We are two and a half weeks away from NSD 2016. Whoa, time is flying. Before we get into this week's War Room, I wanted to take a second to do a little 'number crunching' again as I'm not sure everyone realizes how full the Beavers are.
The Beavers are currently sitting at 25 known commits/signees (Gus Lavaka counts as a transfer within Rivals system, so he doesn't show on the commit list, but he counts for this years signing class).
Three have publicly stated that they are mission bound (Sharp, Finau, Taumoelau). If the Beavers sign these three, they are full. If they decide not to ceremonial sign them, they sit at 22. Sharp told me yesterday that he is solid, but may take a visit to Boise. Coach Andersen stopped by to see him yesterday. Sione Finau--his relationship was with Tuiaki and Sitake and I could see him flipping to BYU. Taumoelau...never talks so your guess is as good as mine.
Now part two. While the Beavers can sign 25, they also have to stay within the 85 scholarship count. With 25 new players it puts the Beavers at 92 (by BeaverBlitz calcuations), or 7 over the limit.
As you can see, there isn't a ton of wiggle room.
Now, aside from being 'done recruiting', what could the coaches do? Two main options to open up a spot or two. Greyshirt a player or two and not sign the LDS mission players since it would be a ceremonial signing. I think we see them go the greyshirt route first and then if need be, not sign the mission bound kids as a last resort.
So with that, let's dive into the January 15, 2016 War Room Watch List
1. David Luafatasaga OLB Arizona Western CC Yuma, AZ: Luafatasaga is currently committed to Ole Miss, but is being recruited by the Beavers. He'd be an instant impact type player.
2. Maxs Tupai DE Murray HS Murray, UT: One of the top positions of need for the Beavers, Tupai made Corvallis his first visit right before the dead period began and plans additional visits. He keeps things quiet, but he could be a big time difference maker for the Beavers.
3. Hirkley Latu S Kahuku HS Kahuku, HI: Latu was originally committed to BYU, but then decided to open things up. He is a hard hitting safety who has narrowed things down to Oregon State, Utah State and BYU. Oregon State has former teammate Tuli Wily-Matagi on the roster which could help.
4. Frederick Mauigoa OG American Samoa: Keep your eyes on Mauigoa. Expected that we see him decide between OSU and WSU and he will be taking his trips this month.
5. Kaelin Himphill ILB Liberty HS Hillsboro, OR: Local Hillsboro LB Kaelin Himphill is rumored to be a silent commit, however he seems to be enjoying the attention and when an athlete won't go public with a commit, it does make you sit back and take a second look.
6. Chacho Ulloa S Centennial HS Corona, CA: One time Stanford commit, who opened up his recruitment earlier this week. Notre Dame was one time very high on his list, but he has made it clear that he will listen to anyone at this point who contacts him. Expect that he was greeted by several coaches on Thursday as the dead period ended.
7. Jonathan Kongbo DE Arizona Western CC Yuma, AZ: Kongbo would be numero uno on the list if the Beavers had a better shot of landing him. He will be releasing a list of top schools later today.
8. LJ Teo DE American Samoa: Recruits in Samoa are tough to reach. Teo holds an Oregon State offer and will be a target heading down the stretch.
The Beavers are currently sitting at 25 known commits/signees (Gus Lavaka counts as a transfer within Rivals system, so he doesn't show on the commit list, but he counts for this years signing class).
Three have publicly stated that they are mission bound (Sharp, Finau, Taumoelau). If the Beavers sign these three, they are full. If they decide not to ceremonial sign them, they sit at 22. Sharp told me yesterday that he is solid, but may take a visit to Boise. Coach Andersen stopped by to see him yesterday. Sione Finau--his relationship was with Tuiaki and Sitake and I could see him flipping to BYU. Taumoelau...never talks so your guess is as good as mine.
Now part two. While the Beavers can sign 25, they also have to stay within the 85 scholarship count. With 25 new players it puts the Beavers at 92 (by BeaverBlitz calcuations), or 7 over the limit.
As you can see, there isn't a ton of wiggle room.
Now, aside from being 'done recruiting', what could the coaches do? Two main options to open up a spot or two. Greyshirt a player or two and not sign the LDS mission players since it would be a ceremonial signing. I think we see them go the greyshirt route first and then if need be, not sign the mission bound kids as a last resort.
So with that, let's dive into the January 15, 2016 War Room Watch List
1. David Luafatasaga OLB Arizona Western CC Yuma, AZ: Luafatasaga is currently committed to Ole Miss, but is being recruited by the Beavers. He'd be an instant impact type player.
2. Maxs Tupai DE Murray HS Murray, UT: One of the top positions of need for the Beavers, Tupai made Corvallis his first visit right before the dead period began and plans additional visits. He keeps things quiet, but he could be a big time difference maker for the Beavers.
3. Hirkley Latu S Kahuku HS Kahuku, HI: Latu was originally committed to BYU, but then decided to open things up. He is a hard hitting safety who has narrowed things down to Oregon State, Utah State and BYU. Oregon State has former teammate Tuli Wily-Matagi on the roster which could help.
4. Frederick Mauigoa OG American Samoa: Keep your eyes on Mauigoa. Expected that we see him decide between OSU and WSU and he will be taking his trips this month.
5. Kaelin Himphill ILB Liberty HS Hillsboro, OR: Local Hillsboro LB Kaelin Himphill is rumored to be a silent commit, however he seems to be enjoying the attention and when an athlete won't go public with a commit, it does make you sit back and take a second look.
6. Chacho Ulloa S Centennial HS Corona, CA: One time Stanford commit, who opened up his recruitment earlier this week. Notre Dame was one time very high on his list, but he has made it clear that he will listen to anyone at this point who contacts him. Expect that he was greeted by several coaches on Thursday as the dead period ended.
7. Jonathan Kongbo DE Arizona Western CC Yuma, AZ: Kongbo would be numero uno on the list if the Beavers had a better shot of landing him. He will be releasing a list of top schools later today.
8. LJ Teo DE American Samoa: Recruits in Samoa are tough to reach. Teo holds an Oregon State offer and will be a target heading down the stretch.
