Ted Miller's take on our Recruiting
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 5:51 pm
Dan from Olympia, Wash., writes: I have been avidly following Duck football and recruiting for years and can't understand with our fan support and facilities why we cannot land more blue chip recruits? I thought Tajh Boyd was a lock after his visit and once again was disappointed when Clemson swooped in from nowhere and scooped him up from under the coaching staffs noses.Please help a faithful but troubled fan understand why we can't compete for the big recruits.
Ted Miller: Want to know why Oregon doesn't compete for big recruits as much as you would like? Go to a handful of high school football games in Oregon. Then go to some in Florida, Texas, Ohio, Georgia and Southern California.
It's like varsity vs. JV, right?
Most prospects want to stay close to home. Clemson was WAY closer to Boyd's Hampton, Va., home than Oregon.
Oregon has to find 18-year-olds willing to move far from home -- and often away from sunnier climates.
Oregon does really well to sign as many elite prospects as it does. Consider this outstanding recruiting map put together by SI.com. And consider this conclusion:
Some coaches in sparse areas are better than others at convincing talented players to leave home. The state of Oregon produced only 44 BCS-conference signees in five years, but Oregon and Oregon State combined to win 81 games. What does that mean? It means Ducks coach Mike Bellotti and Beavers coach Mike Riley deserve raises.
The Ducks have finished in the top third of the conference in recruiting the previous two seasons. They may only finish in the middle this year. But the ultimate measure is winning, which Mike Bellotti has done a lot of since taking over a once middling program.
Ted Miller: Want to know why Oregon doesn't compete for big recruits as much as you would like? Go to a handful of high school football games in Oregon. Then go to some in Florida, Texas, Ohio, Georgia and Southern California.
It's like varsity vs. JV, right?
Most prospects want to stay close to home. Clemson was WAY closer to Boyd's Hampton, Va., home than Oregon.
Oregon has to find 18-year-olds willing to move far from home -- and often away from sunnier climates.
Oregon does really well to sign as many elite prospects as it does. Consider this outstanding recruiting map put together by SI.com. And consider this conclusion:
Some coaches in sparse areas are better than others at convincing talented players to leave home. The state of Oregon produced only 44 BCS-conference signees in five years, but Oregon and Oregon State combined to win 81 games. What does that mean? It means Ducks coach Mike Bellotti and Beavers coach Mike Riley deserve raises.
The Ducks have finished in the top third of the conference in recruiting the previous two seasons. They may only finish in the middle this year. But the ultimate measure is winning, which Mike Bellotti has done a lot of since taking over a once middling program.
