For the month of July, we have been looking back at past classes and their impact; comparing their actual impact with their rankings to see if these players were able to perform better, worse or as expected. The early part of this series brought us up-to-date on some players that have since moved on in their careers and lives. Players who many had forgotten and most whose impact had been fully developed through their careers. Today, though, we begin to look at a group of players, many of who are still on the Duck roster, that most readers here at Duck Sports Authority are well aware of and need less introduction to their career. Nonetheless, there are always players who make a bigger impact than imagined and some players who simply never make it to Oregon. We have looked at both offensive and defensive players from the classes of 2005 through 2007; today we continue the series by looking towards the signing class of 2008. As always, we begin our look at the class by looking first to the defensive side of the ball.
| Name | Position | Stars | Games Started |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiko Alonso
Impact:A somewhat unheralded prospect in high school who had just two offers listed in the Rivals database from Utah and the Ducks, Alonso spent 2008 on the scout team. His redshirt freshman season saw Alonso rise to the top reserve middle linebacker for the Ducks as he appeared in the final 12 games of the season. Trouble would beset him in 2010 as off field troubles and a knee injury sidelined him for the season. After sitting out an early season suspension in 2011, Kiko would become a valuable member of the defense once again. Appearing in 2 games, Alonso started 5 on 2011 and was named the defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl. With one more season in Eugene, Alonso is expected to be the stalwart in the middle for the Ducks in 2012. |
LB |  |
5/25 |
| John Boyett
Impact:Boyett was an extremely undervalued prospect in high school. Playing at Napa did not help his cause and playing just about every position on the field also made it difficult to evaluate his skill. Nonetheless, he became the first freshman to lead the Ducks in tackles during the 2009 season. He followed up his freshman All-America honors in 2009 by being named second team All-America in 2010. 2011 saw Boyett return to being the Ducks leading tackler with 108 total tackles on the season. Going into his senior year in 2012, Boyett has 276 total tackles in his career. |
DB | |
35/39 |
| Blake Ferras
Impact:After struggling during his jump from City College of San Francisco in 2008, Ferras asserted himself in 2009 starting all 13 games for the Ducks. Recorded 37 tackles including 4.5 tackles for loss as a senior in 2009. Ferras is currently a member of the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League. |
DT | |
13/26 |