Oregon Football Recruiting: Offensive Weapons

The month of May came and went, and the Oregon Ducks only received two verbal commitments from three-star running back CJ Verdell and four-star defensive end Langi Tuifua. The Ducks had slipped to eleventh in the Pac-12 Recruiting Class Rankings, and many people started to feel uneasy about where Oregon’s recruiting class would go moving forward.

Fortunately for Oregon, the Ducks received six additional verbal commitments in the month of June, and three more in July. Currently the Ducks stand fifth in the Pac-12 recruiting rankings and are ranked 38 nationally.

With the college football season kicking off today and the 2017 recruiting season coming to an end on February 1, who will be the next offensive weapon to commit to the Oregon Football program?

1. Darrian Felix

The three-star, all-purpose back seems to be one target Oregon is pushing hard to add to their already impressive recruiting class thus far. Felix, who is currently ranked 7 in his position and the 599 nationally has scheduled an official visit to Oregon on October 8^th when they take on Pac-12 Rival Washington. With the Huskies being ranked high in this year’s AP Preseason Polls, a strong showing by Oregon would certainly help in Felix’s recruitment.

So far Oregon Running Back’s Coach Gary Campbell has done a phenomenal job building a solid relationship with Felix and it is one of the reasons why the Ducks are Felix’s favorite. Though the Ducks seem most likely to land Felix’s services, both the Miami Hurricanes and Tennessee Volunteers are not far behind. If all goes well on October 8^th, Duck fans should be ready for a verbal commitment from Felix.

2. K.J. Hamler

One of the top wide receivers in the 2017 recruiting class, K.J. Hamler has been on the Duck’s radar for some time, and seems to be another top target that could verbally commit to Oregon. Hamler is currently a four-star recruit who is ranked 301 in the nation and 42 among all wide receivers, and Oregon seems to also have the upper hand in his recruitment over Michigan State. Although he does not have an official visit scheduled just yet, K.J. did say on July 8^th that Oregon would be receiving one of his official visits during the season.

Unfortunately, the four-star receiver tore his ACL and is out for his senior season. This is a huge blow to his recruitment as he was expected to improve in both his national and position rankings. Considering the injury, it will be interesting to see if Hamler will still be heavily recruited as he has been over the last couple of months. With Hamler’s level of talent, let’s hope the Ducks keep pursuing his services.

3. Isaiah Hodgins

After recently de-committing from Washington State following a scholarship offer from the Ducks, Hodgins seems to be a sought after prospect. Although the three-star wide receiver is only ranked 50 at his position, he seems to be gaining steam in the national recruiting rankings, currently ranked at 352 and he could make his way into the top 300 by September. Hodgins has stated that he will indeed make an official visit to Oregon this season, but he hasn’t yet scheduled a firm date. The official visit would be a return-trip, since Hodgins made an unofficial visit to Oregon during the spring.

Currently Oregon seems to be showing strong interest in Hodgins’ recruitment, however it is believed that Washington State and Boise State are also still in the mix. So be on the lookout for Hodgins to schedule an official visit to Oregon within the coming weeks.

4. Josh Falo

Although Oregon already has two solid tight end commitments from Tre’ Mckitty and Moses Robinson-Carr, the Ducks are still recruiting four-star tight end Falo. Currently he is ranked 151 in the nation and 4 among all tight ends. Falo recently narrowed his list of favored football programs and had the Ducks as one of the ten teams that has caught his eye.

Unfortunately for Duck fans, Falo has stated he would like to take his recruitment as slow as possible and will not make a commitment until national signing day. The four-star prospect currently has no official visits scheduled, although it has been rumored that Oregon has been the favorite for some time.

With commitments from Mckitty and Robinson-Carr, the Ducks could pull off a major steal by signing three tight ends in this year’s recruiting class?

So there you have it, if Oregon is successful in acquiring these four offensive weapons, it is my belief that the Ducks can pull all of them into what has already been an impressive recruiting campaign.

Be sure to stay tuned for next time when the Defensive End prospects are profiled.