The notes from the recruiting thoughts section from tomorrow's War Room:
RECRUITING THOUGHTS:
Gary Bryant The transfer from USC had a very good trip – as evidenced from the video shared by his father. Miami and Texas A&M are going to make a strong push with Bryant. I know what people might be thinking so I will break it down real quick.
It really won’t matter much to Bryant if Jimbo Fisher is gone after this year or not. Yes, he has two seasons of eligibility and smart money is on him playing two more seasons, but if he feels that he can get enough opportunity and exposure at Texas A&M and his dad likes the staff enough, then they stand a chance.
As for Miami, while there may be something to their offensive system being somewhat dull last season and a track record of less than explosive offenses under Mario Cristobal a couple of things should be remembered.
First, Cristobal already has a relationship with the Bryant family that goes back to his first recruitment as a member of the 2020 class. That relationship is going to have value. Second, while there might be some who think the brakes will be put on the offense, the Miami offensive coordinator comes off a successful stint at Houston that featured a lot of passing opportunities. Without significant negative recruiting, that will appeal to Bryant.
After saying all of that, Bryant also has a very strong relationship with Junior Adams that goes back to his original recruitment as well. There is a strong belief that he could have a fantastic opportunity in the Will Stein offense. And with Bo Nix at the helm, it is the one school right now that has an established successful QB to get him the ball.
There is a good feeling by the staff here. The Bryant family had a great time and the coaches have all done a fantastic job connecting with the entire family. The feeling is that dad will have an influence on this decision based on what is best for the long-term for Bryant and that right now looks good for Oregon. A decision is expected prior to the spring game within the next three to four weeks. Unless A&M or Miami really blow this out of the water, I like where Oregon sits right now.
Aaron Flowers I know I mentioned him on Monday, but I was told again today that Flowers had an incredible visit with family. I am hearing that he may be close to a decision soon. Several staff members have been recruiting him for a while. Will Stein has strong connections in Texas, but there are a few others that have even stronger connections.
While there is no silent commit, what I have heard is that there is a feeling that people on the Oregon side of the equation feel very strongly about Flowers choosing Oregon over other schools. As it was told to me ‘Oregon is definitely in a good spot’ with Flowers.
Bennett Warren It is sort of a cliché to say someone had a great time on their visit – generally speaking pretty much every football prospect that visits Oregon has a good time. So I won’t go too deep into Warren having a good time – other than to say he enjoyed it enough to lock in an official visit in late June (23-25) a week after visiting Oklahoma.
I think that this one will be a little bit more difficult. Oregon has strong connections in Texas – and have done a good job recruiting the state over the years, but getting a big offensive lineman (6-8, 318) is a little bit different than getting elite skill players.
The Ducks did everything right, though, and Warren came away feeling as if the integrity of the staff is what was most impressive. There was not a lot of sooth-saying to appease what Warren wanted to hear. I think A’lique Terry will need to really work on deepening the relationship here over the next couple of months, but Oregon did a lot to make up tremendous ground here. For what it is worth, his decision to make an unofficial visit a little over a month after his initial offer shows a lot of excitement on his part about Oregon.
Getting him out for the official could be a deal sealing visit. But we probably won’t know much more until then.
Ryner Swanson Adam had an article on him earlier this week. Right now, I like Utah here, but he has some strong ties to Oregon and I think that the Ducks did a great job on his visit in January. He brought his dad along who was surprised at how much he liked the program and the staff. He is supposed to make it up to Eugene for a practice later in the spring. Things could change – especially given that Oregon is light on tight ends right now – but for now I think Oregon is not he leader.