is true, this leaves room for four star receiver Kenbrell Thompkins who opened up his recruiting after Lane Kiffin left Tennessee. Thompkins most likely won't sign until after signing day so the Ducks would have to wait for this one.    

UPDATE (1:45 PM)  Things look to be done as the Ducks have signed 20 high schoolers and 3 JC kids.  Names are below:

QB Bryan Bennett

OL Ryan Clanton

S Erick Dargan

LB Isaac Dixon

DB Eric Dungy

OL Hronnis Grasu

CB Troy Hill

LS Drew Howell

DT Ricky Heimuli

ATH Josh Huff

WR Keanon Lowe

K Alejandro Maldonado

LB Derrick Malone

CB Dior Mathis

DB Terrance Mitchell

ATH James Scales

OL Nick Rowland

DE Isaac Remington

DE Tony Washington

RB Lache Seastrunk

TE/DE Curtis White

TE Brandon Williams

RB Dontae Williams

UPDATE (12:55 PM) Cornerback Anthony Jefferson just chose UCLA over Oregon and Arizona.  No surprise here as he was expected to be a Bruin.

according to multiple sources, four star safety Erick Dargan out of Pittsburg, California has sent in his Letter of Intent to Oregon.  Great sign for the Ducks giving them another talented secondary player.

Tight End Christian Thomas has signed with USC over Oregon.  That gives USC three top ten tight ends in this class.   

UPDATE (12:16 PM) Defensive tackle Ricky Heimuli (HEY-MEW-LEE) surprised many by picking the Oregon Ducks over the Utah Utes and UCLA Bruins.  Heimuli is the Ducks' first defensive tackle commit of this class and will bring a big, powerful body somewhat similar to Haloti Ngata to an undersized defensive line. 

Coming into today, the Oregon Ducks have already reeled in some top-level talent.  The Ducks' biggest needs had to be at wide receiver and the defensive line, and while both areas have added bodies, they were not necessarily the level they were hoping for.

Overall, the Ducks have the 22nd rated class in the country heading into signing day.  Let's take a look at who the Ducks have signed so far.

Five-star RB Lache Seastrunk is a small, shifty back that has drawn comparisons to former USC running back Reggie Bush because of his agility and speed. 

The highest rated running back out of Texas felt that Oregon would be a great fit for him and the type of offense the Ducks run.  He no doubt saw highlight tapes of what LaMichael James was able to do and envisioned a tandem job with him and James. 

The last five-star running back the Ducks signed was some guy named Jonathan Stewart.

Five-star DE Curtis White has been verbally committed to the Ducks for two years.  The end out of Sheldon High School in Eugene also played tight end in high school, but will most likely fill a huge hole on the defensive line. 

At 6’5”, 240 pounds, White should give the Ducks some speed off of the end, probably to fill the role of Will Tukuafu as he grows up and bulks up.

From the four-star ranks, the Ducks have picked up commitments from offensive linemen Nick Rowland and Ryan Clanton, running back Dontae Williams, cornerback Dior Mathis, and quarterback Bryan Bennett.

Rowland and Clanton shore up a young and talented offensive line.  I would expect Rowland to redshirt, while Clanton is ready immediately coming from a junior college.  With line coach Steve Greatwood coaching the boys, Ducks fans can be assured that the line is in good hands.

While Williams is rated a three-star player by Scouts.com, most everyone else has him as a four-star player.  Williams has a little more bulk than Seastrunk and also has the speed to break away from the pack.

Seastrunk and Williams were the top two running backs out of the state of Texas this year, so Duck fans should be pretty pleased that they got both.

Mathis is a 5’9” cornerback out of Detroit, Mich. with unbelievable speed.  He is clocked at a 4.31 40-yard dash, which is important for a cornerback.  His technique at the position is outstanding but, because of his size, he needs to bulk up and work on tackling and getting off blocks.  Mathis will probably see some action in nickel packages early and I would expect him to be a starter by his junior season.

Bennett has been one of the quickest rising players leading up to signing day.  The quarterback is a dual-threat player out of California that fits Oregon’s system perfectly. 

Bennett committed in early June and was relatively unheralded, but his play during his senior year was great and he has been rising ever since.  Though he is lean at 185 pounds, he will bulk up and be a great option after redshirting next season.

Other notable pickups include wide receiver Keanon Lowe, defensive tackle Isaac Remington, offensive lineman Hronnis Grasu, tight end Brandon Williams, linebacker Isaac Dixon, and safety Eric Dungy.

Lowe is a Portland kid who was all-state player defensively, but will play offense in college.  Lowe has been compared to DeSean Jackson because of his speed and will most likely play the slot receiver in Oregon’s scheme.

Remington is a junior college kid who can come in and will be used immediately.  He has a never-ending motor and decent size at around 6’5”, 265 pounds.  The main concern here is that Remington has had some injury problems throughout his career. If he stays healthy, he will be a great addition for a thin Oregon Ducks defensive line.

Grasu is another talented offensive lineman who can move and will be another player to stash away for a year or two down the road.

Brandon Williams is a talented junior college player who has been heralded by many around the country for his ball-catching skills and play in traffic.  He isn’t the fastest player, but he can do some things that will be special for Chip Kelly and the Oregon offense.

Dixon is an undersized linebacker with great speed and would fit well in that Eddie Pleasant mold.  If he can continue his strength training, he could turn into a valuable asset at the outside linebacker position.

Eric Dungy, son of former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, is one of the most recent commits after a visit to Eugene over the weekend.  Dungy is small, but you can bet that his football IQ is very high given his father was a player and Super Bowl champion coach.  He will most likely never be a huge star, but a role player that could help win games with smart and crafty play on defense.

The Ducks still have many players left on the board who are supposedly still considering committing to Oregon, including four-star players middle linebacker Hayes Pullard, tight end Christian Thomas, defensive tackle Ricky Heimuli, wide receiver Ivan McCartney, cornerback Anthony Jefferson, safety Eric Dargan, defensive tackle Bjorn Werner, and wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins. 

A couple of these players would push the Ducks' recruiting class up into the top 10 nationally.  The defensive line problem really hasn’t been solved, but I would expect that if it continues to be a problem, Kelly would move a couple of offensive linemen over to the defensive side of the ball. 

It's obvious that the Rose Bowl season certainly helped attract one of the best recruiting classes in Oregon history.