One of the things everyone is curious about is how the Oregon Ducks will adjust to the more physical type of football the Big Ten Conference promises to bring on a weekly basis.
But many aren’t asking how the Big Ten will adjust to the Ducks.
Oregon has the talent and experience to bring one of the best defenses in that conference for the 2024 season and a part of that is the young talent that is eager to show itself and get after those quarterbacks.
One of those young talented defenders in Eugene is sophomore Teitum Tuioti, a 6-foot-3, 245-pounder from Hawai’i.
In his freshman season, Tuioti, who played his last season of high school ball at Sheldon in Eugene, missed the season opener but played in 13 straight games after that. He managed 30 tackles, four for loss and two sacks.
After an impressive spring game where Tuioti had five tackles, 2.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks, ESPN says Tuioti is a star waiting to happen.
After a strong freshman season (19 solo tackles, two sacks and a whopping 256 snaps) edge rusher Teitum Tuioti goes into his second year with the potential to be one of the anchors of Oregon’s defensive attack. Coming off the edge, Tuioti — the son of Oregon defensive line coach Tony Tuioti — had a great showcase during the Ducks’ spring game (2.5 sacks, four solo tackles) that earned him plenty of praise from head coach Dan Lanning. With only one season under his belt, Tuioti may not be considered a sleeper pick much longer. — Paolo Uggetti
With Tuioti on one side of the defense and Matayo Uiagalelei on the other side, Big Ten quarterbacks will need a swivel on their head in order to survive when they play the Ducks this coming season.