Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

Oregon Ducks football: Biggest recruiting steals since 2002

The Oregon Ducks have a history of flipping bluechip talent and may have to do so during the 2016 recruiting cycle if they hope to finish strong.

Here's a look at Oregon's most surprising "steals" on the recruiting trail since 2002 (as far back as Rivals' rankings go):

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Sol Neelman

2002: 5* DT Haloti Ngata (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Five-star defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is the highest-rated Oregon commit in history. Rated the No. 2 prospect in the country in 2002, Ngata committed to both Nebraska and BYU during the process, but switched to Oregon at the last minute.

This story by Scout is a fun re-read of how it all went down.

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Gene Sweeney Jr./Associated Press

Haloti Ngata

Haloti Ngata was a star at Oregon, earning co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Pac-10 (2005) before becoming a five-time Pro Bowler in the NFL.

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Paul Sakuma/Associated Press

2003: 4* QB Dennis Dixon (San Leandro, California)

Rivals four-star quarterback Dennis Dixon was rated the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the country coming out of San Leandro, California and had offers from UCLA and USC.

Despite an initial official visit to Oregon State, Dennis Dixon ended up committing to the Ducks.

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Sol Neelman

Dennis Dixon

Dennis Dixon was a star at Oregon and nearly led the team to a national championship and the school's first Heisman Trophy, but a knee injury sidelined him late in the season and derailed a magical run.

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Rick Bowmer

2003: 4* CB Ryan Gilliam (Tallahassee, Florida)

Rare was the bluechip Florida recruit who left the state. Even more so when that prospect chooses a Pac-10/12 school across the country.

Rivals four-star cornerback Ryan Gilliam stunned many when he chose Oregon over offers from Florida, Florida State and Miami (Fla.).

While Gilliam's career at Oregon didn't work out, it was the first real sign that Oregon had become a national brand on the recruiting trail.

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Sol Neelman

2004: De La Salle 4

California high school power De La Salle was the most dominant program in the country when five-star wide receiver Cameron Colvin, four-star cornerback Willie Glasper, four-star linebacker Terrance Kelly and three-star cornerback Jackie Bates stunned the West Coast by choosing to attend college together at Oregon.

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Bruce Ely/The Oregonian

De La Salle 4

Tragically, Kelly was shot and killed just days before he was expected to arrive in Eugene.

On the field, the De La Salle four struggled to live up to the hype, as the remaining trio were deeply affected by their friend's death.

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Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

2005: 5* RB Jonathan Stewart (Lacey, Washington)

Rivals five-star running back Jonathan Stewart was rated the top ball-carrier in the country and one of the best football prospects ever in the Northwest.

Despite a desperate desire from Washington State to keep him in state, Stewart committed to Oregon.

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David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Jonathan Stewart

After rushing for a then-school record 1,722 yards as a junior, Stewart was taken with the 13th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.

The 5-foot-11, 235-pound running back made his first Pro Bowl this year and will compete in Super Bowl 50 with Carolina.

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Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

2008: 4* Darron Thomas (Aldine, Texas)

Viewed as an "athlete" coming out of high school, Rivals four-star quarterback Darron Thomas originally committed to LSU, but flipped to Oregon when the Ducks wanted him at quarterback.

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Bruce Ely/Associated Press

Darron Thomas

Darron Thomas led Oregon to a national champship game and set a career record for touchdown passes (66), which was subsequently broken by Marcus Mariota.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

2008: 4* ATH Chris Harper (Wichita, Texas)

Rivals four-star athlete Chris Harper was committed to Kansas State, but change at offensive coordinator led to a flip to the Oregon Ducks.

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Chris Harper

After a short stint at Oregon, Harper elected to transfer to Kansas State where he developed into a solid wide receiver.

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Jamie Francis/The Oregonian

2010: 5* RB Lache Seastrunk (Temple, Texas)

Rivals five-star running back Lache Seastrunk was committed to the USC Trojans, but flipped to the Oregon Ducks late in the process.

Seastrunk's recruitment eventually led to NCAA sanctions.

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LM Otero/Associated Press

Lache Seastrunk

Early during the NCAA's investigation Seastrunk elected to transfer to Baylor, where he became Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

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Don Ryan/Associated Press

2010: 4* DT Ricky Heimuli (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Rivals four-star defensive tackle Ricky Heimuli, out of Salt Lake City, Utah, was rated the No. 88 player in the country and took official visits to Oregon State, UCLA, Utah and Washington.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound lineman surprised many when he picked Oregon on signing day.

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Rick Wood/Associated Press

Ricky Heimuli

While Heimuli never starred at Oregon, he was a key part of the rotation for four years before making it to the NFL as an undrafted free agent.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

2011: 5* ATH De'Anthony Thomas (Los Angeles, California)

The biggest "steal" in Oregon football history. Consensus five-star athlete De'Anthony Thomas was a legend in Los Angeles and seemed destined to star at USC.

After a long commitment to the Trojans, Thomas flipped to Oregon late, stunning many, including Lane Kiffin, who spoke about the decision on multiple ocassions as a blow to his program.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

De'Anthony Thomas

De'Anthony Thomas was arguably one of the most electric college football players ever, totaling 1,890 yards and 26 touchdowns rushing, 1,296 yards and 15 scores receiving and five return touchdowns during his career.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

2011: 4* ATH Christian French (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

U.S. Army All-American Christian French, Rivals' No. 5 athlete in the country, was down to Iowa, Notre Dame Oregon with many believing he was leaning toward the in-state Hawkeyes.

Instead, French chose Oregon.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

Christian French

Christian French played four years at Oregon, but never registered 30 tackles in a season. As a junior, French totaled 6.5 sacks.

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Brian Baer/Associated Press

2012: 4* DE Arik Armstead (Elk Grove, California)

Rivals four-star defensive lineman Arik Armstead was rated the nation's No. 2 prospect at offensive tackle, but switched to the other side of the ball.

Although many expected Armstead to go to either USC (early) or Cal (late), he chose Oregon.

One of the first widely followed recruits on Twitter, Armstead lost 500 Twitter followers after choosing the Ducks.

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Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Arik Armstead

Although Armstead was never a superstar at Oregon, he was a selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers and had an encouraging rookie season.

In three years, Armstead had 4.0 sacks at Oregon.

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Timothy J. Gonzalez/Associated Press

2012: 4* ATH Bralon Addison (Missouri City, Texas)

Rivals four-star athlete Bralon Addison was committed to Texas A&M right up until signing day, but took an official visit the weekend before.

In the end, he signed with the Ducks.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

Bralon Addison

Addison was an electric talent for Oregon at wide receiver and declared for the NFL draft after his junior season.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

2013: LB Torrodney Prevot (Houston, Texas)

Rivals four-star defensive end Torrodney Prevot was committed to USC a week before signing day, but flipped to Oregon.

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Ryan Kang/Associated Press

Torrodney Prevot

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound defensive end/linebacker is one of the favorites to emerge as a sack specialist next season.

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Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

2015: 4* RB Taj Griffin (Powder Springs, Georgia)

Rated the nation's No. 1 all-purpose running back prior to tearing his ACL, Taj Griffin committed to Oregon early and never wavered.

Still, taking that type of talent out of the heart of SEC Country is incredibly rare for a team from the Pacific Northwest.

It might be a loss Georgia, in particular, regrets.

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Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

Taj Griffin

As a true freshman, Taj Griffin was electric in the Oregon offense, rushing for 570 yards and three touchdowns on 77 carries (7.4 yards per carry).

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Courtesy of Ugo Amadi

2015: 4* CB Ugo Amadi (Nashville, Tennessee)

A true stunner.

Rivals four-star cornerback Ugo Amadi was committed to LSU, but flipped to Oregon seemingly out of nowhere and enrolled early.

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Ryan Kang/Associated Press

Ugo Amadi

Amadi made it into the rotation as a true freshman and showed glimpses of becoming a dominant Pac-12 cornerback with a little more experience.

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Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian

2015: 4* ATH Kirk Merritt (Destrehan, Louisiana)

Like Taj Griffin, Rivals four-star athlete Kirk Merritt didn't represent a shocking decision in Oregon's favor, but he was from the heart of the SEC and had plenty of offers.

Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State, TCU, UCLA and many others were in pursuit of Merritt, who chose Oregon on Signing Day Eve.

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Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

Kirk Merritt

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Courtesy of Dillon Mitchell

2016: 4* WR Dillon Mitchell (Memphis, Tennessee)

Oregon landed Dillon Mitchell early in the 2016 recruiting cycle, and while he has never wavered, Alabama, LSU, Georgia and others never stopped pursuing him until he arrived on campus in late December/early January.

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Bruce Ely/The Oregonian

Dillon Mitchell

Mitchell, also a four-star basketball recruit, has a chance to be one of the most electric wide receivers in Oregon history if he manages to live up to his billing.

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Courtesy of Ryan Kelley

2017: 4* QB Ryan Kelley (Chandler, Arizona)

It sounds odd to call class of 2017 quarterback Ryan Kelley a "steal," but his decision certainly represented a blow to Arizona State.

The same week the Sun Devils landed five-star wide receiver N'Keal Harry and four-star athlete Chase Lucas - both in-state talents - Kelley was set to make his decision.

Anticipating an in-state commitment party, many Arizona State fans assumed Kelley was a future Sun Devil.

His Oregon commitment stole Arizona State's thunder.

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Courtesy of Ryan Kelley

Ryan Kelley

Despite the move of offensive coordinator Scott Frost to UCF, Kelley has indicated he is solid and is already recruiting for the Ducks.