Tag: Oregon Football

4-star TE Moliki Matavao has made his college decision

4-star TE Moliki Matavao, a Georgia football recruiting target, has made his college decision.

Georgia misses out on 4-star tight end Moliki Matavao…

On Monday, 4-star 2021 tight end Moliki Matavao (Henderson, Nevada) released a top-four of Georgia, Oregon, Penn State and UCLA.

On Wednesday night, Matavao put an end to his recruitment and announced that he will be attending Oregon.

He ranks as the nation’s No. 151 overall player, No. 4 tight end and as the top player in Nevada.

The Liberty High School prospect holds 30+ scholarship offers and had been predicted to sign with Oregon for a little while now, according to 247Sports’ Crystal Ball.

Georgia put up a good fight for Matavao, but in the end the 6-foot-6, 240-pound prospect likely wanted to remain closer to home.

As for Georgia and the tight end position, the Bulldogs are still heavily recruiting 4-star Brock Bowers out of Napa, California. At 6-foot-3, he is the nation’s No. 51 overall player according to 247Sports.

It’s not all bad news for Georgia on the recruiting trail, though. On Tuesday, the Dawgs picked up a commitment from 4-star outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss. Then on Wednesday night, just a few hours before Matavao’s announcement, Georgia received its first 2022 commitment from 4-star cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew.

Georgia currently has eight commits in the class of 2021 and has the nation’s No. 16 ranked class.

4-star UGA TE target releases top-four schools days before commitment date

4-star UGA TE target Moliki Matavao has released his top-four schools just two days before his commitment date.

4-star 2021 tight end Moliki Matavao has released his top-four schools just two days before he will announce his commitment.

Matavao (Henderson, Nevada) released a top-four of Georgia, Oregon, Penn State and UCLA.

Washington and Tennessee both were included in his top-six last month but did not make it into the final four.

Matavao (6-foot-6, 240-pounds) will announce his college decision on May 27th at 9 p.m. ET.

He ranks as the nation’s No. 151 overall player, No. 4 tight end and as the top player in Nevada.

The Liberty High School prospect holds 30+ scholarship offers and is predicted to sign with the Oregon Ducks, according to 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predictions.

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Four-star WR Isaiah Brevard updates his top schools

Four-star wide receiver Isaiah Brevard has named his top seven schools. Brevard plays football at Southaven High School.

Four-star wide receiver Isaiah Brevard has named his top seven schools. Brevard plays football at Southaven High School in Southaven, Mississippi. He’s one of the top players in Mississippi that’s a member of the class of 2021.

He announced his top seven via Twitter:

Brevard’s latest list of top schools includes: Texas A&M, Georgia, Missouri,  Oregon, Florida State, Penn State, and Baylor. He’s projected to end up with either the Oregon Ducks or the Ole Miss Rebels (unlikely since they aren’t in his top seven).

Ole Miss, Nebraska, Louisville, Memphis, and Kentucky have all been removed from his top ten. Brevard appears to be favoring traditional powerhouses, which certainly helps out Kirby Smart and Georgia’s chances at securing his talents.

Kirby Smart and Georgia have several commitments in the class of 2021. UGA is doing an excellent job securing top talent in the Peach State for the class. Georgia landed a commitment from four-star defensive end Elijah Jeudy. Who will be next to commit to the University of Georgia?

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2020 Saints UDFA class graded one of the NFL’s strongest

Rotoworld’s Thor Nystrom praised the class of 2020 undrafted free agents signed by the New Orleans Saints, LB Joe Bachie in particular.

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The 2020 NFL Draft is well behind us, but the selections made are just part of the equation that determines whether teams improved by adding young talent out of the college ranks. The flurry of recruiting and signing of rookies who were not picked impacts every team in the league, and the New Orleans Saints are one franchise that appreciates that area of roster-building.

According to a ranking put together by Rotoworld’s Thor Nystrom, the Saints have put together the third-best group of undrafted free agents around the NFL. While Nystrom particularly valued pickups like Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Malcolm Roach and Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie (who received more contract guarantees than some recent Saints draft picks), he also lauded the Saints for their aggressive strategy of making moves to draft high-end players while getting an early start on the post-draft recruiting circuit. He wrote:

The Saints use their late Day 3 picks to trade up for prospects they’ve targeted who are falling. When New Orleans is out of picks and ESPN analysts say they’re “done drafting for the year,” that isn’t exactly true… it seems to be part and parcel of a larger prospect acquisition strategy. While other teams are drafting on Saturday, monitoring their boards and negotiating trades, the Saints are calling their top UDFA targets. They literally get a jump on the rest of the league. It’s genius.

Nystrom was also a fan of the 2019 Saints undrafted free agent class, ranking it the best in the league. Last year’s group saw contributors like returns specialist Deonte Harris and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle create an immediate boost, so he’s clearly right to point out that New Orleans knows what it’s doing in this phase of the offseason.

You can find Nystrom’s full writeup and NFL rankings at this link, or where we’ve embedded them below:

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Oregon Athletic Director Rob Mullens still has goal of playing Ohio State game

While speaking to reporters on Friday, Oregon AD Rob Mullens remained hopeful that the game with Ohio State would still be played.

Last week, Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued an order that all large gatherings be either canceled or significantly modified through the month of Septemeber. That seemed to put a damper on the prospects of playing the contest between Ohio State and Oregon at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on September 12. Z

That was just a week after the University of Oregon issued plans to hold face-to-face classes in the fall. Much like a lot of information coming out across the country on plans to reopen, there are conflicting ideas and policies built on a patchwork of how things are being handled.

And now, we have some more news coming out of Oregon, this time from athletic director Rob Mullens. On Friday, he told reporters that the goal is still to play all twelve of Oregon’s college football games this fall. That would, of course, include the game against Ohio State according to the Oregonian’s James Crepea.

It’s not all good news though. Despite that goal, Mullens also believes that the “force majeur” clause in the contract would allow the Ducks to back out of any non-conference game without penalty. Oregon’s three opponents out of conference include not only Ohio State, but North Dakota State, and Hawaii.

Mullens said he has not contacted either Hawaii or North Dakota State, but that he has been in conversations with the folks at Ohio State. When asked about the thought of flipping the home-and-home years to where Oregon would come to OSU this season, Mullens said that has not been discussed.

While all of this might be encouraging news, we continue to caution everyone that there’s still a lot to be determined with all of this. The fact that Oregon has an out with the contract because of the orders put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic is concerning. However, with both parties seemingly trying their best to work things out and make this game happen is indeed encouraging.

As always, we’ll just have to see how this country continues to bounce back from the novel coronavirus and how states and government authorities continue to deal with the phases of reopenings.

Saints guaranteed more money to Joe Bachie than most NFL undrafted free agents

The New Orleans Saints guaranteed $160,000 to Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie, one of the NFL’s highest-paid undrafted free agent deals

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The hours after the NFL draft are a maelstrom, with agents, media, fans, and the players themselves all jockeying to announce deals between rookie free agents and the teams working quickly to recruit them. Those discussions often manifest in bidding wars as teams make competing offers for players, guaranteeing greater portions of their base salary or lucrative signing bonuses.

In 2020, that meant the Saints paid a few of their undrafted free agents like seventh-round picks, particularly valuing Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie (who received $160,000 in guarantees, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid college free agents). Versatile Oregon offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton was also guaranteed $122,5000 by the Saints. Bachie and Throckmorton were the only members of the rookie free agent class to break the $100,000 threshold in guarantees, though a few others came close. That suggests the team valued them highly and expects each rookie to make a strong case for a roster spot.

For comparison, last year’s final draft pick, Idaho linebacker Kaden Elliss, was guaranteed only a $76,316 signing bonus. The Saints also picked Notre Dame tight end Alize Mack a few slots ahead of Elliss in the seventh round, who was guaranteed a $93,636 signing bonus, though he was later cut from the practice squad and has since bounced around between a few other teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.

Here are the reported guarantees for each member of the Saints undrafted free agent class. All have a base salary of $610,000, though greater portions of that are guaranteed for some than others. They are ordered by guaranteed salaries, with signing bonuses noted in parentheses:

  1. LB Joe Bachie, Michigan State: $145,000 guaranteed salary (plus $15,000 signing bonus)
  2. OL Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon: $110,000 guaranteed salary (plus $12,500 signing bonus)
  3. DL Malcolm Roach, Texas: $85,000 guaranteed salary (plus $10,000 signing bonus)
  4. WR Marquez Callaway, Tennessee, $85,000 guaranteed salary (plus $10,000 signing bonus)
  5. OL Jordan Steckler, Northern Illinois: $75,000 guaranteed salary (plus $15,000 signing bonus)
  6. WR Juwan Johnson, Oregon: $75,000 guaranteed salary (plus $10,000 signing bonus)
  7. CB Tino Ellis, Maryland: $17,500 guaranteed
  8. DE Gus Cumberlander, Oregon: $1,500 signing bonus
  9. CB Keith Washington Jr., West Virginia: TBD
  10. P Blake Gillikin, Penn State: TBD
  11. RB Tony Jones Jr., Notre Dame: TBD
  12. OL Adrian Magee, LSU: TBD
  13. OL Darrin Paulo, Utah: TBD

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Oregon would stand to lose more if game against Ohio State can’t be played

If Ohio State can’t travel to Oregon, the Ducks would lose their best non-conference opponent and have to rely on a weak Pac-12 resume.

As it stands, Ohio State will travel to Oregon for what will be the Ducks second game of the season.

The game will already be drastically different because the governor of Oregon has issued an order through September limiting the crowd size and potential seating capacity due to the novel coronavirus. It’s sad, but as it stands, the game will go on. In other words, stay tuned.

It would be a big loss to the college football season if the two don’t match up, but it would be a bigger blow t the Ducks. If Ohio State can’t travel to Oregon, it would lose its best non-conference opponent and be forced to rely on a weak Pac-12 resume to get into the College Football Playoff.

Since the inception of the and one done … er — “College Football Playoff” in 2014, the Pac-12 has been represented just twice. The first year, Oregon made it as the second seed and got bounced by the Buckeyes in the title game. Two years later, Washington made the cut but got smoked by Alabama. Since then, no Pac-12 team has cracked the final four.

Oregon, given the weakening of the Pac-12 over the last few seasons, needs to either enter the final game of the season undefeated with a conference championship or with just one loss being to a top two or three ranked Ohio State squad.

The Buckeyes are a strong opponent, and there’s no denying they’ll be one of the best this coming season. Beating them would almost clinch the Ducks a top-25 spot in the final polling as long as it didn’t become a wounded bunch the rest of the season.

Oregon has a good roster, but it may need to bolster its resume. What’s in store for week two does that, but without the OSU matchup, it could lose its most important game of the season in the College Football Playoff Committee’s eyes. Again, as long as the Buckeyes have the type of season we all expect.

For Ohio State, the game is less of a concern if it gets blotted off the schedule because of COVID-19 measures. It might not even crack the top three games on the schedule.

At home against Michigan, away at Penn State and then potentially against Michigan State or a Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game might be seen as a bigger challenge. While losing to Oregon would be detrimental to the team’s playoff chances, it’d be far from over.

Ohio State doesn’t need to play Oregon to have some cushion. Oregon won’t have that cushion due to their poor schedule elsewhere.

But, as a college football fan, here’s to hoping this game happens.

Ohio State vs. Oregon matchup will need to be “significantly modified or canceled” per Oregon Governor

The Oregon Governor broke some disappointing news about college football in the state, a place Ohio State will travel to this fall.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cast a shadow over sports. We now know that because of the virus, Ohio State’s matchup with the Oregon Ducks will not be a sell-out, at the very least.

In fact, it may not even have fans.

It’s brutal news as the Ducks, an up-and-coming college football program, were expected to potentially provide a very stiff challenge against a dominant Ohio State squad.

While that’s still possible (although unlikely), it doesn’t seem like it’ll quite be the same as either reduced fans will take part or no fans at all according to what came out of the state of Oregon Thursday.

“There is some difficult news to share. Large gatherings, including live sporting events with audiences, concerts, festivals, and conventions will not be able to return until we have a reliable treatment or prevention like a vaccine,” said the Oregon Governor in an announcement to the public.

That’s not too bad, right? Well, here’s the back-breaking, heart-stopping, breath-taking comment.

“The Oregon Health Authority is advising that any large gathering, at least through September, should be canceled or significantly modified,” she continued.

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That said, Ohio State is expected to bring in one of the best teams to Autzen Stadium a week after Oregon’s season opener. The Buckeyes, despite the virus’ spreading, will hopefully have a season with fans.

While Oregon’s will be put on hold till at least later in the season, Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Governor, has yet to address those fall possibilities specifically.

For now, at least one of Ohio State’s ten-plus games will be drastically different than originally planned barring any complete turn of events toward the positive.

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Oregon plans to have in-person classes on campus this fall. What does that mean for the scheduled game with Ohio State?

The University of Oregon has announce plans to have in-person classes this fall. How will that affect Ohio State vs. the Ducks?

You may have already heard this by now, but if not, let us fill you in. Last week, the University of Oregon announced plans to have in-person classes in the fall. Much like other colleges and universities, instruction has been virtual since the measures were put in place to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.

We’re still waiting to hear what Ohio State is going to do with fall classes, but this news seemed to give many a glimmer of hope that a certain football game between two likely top ten teams out in Eugene on Septemeber 12 would happen.

So what does it all mean?

Not much really. There’s still so much to figure out with how this is all going to work next week, let alone three to four months from now.

One thing we can say though is that this is better news than Oregon saying there isn’t going to be any in-person classes around this timeframe. However, what we should caution and know by now is that this COVID-19 pandemic is very fluid. What happens if cases spike again after the country tries to slowly open back up? What if testing still isn’t to the point where it needs to be?

All of these things need to be hammered out and there’s simply no way to know the answers to any of them at this point. What we cold guess is that yeah, there could be real, live face-to-face instruction happening in Eugene when it’s time for this anticipated matchup to occur, but it’s very likely that this country won’t be in a position to allow over 50,000 fans to congregate together without putting many at risk.

At this point, that’s probably more probable than the alternative of having a rabid fan base taking in a college football game in close proximity of one another. Now, the game could still go on without fans in attendance, but there’s also a slew of hurdles that have to be cleared before that can occur.

Bottom line — this is a step in the right direction, but only one that begins to get things to a walking pace rather than the sprint that’ll need to occur to have the college football season back to its normally scheduled programming.

Stay tuned …

2021 4-star TE includes Georgia football in top-six

Sunday, Moliki Matavao, a 4-star TE from Nevada, took to Twitter to announce his top-six schools which includes Georgia football.

Moliki Matavao, a 4-star TE from Henderson, Nevada, took to Twitter to announce his top-six schools.

Georgia, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Tennessee and Penn State made his top-six.

247Sports composite has Matavao ranked as the No. 4 TE and No. 144 overall recruit in the 2021 recruiting class.

The Liberty High School prospect holds 34 scholarship offers and is predicted to sign with the Washington Huskies, according to 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions.

 

247Sports wrote:

“Can run past linebackers in space. Decent hands with ability to high-point the football in tight spaces. Well-rounded weapon who can line up out wide or block at the line of scrimmage.”