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Wednesday War Room: Winter is when bonds strengthen

Today in the War Room, winter conditioning builds foundation on an off field, plus some recruiting thoughts and thoughts on the defensive backfield in 2025.

Weekend recruiting wrap

With the first major recruiting weekend of the year for Oregon, we take a lok at the buzz from the weekend with notes on every scheduled visitor (and unscheduled ones as well!)

Kendre Harrison Hoops Highlights

We have had several PSA's who wanted to play BB and FB sports, but this guy could actually do it. Only shows a few mid range jumpers and the rest is pure power on O and D around the hoop. However, his shooting form looks excellent for a kid his size. Dunks and put backs right through some pretty hard fouls. I wish Evans could play with this kind of power and enthusiasm. Dude might be underrated as a BB player, maybe because he's rated so high in FB. What an athlete!

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Seems like a really nice kid too. His hands must be huge. A FB likes like a nerf ball in his hand. That one handed snag was no problem.
Login to view embedded media Shortie JR highlights.

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Recapping redshirt statuses and play of Oregon freshmen this past season

Only two of the 26 first-year freshmen players on this year's roster played enough games to avoid using a redshirt year. That means two dozen were able to retain their freshmen statuses for the 2025 season.

That's the highest output of redshirted players in a cycle under Dan Lanning and for many seasons, and possibly ever. And for the second time in three seasons, Oregon was without a freshmen starter too. In total, only 234 snaps from scrimmage were had by true freshmen.

Duck Territory ⬆️

DSA Inside Read: Oregon set to host BIG recruiting weekend

Worked on some notes for this last week. Nearly two dozen 2026 and 2027 recruits will be in town this coming weekend. Oregon is not calling it a 'junior day' but it is nonetheless going to be a big weekend for underclassmen to check out Oregon.

This is way way off the reservation but ...

I foolishly felt I HAD to share this ... hate me later

While reading an obituary I came across this

Randy married Deb Hoffman on November 4, 1988. He was a member of Johnson Township Coon Hunting Club, Crawford County Coon Hunter’s Club, and Operating Engineers Local 181. Randy was an avid coon hunter and loved the outdoors, playing cards, and taking a scenic drive.

I have to think there was a relation between those scenic drives and the evident love of coon hunting. "Keep your eyes on the edge of the road, Randy, if you play your cards right .."

OK ... you can hate me now.

Why I dont go off on every crazy rumor

Yes. I have seen the Carnell Tate "speculation" about a potential transfer.

While it is true that he has a girlfriend that is a member of the Oregon women's soccer team (notice I did not say plays for since she has actually never played a single second in three seasons), but the speculation that Oregon tampered and was offering him 1+ million were so ridiculously false that I did not want to lend credence to the lunacy until it became clear he was staying at Ohio State.

In the past I have spoken about how a lot of the "coaching rumors" are really nothing more than agenting. Well. Expect some similar agenting among college football players as well.

The "rumors" about Tate were fancy agenting techniques to maximize his next deal. He never talked with ANYONE at Oregon.

Fun Oct 2023 flashback

The Atlantic:

The early signing period is two and a half months away, and while that might seem like a decent amount of time, the recruiting walls are actually closing in on everyone pretty fast.

And it’s an interesting time in West Coast recruiting. The Pac-12 has crumbled and the departing schools have landed in three different conferences. Not to mention the remaining Pac-2, whose short- to medium-term future remains up in the air. All of the moving pieces have added up to make recruiting a bit more interesting out West.

So with that in mind, let’s get into some West Coast recruiting thoughts.

1. When the Pac-12 was down a few years ago, there was non-stop talk about how the region’s best players, particularly California’s, weren’t staying out West to play college football.

The Pac-12 has improved immensely on the field since the peak of that talk three or four years ago. Teams are playing in big games on big stages that will likely only get bigger. Schools like USC, Oregon, Washington and UCLA have found a home in one of the sport’s premier conferences — the Big Ten, and Colorado has (obviously) received atremendous amount of buzz and attention thisyear.

But the struggle to keep the West’s best players within the footprint has resurfaced during this recruiting cycle. Seven of California’s top 15 prospects are committed to schools that will play in the SEC next season — with an eighth (five-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland) projected to land in the conference as well.

And let’s not lay all of the blame at the feet of the Golden State. The top prospects in Washington, Colorado and Nevada are committed to either SEC or ACC schools.

“It’s seemingly happening again,” 247Sports national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman said. “These kids still seem to be looking outside the West Coast footprint. Whether it’s Aydin Breland, Brandon Baker (Texas), Nate Frazier (Georgia), obviously Julian Sayin (Alabama). … I don’t think there’s the momentum to keep a lot of these West Coast kids local like we thought we might see.”

Oregon has a proven track record of closing strong — just look at last cycle — and could easily vault into the top 10 nationally by the time the early signing period closes. But at the moment, no West Coast program is ranked in the top 10 and only three are in the top 30.

Jared Curtis names Top 6

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The No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the nation for the 2026 cycle posted his Top 6 schools to Twitter (X) today and head coach Dan Lanning and Oregon are among schools to make the cut. The Ducks are listed alongside SEC programs Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and South Carolina along with Big 10 rival Ohio State.

Big name 4-star Class of 2027 WR tenders Oregon offer

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Damani Warren is a highly-covered blue chip four-star wide receiver from Arbor View High School in Las Vegas. And the exciting pass-catcher with over 20 offers including from major Power Four programs was offered by Oregon yesterday. He talked about that offer with Duck Sports Authority yesterday. Here is everything he had to say about head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks’ program:

DSA: How was your conversation with tight ends’ coach Drew Mehringer, and what all were you able to talk about?
WARREN: “I had a great conversation with Coach Mehringer, and it was clear how passionate he is about the game and the program at Oregon. We talked about the importance of playing at a high level and how being part of something special, like Oregon football, requires not just talent but dedication and consistency. He emphasized that every player has to bring their best every day to contribute to the team’s success and uphold the program’s elite standard. It was inspiring to hear his perspective and get a sense of the culture that makes Oregon such a special place for players who are ready to embrace the challenge and excel.”

DSA: And how does he see your skillset fitting into the Ducks’ dynamic spread attack offense?
WARREN: “Coach Mehringer told me he really loves my film and sees me as a great fit for the program at Oregon. He talked about how my skills align with what they look for and how my potential could shine if I continue to stay consistent and show my passion for the game. He emphasized that loving football and committing to the process are key to thriving in their program. Hearing that kind of feedback from him was motivating, and it’s exciting to know that someone at his level believes in my abilities and sees a place for me in something as special as Oregon football.”

His Hudl:
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