Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports
Oregon has had a remarkable track record producing great running backs in its system, but the player that could be the next great Ducks running back, Joe Mixon (Oakley, Ca. Freedom) still is waiting on an offer from the school.
Mixon is a 5-star running back according to Rivals.com, and is a consensus top-five running back in the nation. He starred at the Rivals camp in Los Angeles earlier this month and demonstrated his ability to be an all-purpose back with his fluid hips, excellent speed, and also showed to have the hands of a wide receiver.
Mixon holds nearly 40 offers from schools all over the country, including 12 of the 14 schools in the Pac 12. However, Oregon is taking the patient approach to pursuing one of the nation’s top running backs. Mixon listed his top-16 schools on Twitter last week and obviously, it didn’t include Oregon, but that could change after the Ducks travel to see him in May.
Would then be too late to get into the chase for the 6-2, 210-pound tailback?
Maybe not so much as one would think, when you factor into account the recent track record of Oregon tailbacks and their ability to have success on the collegiate field, and eventually in the NFL. I would think that history is the best recruiting tool the Ducks can use, and could be the reason why they are being so patient to this point.
However, if they lose out on the talented Mixon, they will regret not showing him how much they wanted him earlier in the process, and it will sting even more if he signs with a rival Pac 12 school like USC or UCLA.
Patrick’s a college football writer for Rant Sports and radio host on Sportstownchicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt and add him to your Google network.
