EastBayDuckDad

So Nix stays. Then Moore goes to UCLA. Not good. But maybe the Uiagalelei Bros. come to Oregon. That could be ok. Or not, and Nix declares and we get Moore since if it's not LA it's Eugene. Maybe. Or Card, since Oregon's new OC guided him through his football adolescence. But you're only sixteen once, and who really wants to go back there again. Perhaps Thompson stays and learns to read a defense. Or not. Maybe the QB room is empty and we run a wildcat in 2022. Or start a walk on and run a 22 set all day long. Heck, Oregon State beat the Ducks running that three weeks ago. The WRs all transfer since the offense is all block and no rock. Or convince Jeff Lockie that he still has a year of eligibility. Sheesh...

Not that big of a mullet fan myself, but there was no mistaking Jaramillo's blond locks on the field. A bit of a surprise here as he was playing well in the rotation and figured to either be a starter or first backup at G or T across the O-line. Particularly as he is a local kid from Lake Oswego. Perhaps Oregon is set to add the OL transfer from Rhode Island or some other high level portal player that would have reduced his chances of starting. His younger brother is back in the depth chart some and I wonder if he stays or goes.

I'll bet he's good. Aussie punters practice trying to drop a kick next to the Joey in their Jill's couch from 50 meters away. Good on ya, mate!

Biggest need on D is still at the edge, IMO. There is a reason why elite DL/Edge players are drafted so high. They harass QBs and make life miserable for OCs and easier for their DBs. Oregon's secondary woes this year were exacerbated by an inconsistent pass rush that put those DBs on islands all too often. Think how KT altered games and facilitated Holland, Lenoir, Graham, VMIII, Breeze, et all to improve coverage and be ball hawks. Unfortunately there are few great edge players in the portal and only a couple in the 2023 recruiting class that would be instant impact players. Oregon needs to land one. Watching Jacobs' tape reminds me of another fast and rangy LB that led the Duck defense not all that long ago. If he is nearly as good as big brother Dye, he will be a linchpin for DL and crew.

This is pretty terrible news if the details are true and he was down for 10-15 min before resuscitation, followed by seizures after a rhythm was re-established. The NIH and American Academy of Neurology have outcomes based on those predictors that are dismal. Love him or hate him, he is one of the most entertaining and 'colorful' coaches in CFB and would be missed. Here's hoping that these early reports are overly negative. What is it about coaching at MSU that is extraordinarily bad for one's health? Leach's predecessor Joe Moorhead tried to die from a perforated colon last year as Oregon's OC before the ill fated Stanford game.

In the business world when you consider hiring someone from another company, you want to dig under the visible performance and learn something about character and work ethic. As long as everything is out in the open, a simple phone call can help read between the lines of a resume'. I wonder how often coaches communicate with each other on potential transfers in the portal. I have to believe some similar form of due diligence goes on. If you have direct input on those important intangibles, like Dilly did on Bo, Locklyn on Noah and Coach Meat on Gonzo, you can make an intelligent call. Cota was a known entity at Oregon, but did DL maybe contact CK for more detail? Do coaches ever give a private negative review that could make a team fishing the portal have second thoughts on signing that former 4-5☆? Perhaps in-conference rivals would be tight lipped about negative issues (Let so-and-so player become his headache). Then again, maybe problem players are more common knowledge than we think and even if it's 'good riddance', a coach would rather not have to face the fallout in their own conference. I'd like to believe coaches prioritize the well being of the student athlete as much as possible (he's a great kid that didn't really fit or develop in our system, but he might in yours) and want them to land in a good spot.

Charles gives us a very interesting perspective on the portal. There is little argument that U$C would have improved and been less of a dumpster fire just with Riley at the helm. But you add Williams and Addison and you have a team that came close to the CFP and may still (hoping not) have a Heisman winner. I hold that you don't need near 100% success on transfers to make it worthwhile. 75% will do. I think most would consider Bo, Bucky, Noah, Cota, Gonzo and maybe Rogers home runs/extra base hits. Riley and Taki singles. Chapman, Bales and Boyle strike outs. Some of that underperformance is due to injury. If you anticipate that half of the HS recruits you give a scholarship to never pan out, then the downside of taking a kid in the portal (takes a scholly, doesn't see the field, bad influence, you're stuck with him) is offset by the right fit and proven performance at another program. Oregon would not have had the good season it had without the home run transfers. The main disappointments were players Oregon (Cristobal) recruited, primarily on defense. Maybe it was scheme, injuries, coachability or whatever, but without Gonzo the DBs would have been a greater weakness than they were. I think Lanning and the asst. coaches on very short notice did a remarkable job cobbling together a group of quality transfers in 2022. Most of the home runs were players known to the staff and were thought to be good fits. They were proven right for the most part. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt going forward.

Wasn't Cota 3rd or 4th WR on the 2021 UCLA team in production before he transferred to Oregon? That seemed to have worked out ok.

Neel: "In playing style I see some similarities, mostly because of Williams’ ability to get out of the pocket and make things happen with his legs when things break down. To be honest, I don’t see many similarities when it comes to personality" Not so subtle jab at Mr Creative Manicures compared to St. Marcus

Charles, Thank you for continuing this experiment in intelligent and civil exchange. It has become a one stop shop for OBD news and information. As many others have stated here, this is the only Duck forum I frequent and post to. Like any other endeavor where people share ideas and information, there will always disagreement and friction. The anonymity of social media allows some to indulge in behaviors that they would never attempt in a face to face interaction. Some are just p/o'd at life, job, family and the car in front of them. They want to vent about something. It's too easy to get overly passionate about the performance of 18-22 year old student athletes and their coaches from the comfort of your couch and laptop. Someone has to moderate and it takes wisdom to insure everyone gets to exit with their dental work (and where possible, pride) intact. Thanks as well for the couple of times you have raised an eyebrow at a post of mine that ventured into blue or snarky territory. Keeping the guardrails static makes for a standard that all need to respect. Your sandbox, your rules. Please keep it going with whatever IT and moderation assistance is required. Be gratified that what you have here is unique in the right way. I suppose also be gratified that October/November/December is the peak of the college football silly season for fans and that things will simmer down some in the new year.

Five scholly RBs seems about right. Last year it was Bucky, Noah, James, Dollars and Cardwell (with Seven as a hybrid RB/Slot WR) Replace the last two (three) on that list with Dowdell and Limar and the room is full again. Room for a lot of offensive looks and (heaven forbid) an injury or two. I wholeheartedly agree that the LB/Edge room needs filling, but I'm anticipating that DL and the D coaches are working the portal to that end.

Agreed, Charles. I recall a couple of TV sideline looks where the offense was rolling without him on the field (12 sets, for example, with Cota and Franklin at WR) and he looked like someone moistened his cornflakes. I think that he was a significant part of the offense this season and has been told as much by the coaches. I'll wager they also put up some behavioral guardrails for him to stay between. I guess we'll see.

As much as I never want to see him field a KO or punt again, he is a solid WR with good hands who can get open. Lanning's sideline attitude readjustment approach seemed more effective than MC's 'light you up like a road flare' technique. I hope he stays and just gains some maturity.

It was interesting to me why so many DL/Edge players went into the portal. At first I thought it was a worrying trend but it all seems well thought out. All recruited by the Cristobal staff, they really must not be a fit for Lanning's scheme. Looking at who was brought in last year by DL and Lupoi for the middle of the D-line (Taki, Rogers and Riley), big bruisers plugging the gaps to stop the run seems to have worked for the most part. I suppose the next step is recruiting and/or getting transfers that fit the fast and aggressive edge players Lanning had at Georgia and wants for Oregon. Ones that can get to the QB and create havoc. Although this leaves the Ducks with a bit of a bare cupboard for the bowl game, it seems the coaches are working the long term.

This portal business, both in and out. is like watching a roulette wheel spin while trying to predict where the ball will land. Going to take a deep breath now and do something else for the rest of today, like put up the Christmas tree, and check a few things off the to do list.

Oh well....

Funny you should ask. Louisville HC just jumped to Cincinnati this morning so they are going to hire a new coach asap. And it won't be Stein. Figure three years for success or failure for the new coach before they look to poach Oregon's OC.

Listening to Stein talk in that video, he sounds like a lightning quick offensive version of DL. Pushing the ball down the field is a priority. His WRs at UTSA are near tops in FCS for yds gained and TDs. One of those stand out receivers is a 6'4" kid named Joshua Cephus. Duck fans should remember his older brother Quintez from the 2020 Rose Bowl. Now with the Detroit Lions he was a wrecking ball WR in that game who gave the very good Oregon secondary fits. Not that the younger Cephus will follow Stein to Oregon, but it's fun to look at the connection. I don't know why, but I see this as good karma.

Wait and see if this is legit. Checks a few boxes: Young and bright (it seems). Successful offense at UTSA Former D1/P5 QB QB developer Coached Texas QB Hudson Card in HS who is now in the portal

This new rumor just out via Bleacher Report and on3, but who the heck knows what's real and what's not.

Yowza! That's a Neon Deion bull in the china shop. He will definitely attract some talent to Boulder in the portal. A competitive Colorado will be better for the Pac1? going forward. But with the money not lined up yet to make it happen, it's big hat, no cattle (bison) until then. Oregon needs to lock in it's own high level portal talent now.

Thanks to DznC for another great analysis of Oregon's needs on defense. I noted this morning that DL has offered a blue chip DB at Alabama that he recruited at UGA. The DB position was spotty this year but Gonzo was the lock down corner that kept it from being a lot worse. His development after transferring from Colorado will have him drafted high in round 1 and will be a beacon for potential transfers. The graduation and mass exodus of edge/Jack LBs creates a real challenge for the Ducks. Lanning was asked about it relating to depth for the Holiday Bowl and he more or less brushed it aside. It seems that there may be more to it than we see on the surface. I wonder at what point the coaches sit down with players to give them honest assesments of past performance and future opportunity. Do the transfers indicate a reality of limited future playing time? A perceived mis-fit of skills and the defensive scheme that DL is implementing? After a less than optimal year, perhaps those electing to hit the portal know that Oregon will be bringing in players that better fit Lanning's vision. Regardless, I would anticipate the next several days will reveal a stream of defensive portal talent committing to Oregon. Go get a couple Gonzo level players and find the second coming of KT! Go Ducks!

Lanning just announced that Nix would play in the Holiday Bowl. They are close to announcing a new OC

A bit surprised by this one, LaDuke's playing time in 2022 was significant and effective. Figured to play more next year. Is it possible that Sewell and Flowe are sticking around and he saw his role as static?