Tag: 2023 Oregon spring football

Spring is a time for growth, particularly when it comes to O-line versatility, says A’lique Terry

“That’s the beauty of spring ball right now, because a lot of these guys get to play a position they haven’t probably played in the past.”

Spring football is used mainly to prepare the players for what is ahead of them in the fall. It’s also time to get the young guys some needed reps they most likely wouldn’t get as the season approaches.

It’s also time for a bit of experimentation.

Oregon has been known for its versatile offensive line with players capable of playing multiple positions. Most of the time it’s out of necessity because of injury. But linemen don’t go from right tackle to center and succeed out of pure talent and luck. There are dozens of hours of cross-training that lead to that ability.

“It’s pivotal. That’s what made Calvin Throckmorton so valuable for us,” offensive line coach A’lique Terry said of the Ducks’ desire for position flexibility. “He played 50-plus career starts but he started at every position. That’s kind of the thing we tell our guys if you want to get to the NFL, they’re looking for a versatile offensive line. You provide yourself insurance as having a job if you can play right tackle and right guard and center.”

For this current Oregon roster, there are a lot of talented players available, and a lot of starting spots to fill. While the coaching staff works to see who best fits at what position, they’re also working hard to get players out of their comfort zones to see what it may result in.

For Terry, that versatile skill set is built right now in the spring and he’s intent on making sure that having linemen with multiple skills is still the norm within the Ducks program.

“That’s the beauty of spring ball right now because a lot of these guys get to play a position they haven’t probably played in the past,” Terry said. “Now you get more tools in your toolbox. That’s going to be huge for us, getting guys to be versatile. That’s the best part about spring, even if you don’t have guys, you kind of force it. So, guys who have maybe never done something before, they’ve got to do it.”

While this may make things harder for fans and media members watching practice to identify ultimately who the starting linemen are shaping up to be, it will be massively beneficial to the team in the long run.

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‘It’s what he does when no one is around;’ Bo Nix continues to impress as a leader of Ducks

The young and talented Ducks receivers are benefitting from a great leader on and off the field in quarterback Bo Nix.

Some coaches have compared the games on Saturdays during the fall to a test, and the week of practice leading up to it is study time. Most wins or losses can be attributed to what kind of practice occurred the week before.

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has taken that concept to heart, and so far, he’s been passing with flying colors. A large part of his preparation for Saturday success is building chemistry with his receivers Monday through Friday.

According to the Ducks co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Junior Adams, Nix’s leadership has made the receivers, both veterans and underclassmen, even better than they already were.

“I think Bo is doing a really good job of taking the leadership role and putting an arm around the wideouts when things don’t go the way we want them to go,” Adams said on Tuesday. “He’s doing a good job of getting us into the right play call.”

One thing that makes Nix stand apart from a majority of college quarterbacks is his ability to be flexible at the line of scrimmage. Former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham allowed Nix the autonomy to check in and out of play calls last season, and that’s expected to continue under Will Stein this season.

However, the biggest form of leadership that Nix has shown during his time at Oregon is his ability to lift other players up, and make sure that everyone is bought in on the common goal.

“It’s what he does when no one else is around, and how he corrals the guys who sit with him and watch film,” Adams said.

And when there are no receivers around, Nix will peek into coaches’ meetings and take mental notes that he can use later.

“He’ll be in the offensive staff meeting and hear what the coaches are talking about,” Adams said.

Oregon is building quite the WR room with the likes of returners Troy Franklin and Kris Hutson, along with incoming transfers Traeshon Holden and Tez Johnson. But the talent doesn’t stop there as redshirt freshmen Kyler Kasper and Justius Lowe look to gain experience and absorb all they can for the future of Oregon football, while true freshman Ashton Cozart and, eventually, Jurrion Dickey work to get acclimated as well.

Luckily they all have a great quarterback throwing them the football on the field and a teacher who has bought into their growth off of the field.

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