CJ Verdell (25) is ready to make an impact at Oregon.

The majority of Oregon's 2017 recruiting class made an instant impact on the field last fall. Of the 23 players who enrolled, 14 played during their first year on campus.

So while Oregon fans have become familiar with those players, we'll now do our best to bring you up to speed with those that redshirted last fall.

Today, we begin with running back CJ Verdell.

Recruiting Ranking — 3-star recruit. 27th best running back. 444th best overall prospect.

What he brings to the table — Power, quick feet and a low-center of gravity. This spring, players have been asked about who would fill in as the team's power back with Royce Freeman and Kani Benoit now gone, and the answer without hesitation has been Verdell. That's strange for a player who is 5-foot-9, but you won't find many athletes with Verdell's build. At 5-foot-9, he's extremely broad, weighing in at 202 pounds. In drills this spring, I've also been impressed with his quick feet and agility.

What he might be lacking — Elite straight-line speed. Verdell won't fly by defenders like Tony Brooks-James. That's not his game. Once he reaches the secondary, he's more likely to run through or around the safety than try to gain an angle and zip past him. Still, like most D-1 skill athletes these days, he's not slow either, and I don't expect his lack of straight-line speed to limit whatever role the staff may foresee for him.

Role in 2018 — In late September, after Darrian Felix played his first snaps against California, I asked then running backs coach Donte' Pimpleton what it was about Felix that allowed him to play early while two other backs redshirted. Pimpleton said the decision would've been extremely tough had Verdell been healthy, but an ankle injury had him unable to go, so the decision was an easy one. What I'm getting at, is that Felix was not considered head-and-shoulders above Verdell, and you shouldn't perceive the hierarchy this spring and fall to be that way either. Early reports have been extremely favorable, as Verdell has been on the lips of numerous Oregon coaches and players when asked about which youngsters had stood out. Given the power and toughness we discussed above, I'd expect Verdell to get plenty of run this season, and would cast him as my dark-horse to become the team's primary running back.

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