Tag: rodrick pleasant

Speed has become a priority for Oregon, displayed in recent recruiting signees and targets

Bringing track speed to the gridiron is something that Dan Lanning is aiming to do in excess, highlighted by recent recruiting success.

It was the Oregon Ducks that brought the speed game to mainstream college football over a decade ago, so it’s a bit strange to see them having to refocus their efforts on that facet.

With the hiring of Dan Lanning, the Ducks have obviously focused on defense and defensive recruiting, bringing more of an SEC mentality to the pacific northwest. That means big lines on both sides of the ball and very skilled players on the outside.

What might be a bit underrated in the SEC brand of play is the speed factor. Those in the skilled positions are not only big, but they have world-class speed, something the Ducks are looking to add as much as possible.

Having a world-class track facility such as the new Hayward Field has to help also. If nothing else, it’s helped in securing two commitments and another recruiting target for the Ducks.

First is cornerback Rodrick Pleasant out of Gardena, Calif. At 5-11 and 180 pounds, Pleasant was ranked as a Top 10 corner from California and a Top 10 player overall from that state. Also a renowned sprinter, Pleasant just broke the state’s high school mark for the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.14 seconds.

Check out Pleasant practically running away from the competition.

For reference, that time would have landed Pleasant in 5th place at the 2022 NCAA Track and Field Championships.

One thing that was noticeable in the spring game is that Oregon’s new offensive coordinator Will Stein likes to roll out the quarterback. A speedy quarterback that rolls out and possibly gives himself time to either throw or tuck and run can be a huge benefit. Recruiting and getting a commitment from a single caller such as Luke Moga fits into those plans perfectly.

The Phoenix, Ariz. native just broke that state’s prep record in the 100-meter dash. Duck track coach Jerry Schumacher has to be jumping up and down with these two.

The final speed demon that Oregon is targeting is 4-star WR Gatlin Bair out of Burley, Idaho. Bair is a 6-foot-2, 180-pounder who is being recruited by Boise State, Michigan, TCU and Nebraska as well as the Ducks.

Bair just had a good showing at the Texas Relays. In a preliminary race, Bair had a 100m time of 10.13 seconds, the second-best time ever in the state. He’s the type of receiver that will be fun to watch in the open field once Bair plays on the college level. Oregon hopes it will be at Autzen Stadium.

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Under Chip Kelly, the Ducks became known for speed, with guys like LaMichael James and DeAnthony Thomas bringing the lightning to Oregon’s thunder.

It appears that Dan Lanning is looking to do the same.

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Major takeaways from Oregon Ducks strong close to the 2023 recruiting class

Oregon sits atop the Pac-12 for a fifth-straight year, and Dan Lanning’s knack for stealing players away from USC in California continues.

The 2023 recruiting cycle has officially come to a close for the Oregon Ducks, and Dan Lanning made sure that his squad finished on a high note with the addition of 4-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant.

While the day started with an unfortunate and unexpected loss for Oregon — 5-star ATH Nyckoles Harbor committed to South Carolina when many expected him to end up with the Ducks — Oregon was quickly able to recover and land a top-100 prospect in Pleasant, stealing him away from the USC Trojans’ backyard to make it even sweeter.

So with the 2023 class behind us, and eyes now set on 2024 and beyond, we wanted to take one last look at things on Wednesday. Here are some of my biggest takeaways from Wednesday’s National Signing Day for the Ducks:

Notable quotes from Dan Lanning at national signing day press conference

“We did a great job of keeping the best talent on the West Coast.” Dan Lanning recapped another successful signing day for the Ducks.

It was another banner day for the Oregon Ducks football program. Dan Lanning and his staff made more waves in the recruiting world with the addition of four-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, one of the best available players remaining in the 2023 cycle.

Lanning held his signing day media conference to discuss the new signing, touch on transfer portal commitments, look at the offseason as a whole and the give his outlook for the program entering the biggest stretch of the offseason.

Here are some of the most notable quotes from that press conference:

Where the Ducks’ 2023 recruiting class compares to the best in Oregon history

With the addition of four-star Rodrick Pleasant, Oregon’s class ranks No. 8 in the 2023 cycle. Where does that compare to the best in school history?

What Dan Lanning has done in 13 months on the job in Eugene has been quite impressive.

While the Oregon Ducks were unable to land five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor on Wednesday, they did get a big-time commitment from four-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, the No. 8 CB in the 2023 class.  More importantly, the Ducks have a recruiting team score of 282.74, which is important to note, because it gives Oregon the second-highest-rated recruiting class in school history.

The top-ranked class was in 2021 with a score of 287.67, headed up by Mario Cristobal with marquee prospects Ty Thompson (quarterback), Kingsley Suamataia (offensive tackle) and Troy Franklin (wide receiver).

To get a better feel for how this 2023 class compares to the best recruiting classes in Oregon history, here are the top-10 ranked classes Eugene has ever seen:

4-star CB Rodrick Pleasant commits to Oregon Ducks

The talent level in Oregon’s secondary just got a lot better. 4-star CB Rodrick Pleasant is coming to Eugene.

The Oregon Ducks’ defensive secondary just got a lot better.

On Wednesday morning, 4-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant announced that he would officially commit to the Ducks, joining what was the No. 10 ranked recruiting class in the nation prior to signing day.

Pleasant chose the Ducks over schools like USC, UCLA, Cal, and Boston College, but this was thought to be a real battle between Oregon and the Trojans in the very end.

Pleasant is rated by 247Sports as the No. 8 cornerback in the 2023 class, and the No. 91 player in the nation. He now joins a defensive secondary in Oregon that has a lot of young and relatively unproven players. It is unclear whether or not Pleasant will be able to crack the CB rotation as a true freshman, but he figures to be a major piece of the roster going forward.

Rodrick Pleasant’s Recruiting Profile

5 storylines for Duck fans to follow on national signing day

Can Oregon add another 5-star to the 2023 class? Will the Ducks stay atop the Pac-12 recruiting rankings for the 5th-straight year?

The 2023 recruiting cycle is set to officially come to a close on Wednesday, February 1, with signing day taking place. For the Oregon Ducks, it has been an incredibly eventful cycle, with Dan Lanning making a huge splash during the early signing period, inking a class that ranks No. 10 in the nation, per 247Sports.

They may not be done just yet, though. With the final day of the cycle on Wednesday, there are still a couple of high-profile prospects who are left on the Ducks’ recruiting big board — 5-star ATH Nyckoles Harbor, and 4-star CB Rodrick Pleasant. Both are scheduled to make their commitment announcement on Wednesday morning.

While those two are expected to provide most of the fireworks on signing day for Oregon fans, there may be a few other things to look at concerning the Ducks. Here are the top storylines to watch on signing day.

4-star CB Rodrick Pleasant announces commitment date and time

We will find out where Rodrick Pleasant is committing once and for all this week.

One of the top remaining prospects on the Oregon Ducks recruiting board has announced when he will make his final commitment announcement.

4-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, the No. 8 CB in the 2023 class, has announced that he will make his commitment on Wednesday, February 1, at 10:30 a.m. PT. The signing day announcement is expected to come down between Oregon and the USC Trojans, but Pleasant also listed UCLA, Cal, and Boston College in the mix.

There was a point this past week when the Ducks were expecting to get Pleasant on a visit for the final weekend before signing day, but it ended up not taking place. At the moment, there are no Crystal Ball predictions from 247Sports projecting where Pleasant might land, but the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has USC with a 52% chance to land him, while Oregon has a 39% chance.

We will find out once and for all where he is going on Wednesday morning.

Rodrick Pleasant’s Recruiting Profile

UPDATE: 4-star CB Rodrick Pleasant no longer expected to take visit to Eugene

4-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant is expected in Eugene for a visit this weekend, the last chance before signing day.

UPDATE: I have received new information that shows the Oregon Ducks are no longer expecting 4-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant on a recruiting visit this coming weekend.

Earlier, I reported that Dan Lanning and the Ducks were expecting to get the high-profile target — ranked as the No. 6 CB in the 2023 class — on campus for the final weekend ahead of signing day. After that initial report, conflicting information came in and I can now report that Rodrick is not expected in Eugene, and will instead stay home in California.

Previous Report:

The weekend visitor list for the Oregon Ducks is starting to get more and more star-studded.

I can confirm that 4-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant is expected to take a visit to Eugene this weekend to see the Ducks. On3’s Justin Hopkins had the report first.  Pleasant is among the biggest targets remaining for the Ducks, and it’s looking like a battle between Oregon and the USC Trojans down to the wire.

There is still a chance that Pleasant does not end up making the trip, as I’m told that the Trojans are working hard to keep him from visiting Eugene, but at the moment sources tell me that he is expected some time on Saturday.

Pleasant is rated by 247Sports as the No. 6 CB in the 2023 class and No. 80 overall player in the nation,

Rodrick Pleasant Recruiting Profile

Michigan State football gets into mix for top-100 2023 CB

MSU has gotten into the mix with a top-100 cornerback in the 2023 recruiting class:

With the recruiting cycle coming to a close, Michigan State’s coaching staff will look to add around 10 more commits to its 2023 recruiting class. Among the positions of need, defensive back is near the top of the list, and the Spartans have gotten into the mix with a top talent at the cornerback position.

The Michigan State staff has sent out an offer to Rodrick Pleasant, a cornerback from Gardena, California. Pleasant currently ranks as the No. 82 overall player and No. 8 cornerback in the 2023 recruiting class according to 247Sports.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

 

Rodrick Pleasant scores punt return TD, intercepts Nico Iamaleava twice

On a rainy night, Rodrick Pleasant scored a punt return touchdown in the first quarter and intercepted Nico Iamaleava twice in the fourth quarter.

Rodrick Pleasant is not an athlete who punters are advised to kick toward. In addition to being a four-star cornerback, Pleasant is the California record holder for the 100-yard dash. With a time of 10.14 seconds set in May, Pleasant eclipsed a record set 37 years ago.

The Warren High School (Downey, Calif.) staff must not have emphasized it heavily enough to their new punter.

Pleasant returned a punt 88 yards to the house despite not cleanly gathering the slippery ball on the rainy evening. He picked it up, sprinted past a defender, and then sprinted past all the rest. By the time he got to the 50-yard line, no defender was within five yards of him.

Pleasant told the Daily Breeze that he wasn’t expecting punts to come his way, and said in an interview with Spectrum News 1 SoCal that he took it personally.

“I take it as disrespect,” Pleasant said. “Teams don’t kick to me very often. You kick to me twice, OK — first time you get it, second time you’re going to pay.”

This first-quarter touchdown return, which put Serra up 14-13, ended up being the game-winner. The Cavaliers won 16-14, with a safety being the only points scored in the final three quarters of the game.

With the rain serving as a heavy factor, no pass was thrown over the first six-and-a-half minutes of the second half, according to the Daily Breeze. Once the ball went airborne again, Pleasant served a key factor in the stout defense against five-star Tennessee commit Nico Iamaleava.

In the fourth quarter, Pleasant picked him off twice.

“Nico’s like my best friend … I told him don’t throw it at me this week,” Pleasant said.

Pleasant is ranked on the 247Sports composite as the eighth-best cornerback and No. 82 player in the class. He has offers from 28 schools including Boston College, Oregon, Penn State and USC.

Serra improved to 2-2 on the year with back-to-back wins.

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