Oregon's Taggart lures Florida recruits, Arizona flippers
Oregon's recruiting class had such a Florida feel under new coach Willie Taggart that it had its own social media hashtag: Floregon.
Oregon has been infused with new energy since Taggart was hired following a disheartening 4-8 season. He has been crisscrossing the country since he was hired away from South Florida.
It's perhaps unsurprising that he was able to bring in a few recruits - seven, actually - from the Sunshine State. Among them are defensive tackle Jordon Scott from Largo, running back Darrian Felix of Fort Meyers, athlete Bruce Judson of Cocoa, safety Billy Gibson of Miami, athlete Demetri Burch of Apopka, receiver Daewood Davis of Fort Lauderdale and wide receiver Darrian McNeal of Seffner.
''There are a lot of guys down there that really, really like Oregon, they just haven't been offered before,'' Taggart said in announcing the class Wednesday.
Taggart was also able to lure a group of players who had originally settled on Arizona, including four-star quarterback Braxton Burmeister and outside linebacker Cody Shear of Eugene.
Other things to know:
Top 25 Class: Yes.
Best in class: Braxton Burmeister, QB, La Jolla, California. Although Oregon has a young quarterback in Justin Herbert, who will be a sophomore next season, the Ducks demonstrated the need for developing talent at the position after bringing in graduate transfers for the past two seasons. Burmeister threw for 4,461 yards and 53 touchdowns while rushing for 1,470 yards with 27 touchdowns his senior year at La Jolla Country Day.
Best of the rest: College of San Mateo transfer George Moore, considered the top JC offensive lineman in the country. Among the team's four-star recruits were cornerbacks Thomas Graham and Jaylon Redd, and linebacker Isaac Slade-Matautia from Honolulu.
Late addition: Four-star athlete Deommodore Lenoir of Los Angeles waited until the afternoon to announce he had signed with Oregon, posting images of himself wearing Oregon uniforms on Twitter.
Shear, who committed to Arizona, changed his mind on Wednesday morning after Taggart offered him a scholarship at 7:30 a.m. He announced that he had switched to the Ducks at a signing day gathering at Sheldon High School.
One that got away: Sacramento's Josh Falo, considered one of the top tight ends in the country, chose USC over Oregon on Tuesday night.
How they'll fit in: Oregon's biggest needs are on defense, and the Ducks looked like they addressed that side of the ball. Scott has already enrolled at Oregon, as has defensive tackle Rutger Reitmaier from Nashville, Tennessee. Two more defensive tackles from California, Popo Aumavae and Austin Faoliu, signed Wednesday.
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For the full list: http://www.goducks.com/news/2017/1/31/football-recruiting-class-joins-the-flock.aspx
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More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
