Tag: 2022 Oregon spring football

Lineman Jonah Miller leaving Oregon to enter into transfer portal

Lineman Jonah Miller has decided to enter the transfer portal and leave the Ducks this spring.

Should I stay or should I go?

That seems to be the question on college athletes’ minds more than ever these days and in the case of Jonah Miller, and according to On3.com, the answer is to go.

The 6-foot-7, 260-pounder from Tucson, Ariz. came to Oregon has one of the top offensive linemen coming out of high school in 2020 where he opted out of his senior year due to the pandemic, he also redshirted his freshman season at Oregon.

He was then moved to the defensive side of the ball in hopes of receiving more playing time. It seems as if the move just wasn’t for Miller. Couple the switch to defense and a brand new coaching staff, it’s not surprising the former four-star recruit has decided to leave the program.

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Length and versatility of Oregon secondary expected to be major asset for Ducks

The Oregon secondary may not be littered with veterans, but they have a lot of length and versatility going into 2022.

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A lot has been written about Oregon’s linebacker group and rightfully so. That position group should be one of the best in the country with Noah Sewell, Justin Flowe, Jeffrey Bassa, and Keith Brown with several other outstanding players.

They should be in opposing quarterbacks’ faces all season long. But according to co-defensive coordinator Matt Powledge, on those rare occasions where those linebackers don’t penetrate the backfield, the Ducks secondary isn’t exactly a piece of cake to get past.

Oregon has so much talent in the secondary that’s it going to be difficult to find playing time for all that deserve it. Powledge thinks he’s found a system to remedy that problem.

“We’re trying to dual-train so we can get the five best players out there and at the same time we can build depth at multiple positions,” he said. “It’s been really good this spring. I think they’ve really taken ownership of some things. I think you’ll see a lot of growth from them this upcoming season.”

Growth might be the key word there as Oregon won’t throw out defenders who are significantly smaller than the receivers they’ll be facing. Bennett Williams is 6-foot-1, Trikweze Bridges is 6-3 and Bryan Addison is 6-4. It’s unusual to have defenders that big and it will present a different component other teams will have to deal with and it won’t be fun for them.

“That’s one of the things that’s really stood out with our secondary. You have Bennett (Williams). You have Trikweze (Bridges). You have Bryan (Addison). Those guys are long and can run and are athletic,” Powledge said. “They also have a great a mental aspect that they bring to the game. Their versatility is really going to help us right now.”

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Chase Coda cherishes the opportunity to carry on family legacy at Oregon

It took four seasons, but Chase Cota is finally back home playing for his favorite childhood team.

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It took four seasons, but Chase Cota is finally back where he belongs.

Oregon recruited the son of famed safety Chad Cota when he was one of the top players in the state coming out of Medford. The Ducks really wanted the 6-foot-3, 210-pound receiver and it was a surprise when Chase chose to go play for UCLA instead.

But thanks to the pandemic year of 2020, Cota still has one more year of eligibility and he has decided to play his final season where his father helped lead the Gang Green defense.

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“It was definitely still a tough decision because it was like, as much as it’d be great to come back home, which I ended up doing, and playing for the Ducks after I grew up a Duck fan, it was also just like the best spot for the last year of college football,” he said. “I thought I could fit in the best and have an impact and set myself up for success.”

At UCLA, Cota caught 67 passes for 883 yards and scored six times. With his size and experience, Cota could have gone to a few other schools. Coming to Oregon wasn’t a sure thing. But Cota says that he clicked with the new coaching staff and coming back home was the right thing to do.

“I really liked Coach (Junior) Adams and Coach (Kenny) Dillingham. I just thought my communication with them and hearing what they had to say about the offense and the opportunity. It sounded really good,” he said.

The Ducks have a receiver room full of talent but are low on experience. They’re all either freshmen, redshirt freshmen, or sophomores, except junior Isaah Crocker. Having a senior with Cota can only be beneficial for all involved.

“It’s not like I came here because there are no receivers,” Cota said. “There’s a bunch of really good receivers here so just to be in a really good room and to think that I can help enhance it is the experience I wanted to be in.”

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Dan Lanning offers injury timetable for linebacker Justin Flowe

Justin Flowe is still recovering from his leg injury and his status for the Spring Game is up in the air.

He was one of the highest-rated recruits to ever commit to Oregon.

Linebacker Justin Flowe was the top linebacker in the country when he stepped on campus and Duck fans were waiting on the edge of their seats to see what he would do playing with Kayvon Thibodeaux and Noah Sewell.

The three of them were supposed to be a quarterback’s nightmare.

It happened for just one game in 2021.

After his debut against Fresno State where Flowe absolutely dominated the Bulldogs with 14 tackles, five solo, he sustained a leg injury leading up to the Ohio State contest and he was out for the season.

Although the Ducks did win in Columbus, Ohio, and upset the Buckeyes, one could say Oregon’s season turned when Flowe got hurt. A few months and a new coaching staff later, the Oregon linebacker is still working hard to come back and make an impact in 2022.

According to Dan Lanning, it’s a slow process and they are not in any hurry to run Flowe out there for the Spring Game on April 23.

“He’s trending back. I don’t know. It’s probably too early to say one way or the other if we’re gonna see him out there for the spring game but he’s trending back,” Lanning said. “We’re getting him in a little bit of drill work each day.”

It would be fun to see the redshirt freshman linebacker out there to do his thing on the Autzen Stadium field. But realistically, it’s not necessary. It’s much more important to have Flowe 100% healthy when the Ducks take on Georgia in Atlanta Sept. 3 to begin the season.

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Oregon RB Sean Dollars is ‘competing on another level’ in Ducks’ spring practices

Not long ago, Sean Dollars was considering a transfer from Oregon. Now he’s making a strong case to be the RB1 for the Ducks.

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It seems like just yesterday that Sean Dollars announced he would transfer from the Oregon football program.

Then again, a lot has happened since then.

After a conversation with Dan Lanning, Dollars decided to stay. Now he’s in strong contention to become Oregon’s starting tailback in 2022, battling alongside Byron Cardwell Jr. According to the new head coach, Dollars is quickly growing into the position and taking advantage of the actual coaching the staff provides the players.

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“I feel like Sean’s taking it up another notch and really competing on another level. I think he’s really embracing the coaching, and I’ve loved seeing that firsthand for him, his response,” Lanning said. “One thing we’re asking every one of our players right now is how do you respond to coaching? Sean has done a good job of that in the last few practices.”

With CJ Verdell going on to the NFL and Travis Dye transferring to USC, all expectations were that Byron Cardwell was going to take over the RB1 spot after his impressive debut season with the Ducks. However, an impressive spring season has seen Dollars throw his hat into the ring.

He’s not alone in that competition, though. Transfer Noah Whittington from Western Kentucky is also making a big push for carries. Lanning said Whittington already knows what it takes to be a consistent runner. It’s called effort.

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“Noah Whittington runs extremely hard. I think he’s a guy that has great vision at back,” Lanning said. “But he just plays with another level of effort. Which to me, if you can play with effort, we can coach the rest.”

Whittington rushed for 617 yards and two touchdowns while catching 12 passes for 58 yards in 2021. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

With Dollars, Whittington and Cardwell, Oregon should be just fine running the ball in 2022.

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Offensive lineman Jaylan Jeffers enters the transfer portal

Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jaylan Jeffers has decided to enter the transfer portal and play elsewhere.

According to a report from Matt Zenitz on On3.com sports, backup offensive lineman Jaylan Jeffers has decided to leave Oregon and enter the transfer portal.

At 6-foot-5 and nearly 300 pounds, Jeffers was a three-star recruit from Scottsdale, Ariz. in the Class of 2020.

Jeffers was a top 20 prospect in Arizona by ESPN, Rivals, and 247Sports and rated as the No. 2 offensive tackle in Arizona and No. 11 prospect in the state by ESPN and 247Sports.

He didn’t receive any game action in 2020 during the shortened pandemic season and redshirted for the 2021 season. The offensive line depth chart is overloaded as there are 13 linemen currently on scholarship for the Ducks.

Oregon is currently in spring camp and preparing for the annual spring game April 23.

Patrick Herbert eager to get back and contribute for the Ducks

With the injury bug hopefully behind him, tight end Patrick Herbert is ready to get his Oregon career off the ground.

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Fair or not, when the back of the uniform says Herbert, expectations have a way of going through the roof.

Fans were talking about that Herbert-to-Herbert connection even before Patrick, a tight end, had committed to Oregon. Unfortunately, quarterback Justin Herbert never got to throw a pass to “little” brother Patrick because of injuries.

Now Patrick, who’s not so little at 6-foot-5 and nearly 250 pounds, seems to have his injuries behind him and is ready to be that player opposing defenses lose sleep over as he was at Sheldon High School.

Herbert hasn’t played in a real game since 2019 and it could have been easy to fall out of the loop or lose some of his competitive edge. According to Oregon coach Dan Lanning, that’s just not the case. It’s quite the opposite.

“I think Pat’s been really eager to get back out there on the field. So I was excited to get to see him get some work,” Lanning said. “It’s so easy when you’re off the field and not able to get in there and involved to kind of fall out of the circle and fall out of the focus of what you got to do on the field. I’m excited to see Pat get out there and really pick it up pretty quick.”

The Ducks have a number of highly-recruited tight ends already on the roster, including Terrance Ferguson and Moliki Matavao. Both played their share of snaps last season. If Herbert is anything like his brother, Herbert was born with a competitive fire that shouldn’t be overlooked.

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Freshman cornerback Jahlil Florence making strides in spring camp

Cornerback Jahlil Florence is one of a few recruits in the Class of 2022 already on campus, in camp, and learning on the fly.

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He’s a Duck. He’s not a Duck. Yes, he’s a Duck.

That’s how the recruiting process went for true freshman cornerback Jahlil Florence and many thought this day wouldn’t come.

Florence committed to Oregon in August and de-committed when Mario Cristobal took Miami job. But unlike a lot of recruits when a coach leaves, Florence left the door open to recommit to Oregon after Dan Lanning was hired.

Not only did the four-star recruit out of San Diego finally settle on being a Duck and spurning USC in the process, but Florence also is in spring camp and doing his best to impress coaches and teammates alike.

“He’s doing good. He’s definitely going to help us. He’s strengthening the depth definitely,” said cornerbacks coach and passing game coordinator Demetrice Martin. “Just trying to get a little bit more out of him, catching him up mentally and technically.

“He’s a little bit behind as he should be. He should be getting ready to go to his prom pretty soon. He’s here, he’s working and he’s going to be right by fall camp.”

Many feel Florence has the talent in order to see the field as a true freshman and make some kind of an impact. He was one of the top recruits to come out of the state of California and there was a reason USC made late push for his services.

At nearly 6-foot-2 and a speed burner, Florence is that rare corner that can cover the taller receivers and still be a factor in the run game. Getting the 180-pounder into spring camp and into the weight room as well as learning defensive techniques on the college level will only help Florence in the long run.

It’ll also help the Ducks in the near and distant future as well.

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Ty Thompson describes his mentality going into QB battle with Bo Nix, Jay Butterfield

After Bo Nix’s transfer to Oregon, Ty Thompson has more competition for the QB1 spot. He explained how that impacted his mentality this offseason.

Redshirt freshman Ty Thompson could go to many schools and automatically be their starting quarterback without having to compete for the job.

He also could have transferred out of Oregon on more than a few occasions. Thompson could have left after Anthony Brown won the job at the beginning of the 2021 season. He could have transferred after not starting the bowl game. He could have left after Mario Cristobal resigned and went to Miami. And he could have bolted after Auburn transfer Bo Nix arrived.

But through all of that, Thompson stayed.

“I feel like if I put myself in the best position to help the team whether it’s as a starter, as a backup, as whatever,” he said. “If I’m in practice making big plays, making the right decisions … not necessarily big plays but making the right decisions. That’s where I want to see myself, being right more times than not. Hopefully a lot more times than not.”

As a five-star recruit, and as a quarterback, his attitude is quite, unfortunately, out of the ordinary. It’s ‘team first,’ not ‘me first.’

The transfer portal has made it much easier for college players to seek out more playing time elsewhere without having to sit out a year. With players being on the move more than ever, it’s refreshing to see someone with Thompson’s talent willing to stick it out, compete and see where the ball bounces.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Offensive lineman Jonathan Denis will enter the transfer portal

Offensive lineman Jonathan Denis announced on Twitter that he will be leaving the Oregon program and entering the transfer portal.

Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Jonathan Denis has announced via Twitter that he will leave the program and enter the transfer portal.The Homestead, Fla. native still has four years of eligibility remaining after missing the 2021 season with a knee injury. Denis was a former four-star recruit and one of the top offensive linemen to come out of Florida is the 2020 class.

With Denis’ departure, the Ducks have just 13 offensive linemen on scholarship, 11 on campus right now,  and he’s the second lineman to leave the Oregon program since the start of the new year.

As with many players who have come across the country to play for the Ducks, odds are Denis will be looking for a team a little closer to home.