By Dave Miller, National Football Post
Oregon landed a top running back recruit on Friday, getting a verbal commitment from the rich recruiting grounds of Texas.
Dontre Wilson of DeSoto High School (DeSoto, TX), who rushed for 767 yards on 127 carries and scored 20 total touchdowns (15 rushing and 5 receiving) in 2011, chose the Ducks over Texas, LSU, Arkansas, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and a host of other major powers.
Wilson became the first player in the Class of 2013 to decline an offer from Mack Brown and Co., who handed out 24 scholarship offers to 2013 prospects so far. Fourteen of those players have given verbal commitments while the other 10 were still considering that offer. Make it nine players still considering, as Wilson chose to play for Chip Kelly in Eugene.
The 5-10, 176-pounder may not have wanted to attend school in Austin because the Longhorns already have the top two running backs from the state of Texas the last two recruiting cycles: Cibolo Steele star Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray of Aledo. In addition, Arlington Martin star Kyle Hicks, who rushed for 1,685 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior, committed to Texas in February. Add in the fact that Joe Bergeron became a dependable option in his freshman season in 2011 as well as the arrival of former TCU commit Daje Johnson, and it's no wonder why Wilson would look elsewhere.
Kelly and the Ducks, meanwhile, will always employ a high-octane, up-tempo offense that relies on a variety of backs. If Wilson can step in and pick up the offense, he could possibly see the field immediately in 2013, much like De'Anthony Thomas was able to do last year in his freshman campaign.
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