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Bafaro: "I'm excited to be a Duck"

Portland (Ore.) Liberty linebacker Brett Bafaro was planning to announce his decision later today, instead he has made his decision public.

Oregon Ducks

The 6-foot-2, 220 pound three-star committed to Oregon over Washington moments ago.

"It feels great, I'm excited," Bafaro said. "My whole family is excited, my friends, my teammates, everybody. I knew I wanted to commit to Oregon and I'm just happy it's official."

Bafaro returned from Washington only to learn Oregon had secured a linebacker commitment from Bryce Cottrell. Bafaro was aware Oregon would only take two linebackers in this recruiting class.

"Yeah that prompted me to go ahead and make my commitment," he said. "I wanted to take some other visits but I realized I didn't want to miss my chance to play for Oregon."

Now that he's been able to make his commitment public, Bafaro said he feels like he can focus solely on the rest of his season.

"It's a big weight off my shoulders, it just feels great. I wanted to announce tonight but I couldn't wait anymore and I just wanted to get it off my chest. I'm hoping tonight I can go out and perform for my team."

Oregon has been successful recruiting the top in-state recruits, only missing out on Isaac Seumalo who committed to the Beavers where his father is a coach.

Bafaro is a speedy, sure tackling linebacker that should fit well into Oregon's fast-paced defense.

He said he plans on attending the game tomorrow against Washington State.

Justin Hopkins
    • This post is for members of DuckTerritory or All Access VIP members only. Start Free Trial

      L Perry

    • This post is for members of DuckTerritory or All Access VIP members only. Start Free Trial

      mcmcc1

    • Everyone was worried, but all he wanted to do was play the recruiting game... and why should we blame him? I would have don the same exact thing if I was in his shoes. Great pick-up.

      goducks123

    • Funny, i remember someone in august talking about how he'd commit once another LB had visited and committed... Mmmmm who could that have been...

      SOTBD

    • Well, darn it, then I'M excited, too !!! WELCOME TO THE DUCK FAMILY, Dawg-gone-it ... We love 220 pound 4.6 linebackers!

      MacMallard1

    • So the Ducks nabbed two 3 * guys at LB?

      I think both will be fine players and all, but am I the only one a tad disappointed that this is the best a National Championship runner up can get?

      yellowandgreen

    • 4* on some site.

      but stars shmars.

      Welcome to the team Brett!

      Ducksworth1

    • yellowandgreen said...

      So the Ducks nabbed two 3 * guys at LB?

      I think both will be fine players and all, but am I the only one a tad disappointed that this is the best a National Championship runner up can get?

      Both Castro and Bafaro are 4* on Rivals.

      And Cottrell is a very solid recruit.

      This post was edited by MoneyBeGreen on 10/28/2011 at 1:29 PM

      MoneyBeGreen

    • yellowandgreen said...

      So the Ducks nabbed two 3 * guys at LB?

      I think both will be fine players and all, but am I the only one a tad disappointed that this is the best a National Championship runner up can get?

      I hear what you're saying, but these guys aren't scrubs. Bafaro is a really good player. He's not in that "elite" class like Kwon, but he's in the next tier down I think (which is good players who will definitely contribute at a high level in a BCS conference).

      illmatic88

    • illmatic88 said...

      I hear what you're saying, but these guys aren't scrubs. Bafaro is a really good player. He's not in that "elite" class like Kwon, but he's in the next tier down I think (which is good players who will definitely contribute at a high level in a BCS conference).

      But at what point should we start expecting more of the top tier kids to have Oregon as their number 1 school? Am I over thinking this? Oregon is a dominant school in a BSC conference. We played for the national title last year, and with a few breaks, could again this year. What is the reason for it? Is it simply that it is Oregon and not the SEC? Is it the small town, kind of obscure area?

      yellowandgreen

    • Not bad got arguably 3 out of the top 4 players in Oregon this year.

      OCanada

    • This post is for members of DuckTerritory or All Access VIP members only. Start Free Trial

      mcmcc1

    • yellowandgreen said...

      But at what point should we start expecting more of the top tier kids to have Oregon as their number 1 school?

      Ellis McCarthy does. Shaq Thompson said so at one point. Arik Armstead is considering us. DJ Foster is a great chance to commit.

      Look at Illmatic's big board. There are some fantastic recruits out there who definitely have us near the top. We have more interest this year from the best around the country than ever before. We are not going to get every top-level recruit. And that means we shouldn't be interested solely in them. We built ourselves on the shoulders of 3-star guys who became All-Americans (LMJ ring a bell?). We're continuing to grow.

      So yes, you are overthinking this and I really don't understand the negativity.

      MoneyBeGreen

    • Don't forget this year we had a 3* LB playing before a 5* LB. Star don't mean anything once they get to Eugene.

      jsaund ●

    • Jhop or others

      I signed up for the free trial after lurking for a while and am really impressed so far.with that said, now I'm blocked from seeing posts again. Can someone help out or know why?

      Ducksworth1

    • yellowandgreen said...

      So the Ducks nabbed two 3 * guys at LB?

      I think both will be fine players and all, but am I the only one a tad disappointed that this is the best a National Championship runner up can get?

      Don't want to beat a dead horse here, but having examined recruiting rankings through the years, every service sees things differently. I for one am shocked at the amount of highly touted recruits that never really live up to their billing.

      I think it is less about where they are ranked and more about the player and how they could develop. At a certain point, I think a good number of these guys are not very much apart at all. To me, Brett looks like a tremendous athlete with great size and a nice motor. Would not be surprised if he eventually surpassed a number of players ranked in front of him.

      mikeyvthedon

    • In regards to stars... It's about location. I asked JHop awhile back, and he said he highly doubts Oregon ever pulls in a top 5 class due to that.

      The talent is based in SoCal and the SE. We are at a major disadvantage when it comes to that....

      Welcome to the family Brett, WOOF lol.

      DuckInTheDesert

    • When will we sign an athletic red headed cheerleader? It has been a major gap and is holding the whole team back. Cliff might have shown more focus had the back bends been even better.

      johnch

    • 7_Ducksworth said...

      Jhop or others

      I signed up for the free trial after lurking for a while and am really impressed so far.with that said, now I'm blocked from seeing posts again. Can someone help out or know why?

      Customer Service - support@247sports.com
      Any technical stuff needs to go there. cheers

      L Perry

    • DuckInTheDesert said...

      In regards to stars... It's about location. I asked JHop awhile back, and he said he highly doubts Oregon ever pulls in a top 5 class due to that.

      The talent is based in SoCal and the SE. We are at a major disadvantage when it comes to that....

      Welcome to the family Brett, WOOF lol.

      I think if we can pull in a Top 15 class Duck fans should be excited about the future, the staff has shown they can coach up players to be over-achievers in many cases.

      OCanada

    • *s only relate to the player's size and ability RIGHT NOW, at 17 or 18. Any kid who is big, fast and smart right now has the potential to be an all-star. The more important question is, what is his character? How hard will he work for the team? A 3-4* who works hard and drinks the WTD kool-ade is much more valuable than a 5* whack-job who never gets his stuff together....

      Welcome Brett -- Have fun winning lots of games at Oregon!

      sjb

    • 7_Ducksworth said...

      Jhop or others

      I signed up for the free trial after lurking for a while and am really impressed so far.with that said, now I'm blocked from seeing posts again. Can someone help out or know why?

      Sorry about the issue ducksworth, please email to Support@247Sports.com and they should help you promptly, if they don't email me: duckterritoryjustin@gmail.com

      Justin Hopkins

    • This post is for members of DuckTerritory or All Access VIP members only. Start Free Trial

      Justin Hopkins

    • For various reasons each service will have different ratings, Brett did well in some earlier rivals based camps so he moved up, and is expected to do so again.

      As for ratings the only one I care about is our position coaches rating.

      UODuck69

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