Oregon lands major offensive tackle

Kyle Long said once he visited Oregon with his family earlier this month the Ducks were immediately considered the favorite and the Mission Viejo (Calif.) Saddleback C.C. offensive tackle decided to make his commitment Sunday.

"It was kind of a no-brainer once my family and I had an opportunity to go up there and see it for ourselves," Long said. "What coach (Chip) Kelly has done with that program is astounding and obviously it starts at the bottom with the support staff and the fans and the people of Eugene and just the Duck fans.

"It's a great program, they have such a family environment, it feels like they're all close-knit and that offense is pretty impressive. It's a team that's going in the right direction.

"Oregon is a place where if I get my degree, which is definitely a goal of mine, I'd be able to do some things I'd really be proud of. I'm very excited about the opportunity to play at Oregon and grateful for the opportunity."

Arkansas, Florida State, Louisiana Tech, SMU, Tennessee, UCLA and Utah had also offered Long, a 6-foot-7, 285-pound three-star prospect by Rivals.com but he found the perfect fit at Oregon and decided to end his recruitment.

Once Long visited with the Ducks and saw the offense for himself he said he knew that Oregon was going to be tough to beat.

"The faster the better," Long said. "When I got up there to see it in practice I was just drooling. Just getting the opportunity to see them move at such a fast pace. There is no down time in that offense. We ran no-huddle at Saddleback College and obviously it's not to the extent of Oregon's offense but it's something I can see myself being a part of.

"I'm an offensive lineman but I pride myself in my ability to get outside and move especially out in space. They do a lot of that so it's a good fit for me and my parents supported my decision. In the end it was my decision and I'm fired up about it so I'm going to get ready to be prepared for summer camp."

Rivals.com rates Long as the No. 24 recruit in its junior college rankings. His father, Howie, played 13 seasons with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders and is a Super Bowl champion.