EUGENE -- The football staff that boasts continuity strayed from the norm right before one of the biggest days of the year.

Before Wednesday's national signing day, the Oregon Ducks added new faces and shifted around others on its coaching staff. Scott Frost, the former offensive coordinator, was gone for Central Florida and Matt Lubick was promoted from his post as wide receivers coach, while David Yost was hired away from Washington State to coach the quarterbacks.

Important moves, sure, but when it came down to the impact those would have on the last month of recruiting season, Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said it was minimal.

It was the defensive changes that would be felt more.

"Offensively, we're not changing schematically at all," Helfrich said. "You're going to have your year, whether it's who your quarterback is, where your strengths are from a personnel standpoint. Those kind of year-to-year things are the same."

And it doesn't hurt that Lubick had already been out on the recruiting trail and the offensive recruits were familiar with him. But on defense, Brady Hoke was hired as Oregon's new defensive coordinator just weeks before signing day. His arrival, and the demotion of Don Pellum to linebackers coach, came so close to the finish line that some of Oregon's incoming players hadn't even had the chance to speak with their new defensive coordinator.

It doesn't seem like it was much of an issue.

"I think with Pellum getting moved down to linebackers, it's not going to really make a difference," said Brady Breeze, Oregon's four-star defensive back recruit from Central Catholic. "He's going to still be a great coach and has been coaching linebackers forever. He coached linebackers when my uncle was there. He's still going to be doing a great job and Hoke is going to make a big impact."

The biggest change with the hiring of Hoke so far is the shift from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3. Instead of having three down linemen and four linebackers, the Ducks will have four linemen and the more traditional three-linebacker set.

Helfrich said the change didn't really affect the way the Ducks recruited over the last couple weeks of January, and that it shouldn't be an issue for players currently occupying those positions on Oregon's rosters. The Ducks recruit guys who can adapt, Helfrich said.

"The biggest change in those is kind of how you use your defensive tackles, inside guys, and then the open end guy," he said. "Guys like Jonah Moi, Torrodney Prevot, Justin Hollins, all those guys that were kind of space guys will now probably be that open end guy, strong-side end. A little bit thicker guy ... There's slight differences really to only that position. Your MIKE backer is not as responsible for as much ground so that guy can be a little thicker, a little more downhill. Obviously, you'd like those guys to run as best they possibly can and still do their deal."

All together, the Ducks signed nine clear defensive players and a couple others who could potentially play on that side of the ball. A big focus for the team was at linebacker and four-stars Bryson Young (Clovis, California), La'Mar Winston (Portland, Oregon), Keith Simms (Bethesda, Maryland) and Darrian Franklin (Downey, Calfornia) could land there, as could three-star talents Hunter Kampmoyer (Bishop, California), Troy Dye (Norco, California) and Eric Briscoe Jr. (Yakima, Washington).

A lot of that will be decided when spring practices begin in late March, a time when the current Ducks, as well as the incoming ones, will have a better chance to get to know Hoke.

"I just want to talk with him about how he's liking the change and how is he comfortable in Eugene," Winston said. "Just, I want to get to know him as a person because I know all the other coaches well. I've talked to all the other coaches and I have a feel for all the other coaches. I would love to have a feel for the defensive coordinator, as well."

-- Tyson Alger

talger@oregonian.com

@tysonalger