Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
Oregon and Oregon State surely surprised a few recruiting observers when they signed a pair of the nation's top junior college defensive linemen over the winter. Even more curious: tackle Justin Thompson (Oregon) and end Simi Kuli (OSU) were transforming from teammates at El Camino College to bitter rivals, at least in terms of jersey color.
Kuli is expected to immediately help a completely rebuilt Beavers front seven, while Thompson offers a big, athletic body for Ducks defense whose lone shortcoming is on the interior line. Kuli tapped the Beavers over Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, among others. While Thompson, a one-time Miami commitment, was recruited by Tennessee, LSU, Texas A&M, among others.
So these were notable signings.
Of course, sometimes signing JC players is a lot easier than getting them into school.
When Thompson's name didn't appear on Oregon's latest roster, it seemed reasonable to check in on both prospects.
An Oregon spokesperson said Thompson is expected to report on time and will be on the updated roster.
Over at Oregon State, word is that coaches are cautiously optimistic that Kuli will report -- he's listed on the latest roster -- though possibly (with a lean toward probably) not when camp opens on Aug. 1.
So Duck fans, you can probably take a breath. You Beavers might want to do a few good deeds to bolster your team's karma.
Ted Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
