Oregon football recruiting: how the class is shaping up

There is no doubt about it any longer and it's been this way for awhile in college football. Oregon is a power program.

They aren't just a flash in the pan with a hurry up offense. This is a program with everything in place for it to maintain elite status and I'm not just talking about facilities or running Chip Kelly's offense. They have built the program with consistently good recruiting classes. Maybe it's a chicken and egg thing because you could argue that they need the facilities and the high powered offense to recruit well, but the point is that the Ducks have it all in place right now. They bring in a lot of talent every year and that allows them to keep being who they are.

The 2015 recruiting class as it's currently composed is one with great players at the top, but quality players throughout. There are only 14 players committed right now. That's going to change though as they are in the running for several big names and if they land a few of them, they have the chance to finish up in February with a special class.

Instant impact commit

If he was healthy, then Taj Griffin would have been the runaway winner for this designation. The 4 star running back from Georgia would have been a threat to take it the house every time he touched the ball. He has that kind of dynamic speed.

The obvious issue with choosing Griffin is that he tore his ACL and is missing his senior season of high school football. Because it's impossible to know if he'll be back and at full go in time for the beginning of next season, he isn't the best player to pick to make an immediate impact even though I love his future prospects in the Oregon offense.

Fortunately for the Ducks, they are adding another weapon that should make an immediate impact for them in 4 star wide receiver Alex Ofodile. He was extremely productive in high school as a receiver, but I'm not big on high school stats because there are so many variables involved in how big the numbers are. What I like most about Ofodile is that he is a very good route runner that will go up and get the football when it's in the air. He's a polished player for his age and should be able to step in and compete right away from a physical stand point.

The biggest reason that I think Ofodile can play right away though is that he isn't strictly an outside receiver. He can play in the slot too and pretty much line up all over the field and be effective. I don't think he will produce the splash plays that Griffin would have made on offense and special teams, but he should get the opportunity to make some big catches next season.

Don't sleep on _______

I love what I have seen from 3 star tight end Jacob Breeland. I think he has the chance to develop into a phenomenal tight end in Oregon's spread offense.

He definitely will need time to add weight and get bigger and stronger in Oregon's strength and conditioning program, but his ball skills are outstanding he has very good speed.

He's a big receiver in high school right now. He'll grow into an even bigger one for the Ducks that can make big plays up the seam and win one on one matchups on the outside against smaller defensive backs.

He's someone I'll be keeping an eye on over the next few years to see how he develops.

Big fish still on the reel

This section could get a little bit out of hand. The Ducks are still in on several highly ranked recruits and could end up filling out the rest of their recruiting class with players that every program in the nation covet.

They recently received visits from 5 star defensive tackle Rasheem Green and 4 linebacker John Houston, both of whom would be future stars and early contributors if they decided to sign with Oregon. USC is considered the favorite for both of them though so it would be surprising if they ended up in Eugene.

There are two other defensive recruits who are probably a bit more realistic for the Ducks and could also develop into stars in Pac-12. 4 star defensive lineman Canton Kaumatule (6'7" 270) is perfect fit for what the Oregon defense looks for along the defensive line in terms of height and length. Let's be honest though, he'd be a fit in everyone's defense.

He can be a two-gap player that can dominate at the point of attack and with a name like Canton, it's pretty much written in his DNA that he is going to be a heck of a football player. He's already massive and has the frame to get even bigger. Combine that with his athleticism and there is no limit to how good he can become.

The other player is edge defender Keisean Lucier-South. I don't think he has the frame to be a player with his hand in the dirt, but he can be a terrific pass rusher as an outside linebacker for the Ducks.

He is explosive off the ball and relentless in pursuit. He's a high-energy, high-effort player on every snap that can naturally bend around the edge. He was dominant at times when facing Oregon quarterback commit Travis Waller's Servite team last month. I love the way the kid plays.

He still has a ton of room to improve and must get stronger, but but he has the potential to be an impact pass rusher from day one in college. He's headed on an official visit to Oregon this weekend.

Oregon I'm comin pic.twitter.com/83kENHi9MS

— Keisean South1⃣6⃣ (@KLSouth16) October 28, 2014

Overall

Oregon has put together a really nice offensive class so far with their quarterback of the future in Travis Waller and some dynamic weapons like Ofodile, Griffin, and 4 star running back/receiver Malik Lovette that he can get the ball too. They also are brining in good numbers at offensive line with five commitments, led by 4 star guard Zack Okun. It's an impressive offensive class they have put together so far.

Now they just need to finish the class off with some elite defenders and this class could be one of the best in the nation. It's not a surprise that the future on offense in Eugene is going to continue to be bright. If they can bring the defense to that same level in recruiting then the program should reach even greater heights on the field.