Brendan Bigelow

[JTinKC]

Have you seen his film ? In no way would it be burning a schollie, he is probably the best back in the nation.

I had heard the coaches think he's probably better than Lache - no way to burn a scholarship on somebody like that.

I don't see that at all. Don't get me wrong I think he looks like a great back, but he doesn't look like the best back nor does he look better than Seastrunk. Also I'd put stock in a guy that excels in a Texas high school football setting than most anything from the NW. My personal opinion is that this years RB's class is no where near as good as last years. At least from the guys who are near the top. If we don't get him it's not a huge loss. We've got top notch backs for 3-4 years to come. We need to focus on putting some meat on the line

[ncduck]

Why not use one scholly on this dude if possible? Nobody's saying to go for multiple backs, and if a top level rb is interested we should get him. Adding him would be awesome for depth.

It's not like the coaches are ignoring other positions. It wouldn't exactly be a sacrifice for another position to hand one scholly to the rb group.

If he chooses to go elsewhere, it doesn't mean the coaches feel we must go after some other RB they don't feel great about. It just means they really like this dude and want him on the squad.

I'm plenty sure that the coaches have a decent handle on how many schoolys are needed for each position and have a feel for how things are playing out. If not, I'm sure we can hook the coaches up with a couple of insiders.

[Bigducker]

He's actually from Fresneck. I would take Seastrunk anyday over Bigelow especially with Bigelow's injury, but I'd still take him. We don't have to have him. We've got great running backs for the next 3 or 4 years other than maybe another big back. I also really don't think LMJ will leave early.

An ACL injury as a junior is really the only question about Bigelow. He has electrifying athleticism with the ball in his hands, and he's a good receiver out of the backfield in order to get him the ball in space. He can make a guy miss and has legitimate straight line track speed to finish the run. A truly fast back, Bigelow trusts his speed in the open field and outruns angles rather than trying to cut back - Scott Kennedy, Scout.com.

[thegreenstain]

Most teams like to have 5 scholarship running backs on the roster at any given time, so there is obviously a spot open for someone like Bigelow. It isn't like the Ducks are overflowing with too many running backs. They simply have the sort of depth that you would expect a top notch program to have. If the Ducks want to consistently reach the level of teams like Alabama, Florida and Texas, they need to replenish their depth in each recruiting class, just like those teams do.

The 2011 running back situation could look like this...

LaMichael James - Jr. (could potentially be his final season)
Kenjon Barner - Jr. (gets playing time at TZR position as well)
Lache Seastrunk - So. (assuming he doesn't redshirt)
Dontae Williams - Fr. (assuming he redshirts)

Bigelow would help fill this depth chart out very nicely.

[MacDuck]

Anyone who says that it's no big deal if we don't get Bigelow or that we really don't need him, etc. doesn't know how much our staff wants him. He is their #1 target at RB and Campbell feels he could be better than Lache. Also, we're not going after him just to keep him from going to Cal or UW, though that certainly ends up being a very nice byproduct if he comes here. As for our depth at RB, certainly we're in pretty good shape, but adding one for the 2011 class is still viewed by the staff as important, especially if the right kid can be gotten.

Right now Cal is the leader, but I don't believe it's to the point where he's about to commit to them w/o even tripping here or paying the Dawgs another visit.

[ChipKellyKapowski]

folks need to let this "Could be LMJ's last year" nonsense go...
he's seriously lacking in size, and if we are to take him at his word he wants his diploma.

[Bigducker]

folks need to let this "Could be LMJ's last year" nonsense go...
he's seriously lacking in size, and if we are to take him at his word he wants his diploma.

Absolutely !! I would be very surprised to see LMJ leave early. Even though he's the man, he's going to have to share a lot of the carries he got last year with Barner and probably Williams and Seastrunk so i doubt he gets 1500 yrds unless his YPC goes way up. Plus he's going to have to gain a lot more weight for the NFL scouts to rate him as a 1st or second round player to get the big bucks.

[woundedknees]

One of LMJ's publicly stated goals is "Academic All-American".

[thegreenstain]

folks need to let this "Could be LMJ's last year" nonsense go...
he's seriously lacking in size, and if we are to take him at his word he wants his diploma.

If you are referring to this upcoming season being LaMichael's final, I would agree that is unlikely. However, if you are saying that LMJ might not leave after his junior season, which is what I pointed out, let me help you out a bit...

1. LaMichael redshirted his freshman season, thus he has a chance to earn his diploma without staying for his senior season.

2. If LaMichael were to put together big sophomore and junior seasons while staying healthy, continuing to get a bit bigger, stronger and faster (like he has every year since arriving) and displaying he can excel in areas he hasn't consistently shown in games yet (such as catching the ball out of the backfield), it would be naive at best to think there is no possibility he would entertain a jump to the NFL following his junior season. As a junior, James will likely be the same size as Jahvid Best, who not only left Cal a year early, but did so coming off a mediocre (by his standards), injury shortened season. Despite that, Best was drafted in the first round. If LaMichael is projected to be drafted in the first round following his junior year, which is obviously not a certainty, but very possible if the things I outlined previously develop, he would not have much to gain by coming back for a senior season, and potentially a lot to lose.

3. If the Best comparison isn't enough to debunk the myth that NFL teams are not willing to overlook size if players are fast enough, it is also worth noting that LaMichael (starting camp at 192) is already 20 pounds heavier than the #36 pick in the most recent NFL Draft (Dexter McCluster). I don't know if people saw LaMichael run track, but he is not some skinny little kid running around out there.

[Duckattack7]

folks need to let this "Could be LMJ's last year" nonsense go...
he's seriously lacking in size, and if we are to take him at his word he wants his diploma.

If you are referring to this upcoming season being LaMichael's final, I would agree that is unlikely. However, if you are saying that LMJ might not leave after his junior season, which is what I pointed out, let me help you out a bit...

1. LaMichael redshirted his freshman season, thus he has a chance to earn his diploma without staying for his senior season.

2. If LaMichael were to put together big sophomore and junior seasons while staying healthy, continuing to get a bit bigger, stronger and faster (like he has every year since arriving) and displaying he can excel in areas he hasn't consistently shown in games yet (such as catching the ball out of the backfield), it would be naive at best to think there is no possibility he would entertain a jump to the NFL following his junior season. As a junior, James will likely be the same size as Jahvid Best, who not only left Cal a year early, but did so coming off a mediocre (by his standards), injury shortened season. Despite that, Best was drafted in the first round. If LaMichael is projected to be drafted in the first round following his junior year, which is obviously not a certainty, but very possible if the things I outlined previously develop, he would not have much to gain by coming back for a senior season, and potentially a lot to lose.

3. If the Best comparison isn't enough to debunk the myth that NFL teams are not willing to overlook size if players are fast enough, it is also worth noting that LaMichael (starting camp at 192) is already 20 pounds heavier than the #36 pick in the most recent NFL Draft (Dexter McCluster). I don't know if people saw LaMichael run track, but he is not some skinny little kid running around out there.

Agreed, +1

[MacDuck]

Agree as well. Frankly I will be surprised if LMJ stays beyond the 2011 season if his expected production is there.

[Boom]

Productive college running backs rarely play past their junior years.


If James really wanted to...... he could probably get drafted after this season, but I doubt he would go high enough to make it worth it.

[UofDuck]

I guess I have mixed emotions on this issue. I would hate to see James go pro after this year, BUT if he was slated to be a 1st rounder, that means we totally blew up this season and would have likey won the Rose Bowl for him to get that type of national hype so....

Besides, I have no issue with Barner, or Lache, of Bigelow coming in and filling James spot should he be a first rounder. Only means better recruiting in the future.

The Pac 10 might be the conference of QB's but Oregon is becoming the conference of RB's.

[PDXShogun]

thegreenstain....Agree 100%

I've seen the argument on here a lot that he won't leave early because he's too small to be a high NFL draft pick which I think is just wishful thinking. Even if he'll never be a 1st round pick, if he has 2 more seasons like last year what's there to stick around for? He's always going to be small and a decade in school isn't going to make him J-Stew.

Watching guys like LT, Alexander, Larry Johnson, all take sharp nose dives in production we know that RB's in the modern NFL have a limited number of carries in their bodies, especially for small RB's. Why use those carries for free when you can get paid for them?The McCluster example is an excellent one (Best was listed at 212, I doubt james ever breaks 200). While he may never be a feature back, there is a place in the NFL for James speed and talent.
...

As for Bigelow, despite our young depth chart, we'll only have 4 scholarship RB's next season and only 3 the next (I think we have to anticipate LMJ's departure, if he stays it's a bonus). While it's not a high priority, I still think we need 1 RB in this class for future depth. A guy like Bigelow who could challenge, and possibly even surpass the others would be ideal.

[Phenom]

McCluster is not a good example. They're totally different players. McCluster was drafted as a WR, I believe. LMJ's hands aren't very good. I still think he could have a solid career in the NFL, but I see very little chance that he leaves early.