Though we are in the thick of basketball season, and the offseason in football keeps rolling along, a light has shown itself at the end of the tunnel. For the Oregon Ducks, that light is Spring Football. On March 10th, Dan Lanning and his new coaching staff will hit the gridiron for the first of 15 practices with the team, giving us an oasis of things to talk about.
One of the things we are looking forward to the most is seeing some individual players take the field. How do they look after the offseason? Are they healthy? What improvements have they made? How will they be used in the new scheme?
The list of guys we can’t wait to watch is endless, but we highlighted a few key players to keep an eye on.
Linebacker Justin Flowe
Size: 6-foot-2, 246 pounds
Rarely are fans clamoring with excitement about a player who has only appeared in two games in the last two seasons. However, most players aren’t oozing with potential the way inside linebacker Justin Flowe is, making him one of the most intriguing players on this roster and one who folks will want to see in action this spring season.
Flowe remains a player with the potential to be one of the greatest linebackers the University of Oregon has ever seen. Glimpses of that were visible in his only game during the 2021 season when he racked up 14 tackles against Fresno State.
Flowe came to Oregon as the No. 1 inside linebacker and No. 6 overall recruit in the class of 2020 out of Upland, California, but only appeared in one game in each of his first two seasons in Eugene due to injuries.
Now, assuming he is healthy, he will get to pair up alongside budding superstar Noah Sewell to form, as ESPN writer Kyle Bonagura put it, “arguably the best ILB pairing in college football.”
As if that isn’t enough to make Oregon fans a little weak in the knees, the pairing will get to work with new head coach Dan Lanning – who has an outstanding reputation as a defensive coach from his time at Georgia.
Oregon may be losing Kayvon Thibodeaux and most of their starting secondary from last year’s squad, but Sewell and Flowe will be one of the most dynamic linebacker groups in the entire country, and that could be on display as soon as next month when spring ball gets underway.
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