David Marsh

Big... but what's their speed like? We have a big back in Habibi-Likio but he isn't terribly fast... or more to the point he isn't fast enough.

Nose Tackle would be great to get some instant impact players there... Another corner or safety wouldn't be bad... Need some depth there. Maybe a runningback? Need someone who is capable of more of a power run game than what we currently have the on the roster, but I don't feel great about picking up a quality runningback through the transfer portal at this time.

Mastro is actually one of the best recruiters in the conference... so it is very baffling why Oregon hasn't been able to land a blue chip runningback in the style of a Freeman. Verdell is really too small for an every down back and his injuries are troubling... though he is a fantastic weapon out of the backfield and even with some dumb pistol plunging runs he did seem to manage to fall forward... the big problem being that he didn't necessarily gain too many yards in the process. Dye is a wonderful change of pace back and super dangerous coming out of the backfield as a receiver. Cyrus Habibi-Likkio has the size but no where near the speed needed to be a true power back. Also his blocking is a bit suspect. Sean Dollars looked great as a runner in the Pac-12 Championship game... though he does seem to struggle with passes as he motions out of the backfield. I also suspect that he is not seeing the field as much as he is probably still developing as a blocker. Blocking, receiving out of the backfield, and running are all critical components to being a runningback in the Oregon system. Verdell seems to have all three things down but lacks the real size needed. So does Oregon need a new runningbacks coach? Maybe... Moorhead seemed to use less pistol in the last three games of the season so if that trend continues then I personally feel like it is less of an immediate issue. There are also some younger bigger backs on the roster though they weren't considered blue chip prospects... but maybe they can be developed into some powerful runningbacks. The runningback room right now is dominated by the 2017-18 classes and that has created a sort of barrier in recruiting as it would be difficult for younger players to break through... though Oregon really needs some bigger and faster backs to reach the next level.

Thanks for the update there 30Duck ... Steele is off the board but there are still a whole lot of names on that board that would be great at Oregon.

In truth I think JTT is dreaming if he thinks he will truly be able to play both football and basketball, their seasons overlap too much and the body type he would want for football doesn't necessarily covert to the basketball court. For football he needs to be big, strong and explosive and for basketball he would generally want to be leaner. Now this doesn't always hold true but will he be able to successfully cross train and practice enough to be legitimately good at both sports to play at the Division 1 level? Possible. Much better opportunity to play football and a spring sport... but I know he also loves basketball.

Offering him to play basketball is reasonable... HOWEVER the reality of it is that he probably wont see the court too much with ANY of the teams on his list as all have good football teams that will play into January. As we saw with Armstead, he had the chance to play basketball but by the time he could reasonably make it to the team his overall play time was impacted by the fact that he didn't have as much practice time as the full time basketball players. On the basketball front Oregon has had a better team on the whole than Alabama and Ohio State. So if he wants to be apart of teams that have the best opportunities of seeing the most of the post season Oregon is the destination.

Short Answer... YES! Longer Answer... Offense: From the sound of it the entire Offensive line plans to return... and even if one or two choose not to there will be plenty of talent behind them pushing for playing time. I would even be surprised that a 2020 starter loses a starting spot to a 2021 Freshman. All but one running back return and the one who is not returning wasn't even listed on this years depth chart. Johnny Johnson, and Jaylon Redd have not decided whether or not they will return next year but there is so much incoming talent and talent behind them that their starting spots will be contested if they choose to return. The only pass catcher that has so far declared they will not be returning is Hunter Kampmoyer though the Tight End room still looks like it will be well stocked next year. Quarterback will be an intense competition but that is on the whole a very good thing. Defense: Lenoir and Scott are leaving... that's about it. Everyone else got a year of needed experience and will be better next year. Summary: This Oregon team ended this year on a down note and they are going to want to prove themselves. The rest of the Pac-12 better look out because Oregon is recruiting better all the time and that youth has gained experience. KT and Wright are both going to be juniors and Sewell is going to be a sophomore, good luck Pac-12.

From the sound of it there might be some significant evaluations and changes within the program.

Most interesting... I think Mastro is a good coach as his previous stops have shown some pretty good runningbacks. Oregon needs some nice big fast backs. In real need of a Royce Freeman type. I like Cardwell as a bigger back and his speed seems good. Other big thing that is really worth mentioning about Oregon v USCs recruiting classes is that Oregon's is a pretty well rounded with an incredible offensive line class where USC has 2 quarterbacks, some Recievers and quite a few secondary players but it isnt well rounded. USC really lacks the beef on the lines. Picking up Foreman helps them in that regard but Oregon has something far more consistent.

The only thing I expect this off season is a spirited quarterback battle. Shough, Brown (assuming he stays), Butterfield, Ashford, Millen, and Thompson will all have opportunities to show their abilities. I do hope Millen thinks about switching positions though, I think he is outmatched and he delivered a real hit on special teams against USC. I think the competition will really come down to Shough, Brown, Butterfield and Thompson. Ashford is running pretty far back in the quarterback pack from this season but he could always surge to the forefront. With a rigorous off season we will know for sure we have the BEST option for quarterback.

We all know where to look if Oregon's pac-12 trophies go missing...

Happle has already said he is planning on staying at Oregon. He is enrolled in a master's program and he has always wanted to play for Oregon. I think he is a pretty smart kid and knows there isn't a realistic possibility of going pro whether he stays at Oregon or would theoretically go back to BSU. He'll get play time at Oregon next year. Doubt he is a starter but he can see the field as a reserve player. Might get himself another conference championship ring and might see another NY6 game or playoff game.

Glad he landed on a team that wears green so he can keep the green Oregon shoes.

I have soured on him pretty quickly personally... I'm sure he is a good positional coach but he has an up and down history as a play calling DC from the sound of it. And then there are some dubious stories surrounding him concerning recruiting. Oregon cannot afford a recruiting scandal! There is already enough negative recruitment against Oregon we don't need a scandal to make it worse. Also we are in the pac-12 ... So if there is a recruiting scandal we'll get all the punishment unlike sec schools.

Other side of the 4 down linemen is the flipped problem of needing four good linebackers.... a 4-3 needs 4 good, solid, powerful linemen on the field (which means at least 6 players who can play on the roster). Maintaining that year to year is pretty difficult or at least can be as some of the most coveted recruits are defensive linemen because of the physical attributes they must have to play at the College level. Though I suppose all these things are solved with recruiting. Personally, I like whatever puts the opposing quarterback on the ground with the most frequency.

I think in a normal year that might be the case... But this year their really aren't that many coaching jobs opening up. Some, yes, but if the desire is to get a new position and coach next year then their aren't many coaching vacancies. The pac-12 isn't desirable for many ... But Oregon is the big exception in many regards as I am sure there is a bit more money available as apart of Cristobal's coaching extension and back to back conference championships does set Oregon's future up in a big way... Especially with all the young talent.

He's got buyout money coming from Auburn. I know there are a lot of contracts out there that it can be advantageous for the coach and their new team to take a bit of a normal pay cut because of the way the buyout works for the contract for the team that fired them. Auburn still has to pay Steele a portion of his contract and there can be wording in there that concerns how much he may or may not be paid at a new destination and how much Auburn would have to keep paying him... if that makes sense. So Oregon (or another team) might be able to pick him up on the cheap because Auburn is still paying a chunk of the tab.

I don't know about gone... I can see quite a few coaches staying on in their current roles for some time. Maribal at offensive line for one... Though I agree that for the most part Oregon will become a revolving door of coaches who come and go. We just want coaches to leave for better jobs ideally... Because then we become a destination for that coaches want to come to develop and continue their careers, like the alabama model. It does put ever more importance on coaching hires though to make sure they are right from the start. With so many moving pieces there needs to be a connection from day one with the entire staff.

Need some speedsters. DAT had an effect on EVERY single play when he was on the field with or without the ball in his hands. The Opposing defenses needed to account for him every snap and that can pull defenders out of position and open it up for others to make big plays. Here is hope for this young man to develop and make it on the field. I don't know his background but how did he manage to sneak under the radar as a walkon?

An incredible year for Oregon Ducks in professional sports. I have watched far more nfl football than I ever do because of the Oregon connections. This is a huge boost for recruiting and a huge noon for fans.

Sounds exciting... With Cristobal potential talent both in terms of coaches and players is coming to Oregon in unprecedented levels. I am sure this will be a killer hire. I'm looking forward to the updated list tomorrow.

For the record I do believe Mario Cristobal is the coach to bring Oregon a National Championship. With that said I believe changes need to be made. It's a dynamic sport and nothing stands still long and constant evaluation needs to take place. I am obviously not in the room with the coaching staff so I can only make conjecture based on what I see on the field. We saw some flashes of offensive brilliance this season but when the offense needed to step up down the stretch they failed. I am looking forward to the spring game ... Probably more than any previous year. I do hope to see a far more dynamic offense by spring and fall next year.

I'm sure that giving walk-ons scholarships are planned for to a degree. Ryan Walk got a Scholarship this last year... Granted I feel walk-on scholarships tend to be something the coaches do that is nice for the players that have earned it if there are open scholarships out there. Oregon's scholarship limit is pretty tight right now so I think it will all depend on how many open scholarships they have by the time the season rolls around. The transfer portal has really taken away walk-on's possibilities as when there is a bit of surplus in scholarships most teams are opting to go portal shopping rather than handing out scholarships to those on the team. I'm not saying that it is right... just that it is...

I saw that list earlier... Difficult to say who is high on Oregon's list. I get the feeling that though Cristobal had a good chunk of money for his assistant coaches I don't think it'd make too much financial sense for him to go after Orlando... Buying out his contract and then paying him potentially more would be a high price. Steele could be good ... Good reputation and skilled recruiter but also comes with Auburn's continued payout for some financial support. Oregon is in a much better place than other pac-12 teams when it comes to coaching money... However, they still don't have SEC money do spending it wisely will be critical. Coaching serches are so exciting... Though a consistent coaching staff has some major benefits.

I wish him the best... as he hasn't broken out of the depth chart this year, I don't see it happening at all with so much talent at linebacker. It also opens up scholarships for Oregon which is kinda important.