Harper heads to Pac-10

Chris Harper, the No. 2 player in the state of Kansas, said just last night it was a matter of time before he decided to officially end the recruiting process.

That end came a few minutes ago when he decided he was going to head to the Pac 10.

"I committed to Oregon just a few minutes ago," Harper, the 6-foot-2, 231-pound four-star athlete from Wichita (Kan.) Northwest.

"I really love the offense they're running. I love the zone read and the option. They do a lot of diverse stuff that really fit my style of play."

Harper originally committed to Kansas State on December 17 at a press conference in Wichita, but he then backed off his pledge to the Wildcats when offensive coordinator James Franklin left for Maryland. When he announced originally for K-State, he said he picked them over the Ducks mainly because of his relationship with Franklin.

But with Franklin gone, the door was then wide open again for the Ducks.

Oregon offensive coordinator Chip Kelly visited with Harper on Wednesday and talked to him about how he would fit in with the Ducks.

It was a visit that helped officially seal the deal for Oregon.

"We don't really talk about football," Harper said on Thursday. "We don't talk about football too much. He's not a salesman type of recruiter. He just says 'You see what we have and you see that you can fit in'. That's kind of the whole basis of the pitch for him. That's all he really has to say to me. You don't have to sell your school so much. The smart players will figure it out where they fit at and if they like what they see and all of that. He just kind of talks to me, you know?"

The talk worked, as Oregon has added another big to an outstanding class that is already ranked at No. 22.

With Harper ranked as the No. 146 player overall and the No. 14 athlete the Ducks should could leapfrog Minnesota and Arizona State in the Rivals.com team rankings.