On Saturday evening, Dakota Prukop’s FBS recruiting season kicked into overdrive.
The Montana State quarterback took an official visit to Eugene to see Mark Helfrich and the Oregon Ducks. On Saturday night, Prukop boarded a red-eye for Tuscaloosa, Alabama to visit Nick Sabam and the Alabama Crimson Tide. In between, Prukop received offers from Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines and Charlie Strong’s Texas Longhorn’s, the Austin native’s hometown team.
“I just have to go check it out,” Prukop told Feldman. “The downside is I don’t have two-and-a-half days like I did at Oregon. But Alabama runs the pro-style (offense) and that is also enticing to me.
“I had to choose between going on a visit to Michigan and Alabama, and I was just more curious about Alabama. I had to make a lot of decisions in a matter of an hour and half. In my heart, I feel really good about Oregon. But Alabama is just Alabama.”
The Crimson Tide will make its second straight appearance in the second-ever College Football Playoff next month. On Saturday night, Derrick Henry claimed the Heisman Trophy. Alabama is the owner of 15 national, including titles in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
As a fourth-year junior and second-year starter at MSU, Prukop threw for 3,025 yards and 28 touchdowns and rushed for 797 yards and 11 touchdowns but the Bobcats finished 5-6. He earned second-team All-Big Sky honors. In 2014, Prukop helped lead the Bobcats to the FCS playoffs by throwing for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushing for 946 yards and 13 scores.
Following the season, Montana State fired Rob Ash. Twelve days later, MSU hired Jeff Choate as its 32nd head football coach. The next day, Prukop announced he would earn his degree this weekend and pursue an FBS transfer. He mentioned his visit to Oregon but did not mention other schools. Earlier that day, Feldman reported Prukop also had offers from Texas and TCU.
Following two days in Eugene getting to know Helfrich, passing game coordinator Matt Lubick and the Oregon players, Prukop maintained that the Ducks remain his top choice.
“Oregon was great,” Prukop told Andrew Greif of The Oregonian. “Oregon was phenomenal. It’s an elite group of athletes but not only that, they’ve created a culture of winning and the guys are so focused on their big goals they want to accomplish next season. … They made me feel at home.”
Prukop started receiving national hype after a summer spent training with quarterback guru George Whitfield. Prukop spent the last two seasons running a system similar to Oregon’s spread option attack. Tim Cramsey has spent the last three seasons as Prukop’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Cramsey started his coaching career as an offensive coach for New Hampshire during Chip Kelly’s days as the offensive coordinator. Kelly brought his zone read principles and up-tempo innovation to Oregon. He posted a 46-7 record in four seasons in Eugene, including ending 2011 with a Rose Bowl win and 2012 with a Fiesta Bowl victory.
