George Uko has a top five

News - Football Recruiting

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 03:08

Written by Brandon Oliver

Oregon Duck fans and more importantly the Duck coaching staff have been put through the ringer the past few years at the all important defensive tackle position. The momentum seemed to be building at the position after Igor Olshansky and Haloti Ngata moved on to star in the NFL, but academic issues seems to have led to the current state of affairs at the position. In the 2009 class, the staff brought in some bodies to plug some holes, but they are still searching for some young talent to fill the position. Luckily for them, a big target came to Eugene this past weekend and had an amazing time.

George Uko is a name that has been floating around for some time in Oregon’s recruiting circles and he seems to have solidified his status with a strong showing this weekend at the Oregon Coach’s Half Day Camp. “Yeah, the staff gave me some good feedback and so I came away pretty happy with it all.” Uko’s original plan was to attend the Oregon Nike Camp but with the scheduling complication, George and the coaches decided that he should attend the coach’s camp instead.

In doing so, the 6’4”, 300 lb DT/TE had a chance to learn directly from the coaches and get some instruction directly from them. “It was great. The coaches were all very laid back, but very serious about teaching at the same time. I already had a great relationship with Coach Osborne but now I can say that I know a majority of the coaches fairly well. I am very impressed with the coaching staff.”

Fortunate for him and unfortunately for opposing line backers and safeties, Uko also plays tight end for Don Lugo High School. His talent on both sides of the ball gave him an opportunity to work with Oregon commit, Curtis White and the tight end coach, Coach Osborne. “It was great because in the past I have spoken with Coach O a lot and he is a great guy. He is laid back and just real easy to talk to. It isn’t always just football either. I feel like I can trust him and he can definitely trust in me, no matter the subject.”

George continued to discuss the camp and Oregon by saying, “It was great to meet Curtis White and see him perform. I had heard a lot about him so it was cool to see a kid so passionate about his team and the game of football.”

The two-way star currently holds 11 offers and said that he doesn’t really need to hear from any other schools right now. “I have pretty much every offer I expected and I am thinking that an SC offer is coming soon. So no, I don’t want to hear from anyone else.” When asked about the “Top 7” he recently put out, he responded, “No sir, it is actually a top 5 now.” Who might those schools be? “Oregon, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Cal and USC are the schools I will be choosing from.”

Outside of the camp, what did George think of his trip? “With Oregon, it is just such a beautiful place and the people are so nice up there. It is very relaxing and peaceful. It is the kind of place where you can concentrate on academics and getting an education and not have to worry about much else. They graduate their players and the team and coaching staff are like a family. It is just a great environment. The kind of place I am looking for and I think I would thrive in.”

He continued to cover his thoughts on Oregon by discussing the atmosphere, “There really are no distractions at all. It is a nice town where the community really rallies around the team. There are no professional teams to take away from what the Ducks do. The whole town follows the football team and that makes it special.” It didn’t stop there either. “I didn’t get to see the entire town or the campus so I will definitely be taking an official visit to Oregon in the fall. I got to see the facilities such as the locker room, the weight room and even the press boxes. It was an awesome experience overall. Especially standing right at midfield of Autzen…Man that place is crazy!”

As for the other four schools that make up his top 5, he mentioned Oklahoma’s winning ways, Tennessee’s new coaching staff (especially Ed Oregeron and Monte Kiffin), Cal’s education and location and USC’s dominance and success at getting guys to the league. His most glowing remarks were in regards to Tosh Lupoi, Cal’s DL coach and super recruiter and also Coach Osborne at U of O. “They are all great coaches but Coach Lupoi and Coach Osborne are the best. At the same time, who wouldn’t want to play for Oregeron and Monte Kiffin? It will be a tough decision for sure.”

He said that as of right now, Oregon and Tennessee are recruiting him the hardest and that Cal is on him as a strong side DE in the 3-4… “It’s a position that they call a “Stud End.” I honestly don’t care either way. I can play out there or inside. The coaches tell me that my size, my strength and my quickness are my best assets so I feel I can do either.”

The most important thing to George Uko is education, so he went on to cover what it he is looking for in a school. “As far as the school itself? It is mainly the environment and the educational opportunities it gives the student athlete.” And the football program? “I need to be able to relate to the players and the coaches and make sure we are a good fit. I also want the chance to play early and that is another thing I like about Oregon. They brought in some guys last year but they have a really favorable depth chart at DT.”

The one knock on Uko has been that he has been thought to have “taken some plays off.” He addressed the issue by saying, “That has been an issue, yes. Mostly I feel that it is because right now I play both ways. I am a big guy and being on the field for every play gets to you.” Don’t take that as Uko being a slacker though, as he brings up a good point. “I am double and triple teamed on D and so it sometimes gets frustrating when you are tired. I am aware that has been said about me and I promise to pay attention to that. Nobody wants that said about them. That’s not who I am at all. I just can’t wait to get to college and work hard and have them make me a better player overall.”

Uko came to Eugene with the family of a friend in Don Lugo High’s other two-way star, Steven Bethley. Bethley is a physical specimen who plays running back and safety who comes in at 5’11 and 205 lbs. He is an interesting prospect who performed well at the camp as well. He and George are real close and George mentioned that he and Steven are both, “praying” that he gets an offer from the Oregon coaches because they would love to play together at the next level. We will have more to come on that angle.

The time frame for Uko’s decision is set for December right now. “I want to take all of my visits and narrow things down. I want to work hard on school and keep my GPA up over a 3.0 and win the section title. From there, things will work themselves out.”

Duck Territory will keep you up to date on the happenings surrounding George Uko and his recruitment. For now at least, Duck fans can feel real good about his thoughts on the area, the coaches and the program in general.

ESPN/Scouts, Inc. Evaluation:
Uko is a pretty interesting player. As you watch him you never really know what you will see or get from play-to-play. In one instance you will see him beat everyone off the ball and crash the backfield. In another you will see him make a nice quick move and blow by a blocker. On another you can see him get tall and absorb a block yet on the next you will see him just dominate the man in front of him but possibly not notice the ball carrier go right by him. All that being said the kid shows some flashes, but needs to find some consistency. He has solid size and looks on film to have the frame to add more good bulk. He has a good get-off, but needs to be more consistent. He displays good raw strength to take on blocks. He is a tough kid to move off the ball even facing double teams. He can be good with his hands, but needs to be more consistent in using them to separate and help him shed. He can be a bit of a risk taker. You might see him pop up and %u2018Ole a blocker with a quick swim and get penetration. You can expect the kid to make an exciting play, but you need to brace yourself for the fact that he may also run himself out of position. He has a good motor. He can be a solid tackler at times, but can look for the kill shot at times and whiff. As a pass rusher he can beat his man with a quick move and will also display the ability to be very violent with his weapons. Uko is a fun kid to watch. He can be disruptive, but may also add some premature gray hairs to his coaches head. Good prospect, with some upside if he can just channel some of his energy and become a little more consistent in some areas of his play.

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written by Gageac, June 17, 2009

Very impressive for someone this young to respond with such maturity and intelligence to the taking some plays off question. Makes me want him even more. Very impressed with the character of many of those we are going after. Makes it so easy to get excited about our Ducks!

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written by Ray Olma, June 17, 2009

I agree that was an impressive, mature and well spoken young man...and the fact that we have a glaring need at DT should sway him are way. These are the type of players you want on your team...lets sign both of these recruits!!

Brandon great articles BTW keep them coming!

GO DUCKS!!

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written by Stunzeed, June 17, 2009

I like Uko but don't know enough about the other kid to say make him an offer. Seems like he wants a PACKAGE deal. I bet Lane Kiffen will offer both kids since they have Bryce Brown then cut him. Hopefully he sees that Tennessee is building a controversial team he DOES NOT want to be a part of! Hey kid, I hope you come to Oregon but for your sake, stay OUT of Tennessee!!!