Is Oregon on the verge?

With Letter-of-Intent day just days away, it's hard to imagine why the number-two team in the country last year isn't getting any love on the recruiting front. At least that's what it looks like on the outside. With Oregon laying claim to less than a dozen public verbal commitments to this point, is Mike Bellotti and staff just waiting in the weeds or are they going to come up empty handed?

One thing is for certain; there's still time for Bellotti and company to close strong. They are in on several top prospects, including a few truly elite players. I'll call them the 'Fab Five'.

Haloti Ngata - The 6-4, 305-pound man-child from Salt Lake City (Utah) Highland is a wanted man, but not in the illegal sense. Ngata is the Tommie Harris of this year's class, a true dominating defensive tackle that can wreak havoc from the first second he steps on campus. Nebraska and Washington first came on the scene, but they were quickly replaced by Oregon and BYU, with Utah lurking in the shadows. With persistent rumors that crop up on nearly a daily basis about the status of Haloti's 'verbal commitment' to the Cougars, expect the drama to continue to unfold until past the 11th hour. If Bellotti were to secure Ngata for this class, it would be a coup of unheard proportions.

Hershel Dennis - Hershel is another tremendous prospect that has leanings towards another school, but Oregon has an excellent opportunity of stealing him away depending on how events unfold. Dennis plays for traditional powerhouse Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, and has been a supposed USC lean since birth, yet has kept fans of Washington, Oregon and UCLA guessing with his on again-off again dalliance with the Trojans. Right now things seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern with USC holding the keys. The Ducks made enough of an impression on Hershel that he considers them his other 'top' choice along with the men of Troy. The 'x' factor here is Lorenzo Booker, the talented running back from Ventura (Calif.) Saint Bonaventure and theinsiders.com number one ranked player nationally. While publically stating that Booker's choice of school won't affect his choice, expect Dennis to consider bolting for greener pastures if Lorenzo signs with USC. With Notre Dame and Washington in the drivers' seat for Booker, it looks as if Hershel's path may remain relatively uncluttered. If it does get a little sticky in LA come Wednesday, Bellotti just might find himself with Onterrio Smith's replacement before he knows it.

Rhema McKnight - Bellotti's offense always works best with top receivers like Tony Hartley, Keenan Howry and Samie Parker. Rhema McKnight would certainly flourish catching balls from the likes of Jason Fife and Kellen Clemens. The number 3 ranked receiver in the country by theinsiders.com, La Palma (Calif.) Kennedy's McKnight has the size and speed to drive defensive coordinators nuts. He also has the kind of aloof presence that drives recruiting reporters a little daffy too. Without mentioning a leader or even a lean, Rhema has five schools of supposed equal interest - Florida, Oregon, Washington, Notre Dame and UCLA. You would think the home-town team might have the advantage with such a large group of suitors, but McKnight is ruling out no one at this time. You have to think with their success throwing the ball, Rhema would find the Ducks' offense to his liking. Rhema will be making his college announcement at the same time Booker does, so Bellotti may get a double dose of the right stuff when it comes to his future skill players. Guys like Dennis and McKnight don't come around all that often.

Albert Toeaina - Albert's recruitment has been one big roller coaster ride. Favoring the Washington Huskies early, the 6-5, 325-pound lineman from Pittsburg, California decided to make a verbal commitment to the Dawgs just shortly after his official visit. Mistake number one. Albert took a couple of more official visits, including one to Corvallis, Oregon, where he also made a verbal commitment to Dennis Erickson and the Oregon State Beavers. Mistake number two. After finishing his official trip schedule with a jaunt to Eugene, Albert is now back to square one. He has three leaders, Washington, Oregon State and the Ducks. Albert did tell Dawgman.com that the facilities at Oregon were phenomenal and that Coach Bellotti let him know that he could gain an opportunity to play right away through hard work. "The choice is mine," he said. Right now it's a toss-up, but sources close to the situation are saying it's going to go down to the wire between the Huskies and Ducks. Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha defensive end Brandon Ala chose Washington over the Ducks in an earlier battle; this one could even the score.

Chris Solomona - Following Chris' recruitment has been an interesting one, to say the least. Chris originally signed with Washington out of San Pedro High School, only to not qualify. He then enrolled at El Camino College to get his AA with the idea of bouncing back to the Dawgs. That thought was further cemented when Chris committed to the Huskies again this past December on an official visit to Seattle. The deed was done, right? Heck no. The 6-5, 285-pound defensive tackle then took futher trips to Arizona, BYU and Oregon, thinking about signing with the Wildcats for a bit before narrowing his final list down to, you guessed it, Oregon and Washington. The simple fact of the matter is that both Mike Bellotti and Rick Neuheisel don't like to lose battles, on or off the field, so this one is going to be of particular interest to those that follow college football in the Northwest. You have to give Bellotti and staff credit - they came from literally nowhere to pull even with the Huskies in this race. In a nutshell, Chris feels the football environment in Eugene is more to his liking but says that he is more comfortable with things outside of football in Seattle. Who to choose?

One thing is clear - Mike Bellotti and the Oregon Ducks have the potential to end this recruiting season on a very high note. The tough part is knowing that things have to fall in place just right in order for that to happen. Will they?

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