Recruit reaction mixed to Oregon firing Mark Helfrich
Mixed reaction came in Tuesday night from top prospects and Oregon commits after news broke that the Ducks fired coach Mark Helfrich.
First, the good news for Oregon fans: Four-star linebacker Sampson Niu and four-star offensive tackle Alex Forsyth said they’re sticking with their pledges and not looking at any other schools.
“Nothing changes,” Niu said. “I’m a Duck.”
Forsyth said: “I’m 100 percent committed. Tough times but we will be good. I really liked Helfrich though.”
Others had mixed feelings about Helfrich’s dismissal after the Ducks finished 4-8 this season and lost by 10 points to in-state rival Oregon State this past weekend.
Earlier in the day, four-star athlete Deommodore Lenoir from Los Angeles Salesian backed off his Oregon pledge. Teammate Nick Pickett remains committed to the Ducks, although that might change, and four-star Salesian linebacker Rahyme Johnson said he’s going to see who’s hired before making any other decisions.
“It’s more of if the new coaches will be considering me,” Johnson said. “All depends on who takes over.”
Pickett said: “I'm not sure about my commitment anymore because of these changes. I may open up my recruitment at this point but I'm not completely sure about it yet.”
Some Oregon commits were clearly disappointed but seemed to understand the situation. Three-star junior college offensive lineman John Vaka said while Helfrich leaving “sucks” that he’s still committed and needs to move forward.
“I just found out too and that sucks,” Vaka said. “Was with him and a couple of coaches (Monday) and to hear this today just sucks but I'm very much still committed to the University of Oregon. Terrible news but just have to move forward.”
Three-star wide receiver Johnny Johnson III from Chandler, Ariz., who had previously been committed to UNLV, said his commitment remains firm, too.
“I understand college football can be hard on coaches and sometimes wins and losses affect their jobs,” Johnson said. “I still believe Oregon is a great program and I'm excited to learn more about the university itself and its academics.”
Three-star running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio had just met with Helfrich on Monday night and he said the meeting was great, although they didn’t talk much football.
The Ducks will remain high on his list even with Helfrich’s departure.
“I'm sad he is gone,” Habibi-Likio said. “I really liked him. Still love Oregon though and will keep them in my recruiting process. We had an amazing time. My grandparents and family loves him. We didn't even talk about football. He seemed like a family friend over for dinner. Seemed in charge.”
Five-star wide receiver Joseph Lewis has Oregon as one of his favorites. His coach, Malik James, at Los Angeles Hawkins said as long as Matt Lubick remains on staff then Lewis would continue to look at the Ducks.
Many are taking a wait-and-see approach. Four-star Thomas Graham said he wants to see who gets the Oregon job before figuring out where he stands with the Ducks and a 7-on-7 coach for four-star tight end Josh Falo said he remains interested in the Ducks, too.
Three-star athlete Trajon Cotton said he will probably move on from Oregon since he really wanted to play for Helfrich.
