Class Rewind: 2006 Defense

Spencer Paysinger was a steal in the 2006 class

As we continue our look back to past recruiting classes, today Duck Sports Authority looks at the defensive recruits from the class of 2006. After the incredible season of 2001, the Oregon football team was a little up and down for the next few years with a losing season in 2004, the team rebounded for an incredible run in 2005 finishing the regular season 10-1. Recruiting following this season, though, was not indicative of a team who had won ten games. In fact, the 2006 class was ranked 9th in the Pac-10 and 49th nationally by Rivals. The Ducks signed 21 players in the class of 2006, eight of which were rated two-stars by Rivals. On the defensive side there were ten players signed by the Ducks who would end up as defensive players. Of those ten, five were junior college transfers and four were two-star players. That isn't to say that there was not some productivity out of those players. Two of the young men would develop into NFL talent, one of whom played for the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. As always there were some misses and some steals in this class. So, let us take a closer look at the players signed in 2006:

Name	Position	Stars	Games Started
Brandon Bair Impact: Bair originally committed to the Ducks in 2003. A member of the Mormon Church, Bair took a two year mission returning in time to sign with the class of 2006. After redshirting his first season and switching to defensive end, Bair became a mainstay in the defensive line rotation. Bair played in all 52 games during his Duck career starting his final two years. Led all defensive linemen in tackles during his junior and senior seasons. His 16 tackles for loss as a senior were 5th best in the Pac-10 and his 8 pass break-ups were third on the team.	DE		26/52
Jameel Dowling Impact: Early in his junior season, Dowling was looking to make an impact. Ready to play without a redshirt year, Dowling played for 29 snaps in the opener and 35 the following week. Unfortunately, injuries derailed much of the rest of his junior season as he appeared in nine more games accumulating just 61 more snaps. After his junior season, he transferred to Hawaii; following the NCAA transfer rule, Dowling played for one season for the Rainbow Warriors. Dowling has bounced around professional football since his graduation in 2009.	DB		0/13
Jeremy Gibbs Impact: Though not a starter for the Ducks, Gibbs was a very effective performer off the bench. Injuries slowed him a little during his first season in Eugene, but as a senior, though not starting he had more tackles than any other defensive tackle on the team and was fourth amongst all defensive linemen. His 4.5 sacks were tied for second best on the team. Gibbs has played professional in the Canadian Football League.	DT		0/26
Matthew Harper Impact: Without the presence of JD Nelson in front of him in 2006, Harper would have been an immediate impact player. As it is, he played in all 13 games and was one of the first off the bench when extra defensive backs were needed. As a senior, started all 13 games for the Ducks with his most memorable play being the game clinching interception of Mark Sanchez against he USC Trojans. Behind two future NFL players, (Byrd, Thurmond) Harper finished his senior campaign 3rd on the team with 98 total tackles.	DB		13/26

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