Instant Reaction: Saturday Night Live

And just like that SNL has come to a close. This years event had a little different feel overall. I would say it was one of the smaller crowds yet in terms of fans in the stands. But it’s also never been an especially massive event in Eugene so far. Perhaps that might change one day.

This years group felt different too however. It lacked some of the pure firepower we’ve seen at this event before. However I will say there were a number of times today I’d look at a kid and look him and see he was a 2025 or 2026 recruit. And think to myself, kids shouldn’t look like that at that age. Meaning, the underclassmen were probably far better than any other camp I’ve been to yet.

Dan Lanning does a really good job ‘touching tables’ at this event. If you don’t know the term, it’s the equivalent of a restaurant manager going around at dinner and personally greeting all of the guests at their tables. He doesn’t just sit at the DL or LB groups, he’s very active walking around and nearly always with his chief of staff, Marshall Malchow. Watching and discussing prospects at all positions.

With that in mind, here are some instant reactions from myself and Jarrid Denney on what we saw in the 90 (ish) minute camp Saturday night.

We’ll have a little more tomorrow after hearing back from some of our sources.

Akili Smith Shines

I totally get that this is going to seem like favortism on this one. But I thought Akili Smith Jr. showed up with something to prove at this event. And for obvious reasons. His dad was there along with friend and alum Dino Philyaw on the sidelines. Smith Jr. meanwhile didn’t miss many opportunities on the field. It doesn’t mean he was the best quarterback there, I just think he might have had the best day today. And it’s easy to understand why he’d show up in Autzen and put on a show.

His poise, confidence and release all stood out to me through the event.

Freaks on the DL

I am positive that Oregon doesn’t have any buyer’s remorse on commits Tionne Gray or Xadavien Sims. The latter (Sims) in particular caught my eye today but keep in mind the DL were on the far side of the field the entire day so we did our best.

But of course five-star Williams Nwaneri showed why he’s the No. 1 DL in the country. He was a man amongst boys and I’m not even sure he was giving it 100% out there. Not because I think he’s lazy, simply because I’m not sure he had to.

However the one I might be most excited about from this group was Jahkeem Stewart, merely a class of 2026 prospect. Holy crap is this kid explosive. He’s simply not built like what you would expect a kid his age to look like. He doesn’t have a ranking yet but I think it’s fair to expect him to be amongst the top 50 at worst in his cycle.

From the Secondary

I don’t recall Aaron Flowers, outside of 1-on-1’s seeing a ball thrown his way. No seriously, not once did he touch the ball in 7-on-7 work. I can safely say there is also no buyer’s remorse for Oregon here either. He was like a centerfielder out there you were afraid to hit the ball within 30 yards of.

The St. Frances Academy (Md.) which doesn’t include Ify Obidwegu, was dominant. I think you could make a case for 2025 CB Blake Woodby as the best DB there and his teammate, Kevyn Humes (2025) was right there too. These two guys were TOUGH to beat. And they fought for a lot of reps too.

A real bright spot was Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) SAF Elyjah Gordon as well. I noticed him early on and probably had my attention drawn his way several other times throughout camp. He also seemed to draw quite a bit of attention from the coaches throughout camp. The class of 2024 safety doesn’t yet have an Oregon offer but I see the 6-foot-3, 175-pounder as a very serious candidate to land one. He was probably the next best safety after Flowers and his ranginess really flashed.

Fastest Man?

I watched Oregon quarterback commit Michael Van Buren quite a bit tonight. He’s obviously not the tallest quarterback at the event but he has a good build and has some great touch on his throws. His timing was great and I didn’t see any real nasty hiccups in his throwing motion.

The kicker was at the end of the event they lined up and ran some 40’s. I’m not sure everyone took it seriously, but there was some speed out there. I don’t think you can call him the unofficial winner, but if MVB didn’t win, he was certainly no worse than top 5. Again, this wasn’t some laser timed event. But it’s clear MVB can scoot, which is not what an event like this is centered around.

I will have more notes for you tomorrow from this event.