Colt Lyerla Commits To Oregon Over USC: What It Means For Oregon Football

The Oregon Ducks just received some very good news. No, Auburn is not handing them the National Championship trophy, but they have received a verbal commitment from Hillsboro (OR) ATH Colt Lyerla.

Lyerla can play various spots on the field and will be a huge help to the Ducks' program, as they try to stay atop the new Pac-12.

Let's check out what this means for Oregon football.

Lyerla Scouting Report

Lyerla is a tremendous athletic specimen who has been compared to Brian Urlacher. His physical testing and measurables are amazing, as he is 6-5, 225 pounds and has been timed as low as 4.5 in the 40.

Lyerla plays with great speed, agility, quickness, instincts, and strength. He likely will get a shot at strongside outside linebacker will be able to cover tight ends with ease. Lyerla also can pass rush and blitz which can let a defense use him as a sub rusher on passing downs, if not staying at linebacker to cover backs and tight ends.

Lyerla main weakness is his strength and his versatility. He needs to focus on one position and get as many reps at that spot as possible so he can hone in on the small nuances of that specific position.

Wherever Lyerla ends up in Eugene, his athleticism will allow him to be very successful.

Other Finalists: Cal & USC

Lyerla chose Oregon over the likes of Cal and USC.

Each team was heavily involved in the running and recruited Lyerla very hard.  For Lyerla, the idea of playing for Oregon, in a defense built on speed and athleticism like Lyerla possess was too much to pass up.

Lyerla also likely was swayed by the hundreds of uniform combinations the Ducks have.

What This Means For Oregon's Class

Oregon already has a top-15 type of recruiting class and Lyerla's pledge could vault them into the top 10 in updated rankings next week.

Lyerla joins a class that already has pledges from Devon Blackmon, Christian French, Tyler Johnstone, and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.

Perhaps the biggest winner is Anthony Wallace, another talented linebacker commit to Oregon, which has 5 linebackers committed in this class. If Lyerla winds up at linebacker, he and Wallace could give defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti two very talented and athletic linebackers for the future.