Summer no time for vacation for Duck football players.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

For all intents and purposes, Max Unger said, the 2008 Oregon football season began Monday.

Not Aug. 4, the expected start date of fall camp. Not Aug. 30, in the season opener against Washington. Rather, the Ducks' attempt to build on last year's tantalizing 8-4 season began on a bright Monday in June, the start of both summer classes at the university and voluntary conditioning workouts outside the Casanova Center.

"Winter and spring is recovery, and this is when you really get stronger," said Unger, Oregon's senior center. "This is crucial. This is where it all happens."

About 55 scholarship players participated in Monday's session, which began with 30 minutes of seven-on-seven passing drills for the skill players followed by conditioning under the direction of strength coach Jim Radcliffe.

The Ducks officially added 11 newcomers Monday, among them eight fresh high school graduates and three transfers. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and receiver Ellis Krout, both junior college transfers, were on hand. Also enrolled is tight end Na'Derris Ward, a transfer from Georgia.

"That's great, because they'll get to know the guys and get to know some of these plays," senior running back Jeremiah Johnson said. "When you're here for summer, fall camp becomes a little easier. I tell my guys, summer is a steppingstone to fall camp, to getting us better."

Johnson is one of three Ducks attempting to return from major knee surgery, along with quarterback Nate Costa and linebacker John Bacon. All participated Monday, with Johnson declaring himself "good, no pain."

Linebacker Jerome Boyd is earlier on in his recovery process, following spring foot surgery. Boyd began running on flat ground last week and said he was about "90 percent," before taking the field for passing drills Monday.

Masoli took only a handful of snaps in his first serious action with the team. Midway through passing drills, an athletic trainer pulled Masoli away for a physical examination; the freshmen missed seven-on-seven completely due to academic meetings.

Masoli, who led City College of San Francisco to a national title last fall, arrived in Eugene on June 13.

He is taking two classes this summer, and sharing a house with cousin Simi Toeaina and three other Polynesians who are either current or former Ducks.

The 10 days leading up to Monday gave Masoli plenty of time to "get lost out here," he said with a smile. "A whole bunch of times."

Monday's workout brought some familiarity. Though his listed height of 6 feet is generous, Masoli is a sturdy athlete with a fluid throwing motion. He accounted for more than 4,000 yards of offense and 40 touchdowns as a junior college freshman.

Because he was a full academic qualifier out of high school, who then played just one year in junior college, Masoli has four years in which to play three with the Ducks. He said he intends to compete for the starting job, but would be open to redshirting rather than "waste a year" if he doesn't win the position.

"I'm here to compete, here to make the team better," Masoli said.

Between the move to Eugene and his attempts to navigate its streets, Masoli has only been able to "once in a while maybe get in the film room a little bit and try to get the playbook down."

And soon, he pointed out, the coaching staff will take its vacation time before fall camp begins.

"Most of my learning will probably come from being out here with the receivers and just learning from other players," said Masoli, who chatted with Costa during a portion of Monday's passing session.

Like the veterans, Masoli seemed most interested in building a bond with the other Ducks this summer, which he acknowledged would be a challenge for an incoming quarterback.

"There's definitely a higher bar set for a quarterback," Masoli said. "They have way more responsibility than other positions. But I think I'll be fine. These are all great guys."

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