Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted January 31, 2023 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... 3 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin Vee No. 2 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Next comes the lawyers, bringing lawsuits, on both sides Good grief. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augduck No. 3 Share Posted January 31, 2023 (edited) I get a bit nervous when these so called 'handlers' get involved. Willy Lyles was considered an advisor and handler too. I realize that was a much different time and there was no NIL, but it still causes me to pause for thought. It may all be fine and I certainly hope it is. Just my 'old school' thinking. Edited January 31, 2023 by Augduck left out some verbiage Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikethehiker No. 4 Share Posted January 31, 2023 I don't like any of this NIL one bit. However, as long as we're turning on the TV to watch the games, $ will dominate the college football landscape. I have personally watched college football to escape the NFL. How is this sustainable? I'm not sure there is a middle ground here. College sports across the board are either amateur or they're not. Isn't NIL undermining the whole purpose of Title IX? As stated above, at some point there will be lawsuits to make sure everyone has access to the pie. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontrollonshobbas No. 5 Share Posted January 31, 2023 I am coming around to the axiom that "sunlight is the best disinfectant" within regards to the new NIL era. This stuff has always been going on, some would say, so let's make it transparent. That way we can judge the various handlers, players who hire handlers, the recruiting agencies, on their merits. The handlers & athletes athletes that lead to production on the field, honor commitments to schools reasonably, and meet all of the institutional requirements asked of them by the NCAA will be rewarded and future PSA's will know how to chart the best course for them. Those who don't.....won't. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioDuck No. 6 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Remember the handler may also have a lotto do with track. If he has the potential in track it looks like he has, he could be making a lot of money there and soon. With everything involved now in football, NIL, portal, NFL potential etc. you add track to that and Olympics, track endorsements (that's basically NIL should not get in the way of eligibility), it would be almost neglectful not to have someone knowledgeable to help guide you through all that. If it can pass muster with Mom, I think he's a Duck. BTW, take a look at some highlights of this guy. I know everybody is saying he is going to play offense, but dang this kid can play some D too. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
51smackdown No. 7 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Welcome to the new college football landscape. This stuff has been going on for decades. Back in the 70s I was recruited by LSU to play basketball. It was Dale Brown’s first year as head coach for the Tigers. I knew him from basketball camps I had attended with him. He was an assistant head coach at Washington State University at the time. He wanted to take me to LSU with him for his first year. So I go down for a recruiting trip. I was picked up at the airport by some LSU alumni people who said if I would choose to come to LSU they would give my a new car every year that I attended school there and played basketball . They drove we to another alumni’s home who was high executive at Converse shoe company he said after I graduated I would get a lifetime high paying job there. Then they drove me to another alumni who owned a bank in Baton Rouge. He handed me some spending money for the weekend and said if I chose to play basketball at LSU there would be an endless supply of money for me. I don’t think coach Brown was aware of it but I don’t know. This was for playing basketball! I can’t even imagine what a big time football player would have been offered ! It has always been there that dark under belly of alumni money. Now it’s out in the open for all to see with no NCAA sanctions to worry about. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCati855 Moderator No. 8 Share Posted January 31, 2023 On 1/31/2023 at 11:14 AM, 51smackdown said: Welcome to the new college football landscape. This stuff has been going on for decades. Back in the 70s I was recruited by LSU to play basketball. It was Dale Brown’s first year as head coach for the Tigers. I knew him from basketball camps I had attended with him. He was an assistant head coach at Washington State University at the time. He wanted to take me to LSU with him for his first year. So I go down for a recruiting trip. I was picked up at the airport by some LSU alumni people who said if I would choose to come to LSU they would give my a new car every year that I attended school there and played basketball . They drove we to another alumni’s home who was high executive at Converse shoe company he said after I graduated I would get a lifetime high paying job there. Then they drove me to another alumni who owned a bank in Baton Rouge. He handed me some spending money for the weekend and said if I chose to play basketball at LSU there would be an endless supply of money for me. I don’t think coach Brown was aware of it but I don’t know. This was for playing basketball! I can’t even imagine what a big time football player would have been offered ! It has always been there that dark under belly of alumni money. Now it’s out in the open for all to see with no NCAA sanctions to worry about. How's that Converse retirement plan working out? Ha! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownslowav8r No. 9 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Crazy. His Instagram account had a post strongly suggesting Oregon but now that account looks down. Hacked post? I didn’t search correctly? Wiltfong has 100% South Carolina. Think him and Pleasant are going elsewhere. SC and USC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Rambis No. 10 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Will be curious to see where they end up but I'm not holding my breath on the decisions of a couple of teenagers who are being torn in endless directions by family, posse, "handlers," coaches, media, public sentiment, etc. These decisions would be hard enough for 30-year-olds. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudslide No. 11 Share Posted January 31, 2023 (edited) On 1/31/2023 at 11:14 AM, 51smackdown said: Welcome to the new college football landscape. This stuff has been going on for decades. Back in the 70s I was recruited by LSU to play basketball. It was Dale Brown’s first year as head coach for the Tigers. I knew him from basketball camps I had attended with him. He was an assistant head coach at Washington State University at the time. He wanted to take me to LSU with him for his first year. So I go down for a recruiting trip. I was picked up at the airport by some LSU alumni people who said if I would choose to come to LSU they would give my a new car every year that I attended school there and played basketball . They drove we to another alumni’s home who was high executive at Converse shoe company he said after I graduated I would get a lifetime high paying job there. Then they drove me to another alumni who owned a bank in Baton Rouge. He handed me some spending money for the weekend and said if I chose to play basketball at LSU there would be an endless supply of money for me. I don’t think coach Brown was aware of it but I don’t know. This was for playing basketball! I can’t even imagine what a big time football player would have been offered ! It has always been there that dark under belly of alumni money. Now it’s out in the open for all to see with no NCAA sanctions to worry about. Great post. Thanks for the insight, 51. When I went to Cal in the '60s, I wasn't offered bupkiss. But now a question. Did you sign with LSU? Edited January 31, 2023 by Mudslide Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2002duck No. 12 Share Posted January 31, 2023 (edited) On 1/31/2023 at 10:05 AM, Augduck said: I get a bit nervous when these so called 'handlers' get involved. Willy Lyles was considered an advisor and handler too. I realize that was a much different time and there was no NIL, but it still causes me to pause for thought. It may all be fine and I certainly hope it is. Just my 'old school' thinking. I still to this day will not forgive John Canzano for ragging on the Ducks so much for the Willie Lyles nonsense. It was low-level steering. We weren't paying players 250k like what Auburn gave to Cam Newtown. I sure wish we could have, though. I've long seen the writing on the wall that college players will essentially become semi-pro. They deserve to be labeled as semi-pro. This isn't baseball or tennis, after all. These are freak athletes. Pay them, and get them adequate representation. These kids don't have MBA degrees at age 17 or 18- they should have professional agents guiding them. To Oregon. Edited January 31, 2023 by 2002duck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augduck No. 13 Share Posted January 31, 2023 Totally agree about JC ragging on the Ducks over the Willy episode and his partner in crime at the time was George Schroeder who was at the RG. Schroeder basically said Oregon was getting the death penalty and then walked that back big time saying his sources led him astray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllOregon No. 14 Share Posted January 31, 2023 The distance thing clearly burned recently. However if he really is after building a brand, is staying near mommy for maybe a max of 2 more years a top priority? I say no. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllOregon No. 15 Share Posted January 31, 2023 And Pleasant has to be gone with no official visit in hand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Haulin No. 16 Share Posted February 1, 2023 With or without these recruits, Oregon has a lot of talent and should field a very good football team. The foundation is set with the players lanning has now. Ducks will stack class after class equivalent to the 23 class. The next few years the Ducks are going to be a force. Harbor and Pleasant will choose to be a big part of that or be a face in the crowd somewhere else. Ducks are on the verge of changing the power structure of college football. I have no doubts with Lanning leading this progr'm. These last few recruits will not change the path Oregon is on. Whether they chose to be a part of it is up to them. Be a part of something special or be an also ran. 1 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeotechDuck No. 17 Share Posted February 1, 2023 We are missing on both of these guys. Remember, Mothers and Girlfriends are undefeated in recruiting. Who’s up next? 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuck No. 18 Share Posted February 1, 2023 So any signing tomorrow will be a surprise? Am I forgetting an unsigned commit? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownslowav8r No. 19 Share Posted February 1, 2023 @McDuckHarbor and Pleasant Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrw Moderator No. 20 Share Posted February 1, 2023 FWIW, all the predictions for Harbor on Duck Territory are for South Carolina. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDuck Moderator No. 21 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Latest from 247 Sports. With about 23 hours left before five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor is scheduled to announce his commitment, I wrote on the South Carolina site that unless something changes I think the Washington (DC) Archbishop Carroll standout would be a Gamecock. I also said later in the day on the 247Sports Recruiting Show that the Harbor camp continued to communicate with the other finalists, particularly Maryland and Oregon. After making another round of calls I think the momentum is with the Ducks as this thing approaches the finish line. He announces at 1 p.m. (ET). so if true they need to hold on for 11 hours. I know I've been all over the place on this one but I think that resembles the tide turns of this recruitment. 247Sports heard back early Wednesday morning from Azuka Harbor, Nyckoles’s dad about the official visit they took to Eugene over the weekend. “Nyck had a wonderful visit,” the elder Harbor said. ”The highlight is, touring the Nike village/town, having lunch with the President of Oregon Ducks, and meeting lots of good and kind people.” I think I lean Oregon for Top247 cornerback Rodrick Pleasant as well. USC is the other finalist and I know the buzz coming out the Polynesian Bowl favored the Trojans. Perhaps he still ends up playing for Lincoln Riley. If the Ducks do land Harbor and Pleasant they rise from No. 10 to No. 7 in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings. National Signing Day Buzz: The latest intel on the top prospects 247SPORTS.COM The latest here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDuck Moderator No. 22 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Oregon Recruiting: Storylines for Duck fans to watch on signing day DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Can Oregon add another 5-star to the 2023 class? Will the Ducks stay atop the Pac-12 recruiting rankings for the 5th-straight year? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
