When Oregon fans look at the practice reports and the stories that come from Duck media members, one of the main things that they always look to see is if about the quarterback competition, and if any of the three have separated themselves from the pack.
The next thing they usually look to see is if there is anything new on the Josh Conerly front.
That’s understandable. As the No. 1 ranked OT in the 2022 recruiting class, Conerly surprised a lot of people when he chose to commit to the Ducks, passing over the USC Trojans along the way. Now in Eugene, Conerly holds the distinction of the top-ranked OT in program history. He’s a true freshman in a position room that is ripe with veteran players and returning starters, but that’s not stopping him from taking a shot at the starting left tackle spot.
“You can tell he’s really trying to play this year as a young guy,” said defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus, who regularly battles with Conerly in practice. “It’s tough to play left tackle as a freshman — especially in the Pac-12.”
Of anyone on the team who could give you an honest assessment of where Conerly’s game is currently at, Dorlus might be the guy. Lined up at defensive end, he and the true freshman have regularly competed in both one-on-one and competition periods. Dorlus has gotten an up-close view of Conerly’s abilities.
“Josh Conerly is a beast. He’s just a dog,” Dorlus said. “Usually when you come in as a freshman and you lose reps, you get in your head and you stop working and think ‘this is over.’ But with him, he’s lost plenty of reps but it’s crazy because he comes back and he’s worked on it. He has a great work mentality. I love going against him. Me and him go at it every day.”
Dorlus went on to clarify that it is him that gets the majority of the wins in one-on-one drills, but he still respects the young player’s efforts.
Oregon’s offensive line is currently dealing with the injury bug, with as many as 6 of the 14 scholarship players on the roster dealing with some sort of injury thus far in camp. That’s opened a door for Conerly to get some reps with the first team, and could potentially leave a pathway for him to earn a lot of playing time going forward.
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