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Rating Oregon's 2013 RB Class

Thomas Tyner

Thomas Tyner headlines Oregon's 2013 recruiting class and the running back position.

DuckTerritory.com takes a look at the 2013 recruiting class and breaks down each position. Today we look at running back where Oregon signed two players.

Matt Prehm

    • Landing Tuner made everything okay. He is so special and has such a bright future with Oregon. He is going to do big things. Benoit is good as well, but will most likely be depth for the majority of his college days. Silver lining is we will now be on the market for two top RB for'14 and we should be able to pull two good ones considering the targets we are in on. I would love to get two of Nixon, Starks, James, Scott and McCaffrey. Landing any two of this group would be an impressive haul. We are also in on a lot of other studs such as Scoby, Richard, etc... We should be okay. Hopefully the big five(IMO) get offers. Make that four because McCaffrey already has an offer.

      KeepOnDucking

    • I agree that Thomas is an uber talented kid, but IMO saying that he's a great fit for the Duck offense is tough to say for the simple fact that he has never ran in a spread/zone scheme. I know fans wanna see him come in and start cracking off big runs right away but I think it will take a little bit of time to develop the patience that it takes to run in Oregon's scheme. It really is night and day from playing in the I back, downhill running game that he played in under Coach Casey( who BTW is one hell of a coach). In that kind of offense, you coach your RB to hit the hole fast and hard(that's what she said) and follow that FB to daylight. In Oregon's scheme a guy has to have patience and learn to "press" the holes and then burst up the field. There is also a ton more cutback opportunities/plays in Oregon's offense than there is in an I back running game. I'm not trying to say that he won't be great, but I do think there will be a learning curve that he will have to work through before he really gets it going.
      I think it will be similar to what J Stew went through when he went from playing in an I back offense to the spread and if you go by the NFL draft, he's the best RB prospect the Ducks have had. Then, compare that to what LMJ went through. LMJ played in a zone scheme in HS and the transition was much easier for him. Now, LMJ was built to play in the Ducks running game but you get the point.
      I really like Benoit's film too. For a guy who isn't supposed to be all that fast he sure rips off a bunch of really long runs. I think he's comparable to Marshall in the sense that he's not great at any one aspect of RB play, but good in all of them. I think he's very comparable to Byron, with just a little less juice. If I was going to give the class a grade I would say B-B+, with Tyner being an A and Benoit a C to B-

      MudBloodVeer

    • MudBloodVeer said...

      I agree that Thomas is an uber talented kid, but IMO saying that he's a great fit for the Duck offense is tough to say for the simple fact that he has never ran in a spread/zone scheme. I know fans wanna see him come in and start cracking off big runs right away but I think it will take a little bit of time to develop the patience that it takes to run in Oregon's scheme. It really is night and day from playing in the I back, downhill running game that he played in under Coach Casey( who BTW is one hell of a coach). In that kind of offense, you coach your RB to hit the hole fast and hard(that's what she said) and follow that FB to daylight. In Oregon's scheme a guy has to have patience and learn to "press" the holes and then burst up the field. There is also a ton more cutback opportunities/plays in Oregon's offense than there is in an I back running game. I'm not trying to say that he won't be great, but I do think there will be a learning curve that he will have to work through before he really gets it going.
      I think it will be similar to what J Stew went through when he went from playing in an I back offense to the spread and if you go by the NFL draft, he's the best RB prospect the Ducks have had. Then, compare that to what LMJ went through. LMJ played in a zone scheme in HS and the transition was much easier for him. Now, LMJ was built to play in the Ducks running game but you get the point.
      I really like Benoit's film too. For a guy who isn't supposed to be all that fast he sure rips off a bunch of really long runs. I think he's comparable to Marshall in the sense that he's not great at any one aspect of RB play, but good in all of them. I think he's very comparable to Byron, with just a little less juice. If I was going to give the class a grade I would say B-B+, with Tyner being an A and Benoit a C to B-

      Tyner is legit but you're right that he'll probably have to learn the new scheme. Lmj spent a year redshirting.

      Benoit reminds of Marshall too great rb the first 20 yards. But no burst or straight line speed. Easy to see why he was a backup plan. I see him as a Alston type adding good depth and able to take carries in the fourth qtr

      Natty_Dread

    • Natty_Dread said...

      Tyner is legit but you're right that he'll probably have to learn the new scheme. Lmj spent a year redshirting.

      Benoit reminds of Marshall too great rb the first 20 yards. But no burst or straight line speed. Easy to see why he was a backup plan. I see him as a Alston type adding good depth and able to take carries in the fourth qtr

      Yeah, he will play late in games but from what I have seen on film IMO he's quite a bit more talented than Alston. I know you weren't trying to really compare the two, just saying. I'm really excited to watch Marshall run this spring and fall. I would have loved to seen him get more carries last fall but I think they did him a service by letting him develop over the season. You could really see improvement in his game, as he had many of the same issues that I expect Tyner will have at first, but by game 4 he was much more patient and confident in his cuts. If he can just continue to get better every week like he did this season he's going to end up as a hell of a RB

      MudBloodVeer

    • Benoit reminds me of JJ out of highschool. He seems to have a little more power, but also a little less wiggle.

      spike_duck ●

    • spike_duck said...

      Benoit reminds me of JJ out of highschool. He seems to have a little more power, but also a little less wiggle.

      Well JJ was fast and had a burst. Benoit has all the tools except speed. Unfortunately you can't teach that.

      Natty_Dread

    • I'd give it a B. Early in the Benoit recruitment I knew he was gonna be our third back. Oh yeah 2nd, had we retained Wilson it would a been a strong A.

      I hope in this class we get backs that run in a spread and have the vision it takes to find the cutback, seams and creases our offence is predicated on. Just like swinging in BB it's easier the younger you start.

      Happyvduck ●

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      Rowdyduck

    • Tyner ain't no red-shirt ... no way; no how ...

      MacMallard1

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      fecta23 ●

    • MudBloodVeer said...

      I agree that Thomas is an uber talented kid, but IMO saying that he's a great fit for the Duck offense is tough to say for the simple fact that he has never ran in a spread/zone scheme. I know fans wanna see him come in and start cracking off big runs right away but I think it will take a little bit of time to develop the patience that it takes to run in Oregon's scheme. It really is night and day from playing in the I back, downhill running game that he played in under Coach Casey( who BTW is one hell of a coach). In that kind of offense, you coach your RB to hit the hole fast and hard(that's what she said) and follow that FB to daylight. In Oregon's scheme a guy has to have patience and learn to "press" the holes and then burst up the field. There is also a ton more cutback opportunities/plays in Oregon's offense than there is in an I back running game. I'm not trying to say that he won't be great, but I do think there will be a learning curve that he will have to work through before he really gets it going.
      I think it will be similar to what J Stew went through when he went from playing in an I back offense to the spread and if you go by the NFL draft, he's the best RB prospect the Ducks have had. Then, compare that to what LMJ went through. LMJ played in a zone scheme in HS and the transition was much easier for him. Now, LMJ was built to play in the Ducks running game but you get the point.
      I really like Benoit's film too. For a guy who isn't supposed to be all that fast he sure rips off a bunch of really long runs. I think he's comparable to Marshall in the sense that he's not great at any one aspect of RB play, but good in all of them. I think he's very comparable to Byron, with just a little less juice. If I was going to give the class a grade I would say B-B+, with Tyner being an A and Benoit a C to B-

      Agree completely about Tuner. A lot of people have posted that they think Tyner comes in and starts from day one and has 1000+ yards as a freshmen when that is very unlikely IMO. Don't get it twisted, I think Tyner is an incredible RB and very well could end up being the best RB Oregon has ever had, but that being said he will still have to adjust to a spread offense. He's used to running in a pro style I formation scheme I believe so it will be a change for him.

      He will adapt. I'm confident in saying that, but I think it will take him a season or so to adjust and adapt. I strongly feel Marshall and DAT will be the go to RB's this season and both will have 1000+ yard seasons. Like I've posted before Tyner will have his time to shine and will, but I think some people should relax a bit and not set such high expectations for him so early on.

      Don't be disappointed when he runs for around 500 yards or so. He has to pay his dues like the studs before him. When all is said and done I do think Thomas blows the UO record books up though. I just don't expect it to happen this season. If he does then hell yeah!!! I'll be stoked, but I don't have as lofty expectations like so many others. Safe to say we are very set with talent at RB.

      If we can throw Mixon, Starks, James, Scott or McCaffrey into the mix we will be that much more lethal.

      KeepOnDucking

    • Natty_Dread said...

      Well JJ was fast and had a burst. Benoit has all the tools except speed. Unfortunately you can't teach that.

      That's kinda what I'm saying though, people say he lacks speed but you watch his film and he runs away from a lot of guys for big plays. And, In the end does it matter if a guy has 1 carry for 85 yds and a TD or 5 carries for 85 yds and a TD?

      MudBloodVeer

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      KeepOnDucking

    • Solid insights all around. Before reading these comments my first thought was to compare Tyner to JStew as prospects leaving HS. Curious as to what everyone thinks about that. Recently I saw a picture I had seen before that JStew tweeted out as him in HS. The dude was so huge and fast. If you were to go into the Cas Center weight room up in the rafters they have all the top weight lifting and running times for all the sports. JStew had like a 4.37 second 40 or something like that. Extremely fast as you all would agree. And JStew really didn't blow up until his junior year. JStew was also considered the top back in his class. Does everyone expect Tyner to come in immediately and just blow up the competition? Especially given what we know about past RB success as true freshman.

      rkeith

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      MudBloodVeer

    • KeepOnDucking said...

      Landing Tuner made everything okay. He is so special and has such a bright future with Oregon. He is going to do big things. Benoit is good as well, but will most likely be depth for the majority of his college days. Silver lining is we will now be on the market for two top RB for'14 and we should be able to pull two good ones considering the targets we are in on. I would love to get two of Nixon, Starks, James, Scott and McCaffrey. Landing any two of this group would be an impressive haul. We are also in on a lot of other studs such as Scoby, Richard, etc... We should be okay. Hopefully the big five(IMO) get offers. Make that four because McCaffrey already has an offer.

      My vote is for McCaffrey and Mixon. Both are more all purpose backs and that would compensate for Tyner, Benoit and Marshal being more true running backs. The thing I really like about Tyner is that he does catch the ball very well so can play in the slot as well.

      Wood Duck212466

    • MudBloodVeer said...

      That's kinda what I'm saying though, people say he lacks speed but you watch his film and he runs away from a lot of guys for big plays. And, In the end does it matter if a guy has 1 carry for 85 yds and a TD or 5 carries for 85 yds and a TD?

      I think with Benoit it has a little to do with minor adjustments that force defenders to make corrections in their pursuit angles.

      Wood Duck212466

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      WTD1

    • Talent wise Marshall, DAT & Tyner may be the 3 best RB ever in Oregon's backfield at the same time. I expect all three to finish their careers and will be considered in the same company of LMJ and Barner.

      Personally I think Tyner will be a super star but his numbers will be lowered due to the fact that Marshall is All American talent as well. I think eventually they are splitting the carries 50/50 but next year I think Marshall tears it up.

      This post was edited by Duck Nasty on 2/28/2013 at 12:33 AM

      Duck Nasty ●

    • Duck Nasty said...

      Talent wise Marshall, DAT & Tyner may be the 3 best RB ever in Oregon's backfield at the same time. I expect all three to finish their careers and will be considered in the same company of LMJ and Barner.

      How 'bout the trio of James, Barner, and DAT? I know folks are excited about Tyner and Marshall, but that trio will be tough to duplicate...

      ChrisCourtney

    • I do expect Tyner to make a major contribution this year. I think he is close to 1,000 yards. But I also love Marshall and think many are underating his ability. I think Marshall will be the primary workhorse and will surprise with his speed and big play ability. I think Marshall ends up around 1,250 yards and Dat will chip in around 750 along with Mariota. Benoit will redshirt imo.

      Sir1144547

    • ChrisCourtney said...

      How 'bout the trio of James, Barner, and DAT? I know folks are excited about Tyner and Marshall, but that trio will be tough to duplicate...

      Exactly Chris. But if I put stock into evaluations then Tyner and Marshall could/should be as good or better then KB and LMJ. I expect our offense to get even better with the incoming backs.

      Duck Nasty ●

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      KeepOnDucking

    • ChrisCourtney said...

      How 'bout the trio of James, Barner, and DAT? I know folks are excited about Tyner and Marshall, but that trio will be tough to duplicate...

      LMJ, KB and DAT, best ever, thus far. But I'm with DN on this, when he says "may". If not next year, possibly 2014. The potential is there - two five stars and a high four star - so the potential is there.

      Drewknowledge

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