December 5 not only kicks off the tenure of new Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein, it also marks the beginning of the transfer portal window for college football.
The NCAA transfer portal has transformed college football in a significant way, with players having far more freedom and autonomy to look for new opportunities each and every season, and allows teams to build almost entirely new rosters each year.
For the Ducks, it helped secure an incredible season from Auburn transfer Bo Nix, while running backs Noah Whittington and Bucky Irving were major contributors on offense and Christian Gonzalez was a star on defense.
Coach Dan Lanning made it clear during a press conference on Sunday evening that his team will once again look hard at players in the portal this offseason – and no position is off limits for additions.
“We’re going to look to enhance our program in every facet, every opportunity that we get to make our program better,” Lanning said. “The goal is to find good people that fit the characteristics that we’re looking for in our program, regardless of just position, you know, and certainly you’ll look for some positions specific pieces, but I’m not going to limit our search to just a couple positions. We’re going to look for guys that make our product better and that fit our culture as we move forward.”
Oregon already saw Gonzalez depart for the NFL while linebacker Justin Flowe tossed his name in the portal, so it would not be a shock to see Lanning and his staff prioritize impact upgrades on the defensive side of the ball.
Of course, the future of Bo Nix is a huge storyline for Oregon this offseason as well, and could result in another high profile quarterback addition if Nix decides to move on.
Updates on transfer additions, and subtractions, will be available all winter at Ducks Wire:
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