On Top of the College Football World, and the Future is Awe-Inspiring

Like baseball, football teams have to be strong up the middle. The rarest commodities in football are a true, road-grading, blindside-protecting, agile, pancaking, point-of-attack-sealing offensive tackle, a disruptive, fierce, blocker-stuffing, run-busting, quarterback-smashing defensive tackle, a tenacious, sideline-to-sideline, agile, bone-crushing, slobberknocking, twelve-tackle-a-game middle linebacker, and a shutdown, lockdown, blanket-your-best-receiver, bait-your-quarterback, playmaking, momentum-changing cornerback.

For the first time in school history, the Ducks are getting all those kinds of players, and they have a few already who are doing pretty well.

Over the weekend five-star middle linebacker Anthony Wallace and four-star cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu announced verbal commitments. Earlier this fall Oregon got a verbal from offensive tackle Andre Yruretagoyena of Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, a piledriving blocker with the athletic ability to range upfield and stuff linebackers and safeties. They are also in line for several of the nation's most promising defensive tackles.

Want to bet those three will come to be known as AW, Pre, and Andre Y?

Also over the weekend, the athletic department announced plans to build a new football operations center, complete with offices, meeting rooms, practice fields and a 25,000 square foot weight room, six stories in all, financed entirely by a generous gift from Phil and Penny Knight. Ron Bellamy has the complete story in the Register-Guard.

When you combine the best facilities, best coaches, a winning attitude, and players that are a perfect fit for the Oregon system, you have a recipe for sustained excellence.

Wallace is a 3.5 student, and the son of a former NFL linebacker. He chose UO partly for the Warsaw sports marketing program. He's dialed in. Oregon is not only getting talented kids; they are getting the right kind of kids, kids who want to come here and be a part of this team and Chip Kelly's philosophy, kids with bright faces and a desire to win games.

Getting Jonathan Stewart a few years ago was big, but this news is bigger. The depth and quality that's developing in this class is a stunning leap forward. Good tailbacks are valuable, but you can readily find a running back with speed and elusiveness and good balance. Even Oregon State has one. But tackles, cornerbacks and middle linebackers with this kind of potential are the rarest jewels in the football safe deposit box.

The young men still have to enroll and go to class, adjust to college life, learn the system, accept their apprenticeships and adapt to the speed and complexity of the college game. Some get lost along the way. But can you imagine what Don Pellum, Steve Greatwood and John Neal can do with talent like this, and with facilities like these to feature?

They might win a national championship.