Rob Moseley of the Register-Guard reports Oregon has signed a quality defensive end prospect from Hawaii, 6-4 240-lb. Lake Koa Ka'ai. Now the Ducks have a Lache and Lake, which might create some confusion if one of them is getting chewed out during scrimmage. They’ve recruited one Christian and they’re working on another one. They already have a Bryan, 3 Brians, a Brandon and a Blake, a Justin, two Joshes, a Jeff and a Jackson, a Michael and a LaMichael, two Nicks but they’re losing one Nate. It’s a good thing Chip Kelly is a player’s coach; if he were a yeller and a face-mask grabber he would collapse in frustration by day two of spring practice.
Norm Chow is out at UCLA and has joined the staff at PAC-12 rival Utah as offensive coordinator. Coaching upheaval at UCLA and Stanford has hampered their efforts to close in the critical last weeks of recruiting. Chow’s ouster has been rumored for weeks, and on The Farm, new head coach David Shaw has to replace himself and two key assistants, Greg Roman and Vic Fangio.
Chow had a great reputation as a teacher of quarterbacks while at BYU and USC. He seemed to have lost his mojo under Rick Neuheisel, succumbing to the general malaise in Westwood and Kevin Prince’s inability to stay healthy. At 64, he’ll have to adjust his philosophy some to coach the Utah spread, but the Ute faithful seem genuinely excited to have him back in the Beehive State.
USC made their appeal to the NCAA today; a ruling should be made in about 4-8 weeks. The Trojans have used the loophole to sign about 27 recruits in this class, when the NCAA sanctions would have limited them to 15. Oversigning has been a rampant practice in the SEC for years, and the Kiffins have been pushing hard, stealing two top recruits from Stanford this week, and making a hard push for several kids the Ducks are also after, including Marqis Lee, DT Christian Heyward and BJ Kelly.
Wes Byrum missed two field goals today in the East-West Shrine Game. The hex Duck fans put on him worked two weeks too late. Kenny Rowe, playing for the East, had a sack on Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien that led to a safety. Brandon Bair reportedly had a good week of workouts, while Jeff Maehl got some less favorable grades--he's being typecast as a player who lacks a burst. They said the same thing about Steve Largent and Fred Biletnikoff. Casey Matthews plays in next week's Senior Bowl. The continued success of Ducks at the next level helps ward off the negative recruiting labels about the Oregon system. The real breakthrough will come when Dennis Dixon or Darron Thomas gets a true opportunity to succeed as an NFL quarterback. If Thomas has two more years to fill out and mature, he could be the guy.
Gene Wojciechowski of espn.com: “The Cam Newton Affair still stinks.” Auburn and Mississippi State and the SEC want to pretend it will all go away, but it won’t. Auburn recently got a commitment from former Texas recruit Christian Westerman, a standout offensive tackle. Texas lost ground in recruiting wars after recent coaching changes, and Auburn’s losing four wide bodies on the offensive line who’ve used up their eligibility and have to leave the Auburn payroll.
I agree about Cam. In a couple of years the true story will come out and that everyone knew all along. Some will say it's all sour grapes, but there's a reason for rules that are designed to make the game fair for all.
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