Looking ahead at the 2024 Oregon Ducks and the fall college football season — which isn’t too far off — the Ducks’ defense is looking far better than any Oregon defense in recent memory. The front seven is solid and hungry, and the secondary is full of ball hawks and hard hitters.
Leading the Oregon defense is inside linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, a fourth-year Duck defender who was placed on the preseason watchlist for the Butkus Award — an award given to college football’s most impactful linebacker.
After coming to Oregon as a defensive back in 2021, Bassa transitioned to ILB in 2022 and did not experience immediate success. But after a season of struggle, Bassa became one of the nation’s top linebackers in 2023, leading Oregon in their most successful defensive season in some time.
Monster in the middle. @Bassa_21 is on the Butkus Award watch list 🦆#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/bhfczIRTd9
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) August 13, 2024
Bassa finished last season with 72 total tackles, 3.5 TFLs, and one game-clinching pick-six. But Bassa’s stat line doesn’t begin to encompass his impact. On the field, it’s clear to see how much of a leader Bassa is, watching him call out coverages and direct the other ten Oregon defenders pre-snap.
Now, looking forward to fall, Bassa will be asked to elevate his game even more. The Ducks are headed to the Big Ten, a conference noted for its bruising running backs and big bodies up front, making things difficult for opposing linebackers.
More than that, Oregon is faced with some of the highest expectations in program history, and if they are to reach the heights they’re expected to defense will be critical, as will Bassa’s leadership.