Iowa football HC Kirk Ferentz complimentary of Oregon's portal additions, NIL usage
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
It is no mistake that the Oregon Ducks are one of the best teams in the country. They have it all going right now. The Ducks are winning on all recruiting trails and can do so in many ways.
There are the obvious ties to Nike with the NIL funding, the Ducks are a primary transfer portal destination, and, among many other things, they are a contender for the College Football Playoff.
This week, Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz was asked about the Ducks' transfer portal additions and their usage of NIL, which he was extremely complimentary of.
"To me, more similar than different in my mind. Let's start with the quarterback. He's a guy that can hurt you in a lot of different ways, and same thing last year. They got a guy that can run around and make some plays, and in that Penn State game he made a couple that were really, really impressive and gave them a chance to win a really tough ball game. It starts there.
"They probably did as much work with the offensive line as any other spot, I'm guessing. I don't work there, and I don't want to presume I know what Dan was thinking, but it looks like they targeted that as an area where they needed a little bit more experience, and they've remedied that really well. They've got three transfers playing in that position — or in that group, I should say.
"Then the rest of it is kind of like strategic and where they need it. They've done a really good job there, and I mentioned the freshmen. I'm impressed with how many young players they have that are really contributing in a really impactful way.
"Then I'll throw in, they got two D-linemen that roll out there. Like all their guys, they look like NFL guys. These two guys were in high school a year ago. I think it's 50 and 42. They fit right in with anybody anywhere in the country.
"They've done a really nice job recruiting, and I'll say this, too. It's kind of like the Dodgers where you go back when Torre was managing the Yankees. Just having talent is not always enough. You have to utilize your talent and put people in the right places and get them playing the right ways, and they've done a great job of that. They've really done a great job of that for a long time now. There's an art to that, too.
"So I've got a lot of respect for their talent, their ability, but more so how they're coached and how they play. That's really the end of the discussion. It's about how you play, and they've done a really good job of that," Ferentz said about Oregon's transfer portal additions and their scheme.
Oregon's ability to land transfer portal talent and top recruits is undoubtedly helped by the resources they have at their disposal, which are well beyond what most teams in America have, but it also comes down to their head coach, Dan Lanning. He pulls all the right levers for the Ducks.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football HC Kirk Ferentz complimentary of Oregon's portal, NIL
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos