Charles Fischer

Not only did Dan Lanning beat Cristobal's record of 14 of the 4/5-Star players on Rivals, but smashed it by signing a total of 16, the third best class ever after only one year? The Ducks moved ahead of Clemson and Notre Dame and beat USC for the Pac-12 lead....thus far. (Duce Robinson yet) DuckSportsAuthority OREGON.RIVALS.COM The definitive source for all Oregon news.

247 is reporting it as well. Greg Biggins of 247 offers this information... In a decision that went down the wire, Gardena (Calif.) Serra defensive backs Rodrick Pleasant just announced he’ll play his college ball for Oregon. Pleasant had a final five of Boston College, Cal, Oregon, UCLA and USC but it really came down to the Ducks and Trojans. Just how close was this race? We talked to Pleasant Tuesday and he was still wrestling with the decision. In fact, he didn’t lock it in until earlier this morning. So how did the Ducks pull this out? “I have a great relationship with the coaches and they really recruited me hard throughout this process,” Pleasant said. “I felt really connected with the staff and not just one or two coaches but everyone there. “I’ve known coach Meat (Demetrice Martin, DB coach) for a long time, that’s my guy right there. I used to run track against Cole (Demetrice Martin’s son) when we were young and he has been recruiting me since I was a freshman.” Pleasant said Dan Lanning, Tosh Lupoi and Rashad Wadood were all involved as well. “Coach Lanning is a great guy and whenever we talked, he always emphasized how much they want me,” Pleasant said. “They see me as a game changer and a player they want to get snaps not just on defense but offense and returning kicks." “I still remember my official visit there and how much Oregon opened my eyes. That was when I knew Oregon could be home for me. I loved the atmosphere and the fan support. Oregon really has everything you need to be successful and they put so much in to the athletes, that was big for me.” Pleasant is one of the nation’s top sprinters and will double sport for the Ducks. His 10.14-100m and 20.40-200m times are the fastest returning times in the country. Although track didn’t play as big a role in his decision as some have speculated, the Ducks prestigious program definitely didn’t hurt their chances here either. “Oregon is Track Town USA and they have the best facilities in the country,” Pleasant said. “At Oregon, they really encourage you to double sport and that was great. They love two sport athletes there and the football coaches were adamant about me doing both. "I met all the track coaches on my visit and I like them a lot. Academically, I was surprised that Oregon has a strong Business program too and that's what I plan to major in. When I looked at everything that was important to me, relationship with the coaches, playing time, comfort level on campus, academic fit, being a two-sport athlete, Oregon checked off every box for me." Pleasant plans to run track in the spring at Serra, which is why he waited until February to sign his letter of intent. “I’m not an early enrollee so I never felt an urgency to commit or sign early,” Pleasant said. “Plus this was a really hard decision and I needed all the time I could get. “I don’t know how some of these guys in the ’24 class have already decided. So much can happen between now and when you sign so I’m glad I waited and I’m comfortable that I made the best decision for me.”

It is official: Harbor to South Carolina. It is frustrating, in that the new track facility should be pulling in precisely this type of player. Yet, we came in late in this recruiting, and it was quite the ride and fun. Bottom line? Both players today are not essential in this class; what was FAR more important were the two portal offensive linemen signed for next year. They will be in every offensive play. Tough one to take...

Now Steve Wiltfong of 247 is saying that the buzz at Harbor's high school right now is for South Carolina this morning, and he has made that prediction as well.

Both happen, hard to know what each will do.

I am holding my breath, but this is significant....

Let's hope Dan Lanning is doing this at the end of the day....

So Rivals is predicting Harbor to Oregon, along with 247 and ScoopDuck? (On3)

Well, Hopkins, is right in that if his predictions are true, Oregon would sure be in the national headlines in a big way today. It would be quite the bonus!

It has been reported that Duce Robinson may not decide and sign today. This may go another month or two as Josh Connely did last year. In that case Oregon would have a better chance…

These recruitments might be going the wrong way....

A Special Message for ANYONE I Have Sent a "Violation Notification" Email To... Thank you for being a strong, stand-up individual. You have no idea how unique you are, the men and women who have received these violation-notification emails from me. I say that because you cannot imagine how many people just leave the site because they got ONE is all. Now I am not banning people or even warning them, but simply notifying them of a violation and providing a ton of information besides in the email. You would not believe how many people cannot handle that. Some names you would recognize are gone, and not by my choice; they were tough enough to break the rules, but not tough enough to handle a notification email? It epitomizes the incredibly selfish culture I've written about that is prevalent today. Goodness knows that I've made many mistakes that I've owned up to publicly. None of us wear halos here, as we all make mistakes. But some have the attitude where they love the rules...until the rules apply to them. This is the slow time anyway, the off-season, when traffic is usually much lower, but it is a shame people can dish it out, but not be able to take it. (Even mildly!) How DO You Post Correctly Here? Post your opinion, your facts, your logical rationale...that is it. No reference to anyone else, just post your thoughts--that is it! (And I want everyone's opinion on every topic!) --Be Polite and Respectful to others in your post. --Do not tell others what to think, what to feel, or what to write. --No reference of any kind to politics. Easy-peasy! When everyone just posts their thoughts and opinions...we have reasonable discourse, and we learn from each other. It works. Those of you who have received my emails and continue to post? Take a bow, as it is people like you who make this place special. Thank you for being a good sport. Charles

There are a ton of blah-blah articles out there this morning, and it is often that a recruit is really torn between a couple of schools, and some small not-noticed aspect breaks the tie and swings the recruit to a school. I have a theory on both Nyckoles Harbor and Rodrick Pleasant that may be from left field, but have influenced players in the past. For Pleasant...if he hinted to Oregon before Feb 1st--the backlash where he lives in SoCal is significant, and it could be enough to turn him away from the Ducks. Yet if he claims to be torn...and signs with the Ducks--there is not anything that peer pressure or backlash from other channels that can be changed. He might be playing possum to the USC fans at this point? As for Harbor, an element I did not know existed until his visit is the presence of a "Director of Influence," Redell Spinks. He is playing the part of consultant, advisor, player-rep, agent, or whatever you wish to refer to him as. The point is--he has the ear of Harbor in a big way, and is looking to get the most exposure and $$$s for Nyckoles. I've heard he is getting acquainted with other Oregon targets, thus he might want to be a piece of the Oregon pie when it comes to NIL? If you are in his position--you want to get in on the Oregon gravy-train that everyone believes exists. In terms of his own interests--this handler would see the biggest upside to his career with Harbor signing with Oregon. It is a distasteful new component in this recruitment, and will have its own problems if he comes to Oregon, but it could help swing Harbor Oregon's way. Of course then the question is..."do you want him when he has an agent/rep/whatever already?" Of course an answer might be..."all the big players will have this," so just as the NFL had to get used to agents back in the 60s--this might be CFB's moment for that? Just pondering. Don't kill the messenger...

A new article just up for subscribers only...but the juicy tidbit is... Four of Harbor's finalists are in the eastern time zone, but he said the distance associated with going to school at Oregon is not an issue. "I could go out there," he said. "I could do that." Note the assistant coach on the right; it is not the TE coach, but Junior Adams the Wide Receivers coach!

He has been to prior meets, I believe this last summer as an 18 & Under competitor at the new Hayward Field. (The picture below is not Hayward Field) He made reference in a prior article to the new facilities, although I doubt he went inside and saw the whole package that Track and Field athletes will have.

Holy Crap! Look at the track record of predicting by the fellow above! If I was a Gamecock fan...I'd be feeling prettay-prettay good. You want drama? How much better can it be than this? I do not recall Oregon being involved with a such a high-profile recruit just two days before the February signing date where FOUR schools felt good about their chances. Whew!

And here is what the insider at South Carolina had to say! ------------------------------------------------ Monday Afternoon Harbor Intel by Tony Morrell I know everyone is awaiting the decision of Washington (D.C) Archbishop Carroll five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor, who will announce his college choice on Wednesday around 10:00 AM live on ESPN. The 6-foot-5, 230 pounder took his final official visit of the process over the weekend to Oregon, and there is some optimism on the side of the Ducks where Harbor is concerned given the combination of football, track, and the Nike connection they have to offer him. Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer and multiple assistant coaches conducted their in-home visit with Harbor last week before his trip to Eugene. Harbor has a strong relationship with several South Carolina commitments and has been on campus multiple times, both officially and unofficially. Up to this point in the process, Harbor and his family have done a great job of keeping everyone who is following his recruitment in suspense. It seems sources at South Carolina, Oregon, and Michigan are all feeling some sense of optimism, and nobody in the recruiting world seems to have a firm grasp on which school Harbor will choose tomorrow. Two sources I spoke with Monday believe it will be South Carolina or Oregon in the end. My information indicates the Gamecocks staff has the best connection with Harbor and his family and that there is a high level of trust between the two parties. Harbor in a Gamecock uniform Beamer and Co. (South Carolina head coach) have also outworked the schools to land Harbor, and the Harbor family has noted their efforts. While NIL is certainly a part of his decision, it is not the driving force. It is more about branding and opportunities to build his reputation over the course of his career, both in football and track. While crazier things have happened, going from Washington D.C. to Eugene, Oregon, after only visiting one time seems unlikely on the surface given how tight-knit the Harbor family is, and it does not sound like a family move across the country is likely with his father having job specific to D.C. Certainly, things could change, but it sounds like the suspense will carry over all the way up to his announcement, and everyone will find out at the same time where he is taking his talents, but my feeling is still that the Gamecocks have the best chance to land him as of this writing. As such, I am entering a crystal ball prediction for South Carolina based on the entirety of my information, even though this is not a scenario where I know for sure where he is headed. It is just my best guess after speaking with as many sources as I could. Harbor will play football and run track at whichever school he chooses. He is capable of playing on either side of the ball on the gridiron, but all indications are he wants his primary position to be on the offensive side. Harbor is considered the nation's No. 1 athlete and the No. 19 overall prospect in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

This is from an insider for a Maryland Pay-Site as of noonish today. ------------------------------------------------ What I'm Hearing as Five-Star Nyckoles Harbor Enters Decision Time by Jeff Ermann Nyckoles Harbor is wrapping up his visit to Oregon and taking the long trek back to Maryland. For the Terps, that long journey -- about an eight-hour trip that inevitably includes at least one connecting flight -- is one of the biggest points of hope. Harbor is big on the local DMV scene, so in my estimation, after discussions with several sources at schools recruiting him and others with close personal insight about his family's process, it will largely come down to whether the pull of Oregon's rich track setup and close connections to the Nike marketing machine is strong enough to lure him farther away than he previously considered going. From what I've gathered, Maryland entered the weekend with hopes of getting the five-star local athlete, but also concerned that Oregon has made a big surge. Other sources close to Harbor's family have indicated that NIL and marketing have taken on an increasing role during the past six to eight weeks, as I previously reported in December. That's not to say Maryland isn't competitive in those aspects, because the Terps do have built a solid program in that aspect -- but if it comes down primarily to those criteria, it's hard for anyone to compete with Oregon's familial Nike connections and world-class track facility. Michigan and South Carolina also remain in the mix. Michigan is cautiously optimistic, and I'm told his parents are fond of that program and the academics there. South Carolina media and apparently Shane Beamer are confident, but other sources close to his recruitment there and others don't seem as optimistic that the Gamecocks are players. Harbor in a Maryland uniform All told, no one, perhaps even Harbor and his family, knows where he's going. About a month ago, before the Oregon push, he was clearly Maryland's to lose. If I had to put percentages on it now, purely from those conversations and my gut feeling right now, I'd probably give Oregon a 50% chance, Maryland a 35% chance and the other two a combined 15%. But no outcome would shock me. if it came down strictly to comfort, it likely would be Maryland. If it came down strictly to marketing and track offerings, it would be Oregon. If academics were the lone priority, it would likely be Michigan. And the buzz a few months ago was that South Carolina was the favorite, so maybe they've fooled everyone outside of Columbia and quietly stayed in pole position? The bottom line, it's largely going to come down to whether Harbor, after getting a taste of what Oregon has to offer but also the travel involved in getting there -- decides he's willing to go that far away. I'm told his mom doesn't love the idea of that distance and was not on the trip, on which Harbor had about five other guests with him. But his father is more involved in the decision-making process. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I understand that this roller-coaster gives many indigestion, but I find it exciting and fun. My FishDuck Friends....we are in the good-or-good scenario. The Dan-man has landed a supreme high school and portal recruiting class, and this is just....

What I do like about Stein's offense that I've heard from other sources, is how he likes to throw deep downfield often during a game. Power-running to bring more defenders in the box, and then get the one-one-one matchups on the WRs. Fun article Joshua, and THANKS.

It is interesting also that he was pictured in a chrome helmet, as I don't think we've used that helmet since the Rose Bowl for the 2019 season? A beautiful lid...

I was worried, as one report indicated he might wait with his announcement until after his High School Track season. Glad to know one way or the other soon enough... A pay-site that is pretty plugged in thinks our major competition is Maryland, because of great relationships between their coaches and Harbor and because of the distance. Maryland is close, and Oregon is not.

The Tag-Team of Cristobal/Arroyo held Justin Herbert down better than defense in the NFL!

You are being very kind. I was oblivious to it all, and frankly am not as sympathetic as many are towards them. Only Red China tries to break into my site as many times as Ukraine, and the removal of all political parties there (except for the ruling one) confuses me as to who is actually worse to their people between their government, and their current opponent. And a Ukrainian SEO company got me to do a boatload of work...and then would not pay me as all others do. Not a bunch of nice people in my view, thus why I am not worried about the proper reference to them. But this can get into politics, so I better stop.

Working for the Devil you know?

I think he is a shooting guard as well. It is Cousinard who is the point, and with 18 points last night--can also score.