With less than 24 hours until the beginning of National Signing Day, recruiting news is flying like rumors before a major merger on Wall Street.
#1 Safety Shaq Thompson made a verbal commitment last night to the Washington Huskies. He said he felt comfortable there and liked the academic opportunities at Washington. Fast and physical at 6-2, 215, Thompson should have an immediate impact in new defensive coordinator Josh Wilcox’s defense. The Ducks were one of the finalists for the talented safety, and there was hope he might join buddy Arik Armstead as a Duck.
The announcement immediately heats up the UO-UW rivalry with the two Sacramento-area preps likely to play key roles in the next few years.
The Ducks should be fine at the position despite losing out on Thompson. They have some good young returnees in Brian Jackson, Avery Patterson and Erick Dargan, who all got extensive playing time last season, plus they recruited a fast, hard-hitting safety of their own in Oshay Dunmore. The Amoako brothers and Reggie Daniels should also add depth and aggressiveness to the defensive backfield, all smart and tough.
The Ducks lost a key commitment yesterday when three-star linebacker Bryce Cottrell, 6-3, 230 from Plano West High School in Plano, Texas, switched his verbal pledge from Oregon to the University of Texas after a weekend visit. His flip represents the second defection at linebacker after Jeremy Castro changed to UCLA earlier this month, and leaves the Ducks with just one scholarship linebacker recruit in this class, Brett Bafaro, an in-state product.
Linebacker recruiting becomes a priority for next year with Kiko Alonso and Michael Clay graduating after the 2012 season.
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