Chip Kelly’s New Class of 2011

There is much to be said about the players that signed with the Ducks Football team last week.  Many of them are four and five star players and one that had been USC bound but after meeting with Coach Kelly changed his mind and is now heading to Oregon.  Let’s do the rundown.

The team picked up 22 players.  20 of them were college prep athletes and 2 of them were community college transfers.  13 players were signed on for offensive play and 9 for defense.  Out of the 22 players 16 of them were rated four and five star athletes.   There are still more players to be recruited though as Coach Kelly has reiterated that he still has some scholarships available and is hoping to pick up some more players.

Both the offensive and wide receiver lines were two of the areas that the organization was looking to improve on.  They seemed to achieve that outright by signing five-star recruit Colt Lyerla.  The Hillsboro Ore. High School senior was signed as a wide receiver.  Apparently, there was a wide standing debate in the days leading up to his signing as to whether this speedy 6-foot-5, 225-pound athlete would play offense or defense.  I am sure that the OU coaches had a bit of a tousle as to who was going to have the honor of having him on their side of play.

Another player that had hyped up signing day for the Ducks was De’Anthony Thomas.  The 5’9 160lb. running back from Los Angeles’ Crenshaw High School stunned USC by forgoing to sign a letter of intent with them so that he can become an Oregon Duck.  His decision came down to comfort level.  “It’s going to be a big stage for me,” Thomas said. “Coming into that offense, and I’m coming to play running back.  I just feel it’s going to be a very good stage for me and I’m ready to get on the field.”  De’Anthony was Los Angeles City Section Player of the Year and rushed for 1,306 yards, caught 16 passes and scored 27 touchdowns with Crenshaw this year.

Another player worth a look see is Lake Oswego Ore. native Tyson Coleman, who is considered a three and four star player and according to ESPN was rated the 17th-best outside linebacker prospect  His last year as a Lake Oswego Laker was quite an impressive one.  He made 78 tackles and three interceptions on defense and rushed 214 times for 1,580 yards (7.4 yards per carry) and totaled 24 touchdowns on offense.  As a result of his outstanding plays, Coleman and his team were able to take the Lakers to 6A state semifinals.

All of the players that were signed were appropriate choices and according to Coach Kelly, he could not of been more pleased.  During a post signing news conference, Kelly expressed his satisfaction with the group as a whole and seemed very happy with his defensive lineup.   “I’m really happy,” Kelly said of the additions on the defensive line, which included  Mesa, AZ 6-4, 247lb defensive lineman Sam Kamp. “I think we did a great job of how we improved our athleticism.  “We got tall guys, which we want on the defensive line. We’re really recruiting kids who fit the mold of what we want.”

You can find a full listing of the OU football class of 2011 here.