Oregon grey shirt to arrive early

Los Angeles (Calif.) University defensive lineman Michael Speed signed last February with Oregon and was expected to grey-shirt this season for the Ducks. After the tragic death of incoming recruit Terrance Kelley, Speed will now enroll this fall and will leave for Eugene on Saturday.

"I was looking forward to grey-shirting so I could get bigger and stronger but I'm excited about this opportunity," Speed said. "I know I have to do some work in the weight room but that's fine. Right now, I'm being told I'll likely red-shirt but I wouldn't mind playing on special teams. They only have six defensive ends on the whole roster so if someone goes down, I think there's a chance I could play this year and I'll be working hard so I'm ready if that does happen."

Speed, 6-4, 220 pounds basically came out of nowhere a year ago and few had heard much about him before he signed with the Ducks.

"Yeah, I was definitely under the radar," Speed said. "Coach Belotti liked my speed and my frame. My dad is 6-8 so I know I'll continue to grow. Once I'm done filling out, I should be able to do some good things at Oregon."

Speed had 10 sacks as a senior and also participated in track where he threw the shot and ran the 400 meters.