Tag: Ajani Cornelius

Oregon offensive line a finalist for the Joe Moore Award

After another stellar season, not counting the first two weeks, the Oregon offensive line is a finalist for the Joe Moore Award.

No one, perhaps not even the Ducks themselves, would believe this is possible after the first two weeks of the college football season.

But after a huge improvement and steady play for the remaining weeks of the season, the Ducks offensive line is in the finals for the Joe Moore Award, which is given out for the nation’s best offensive line.

Texas and Army are the other finalists.

It is the second year in a row and third time since 2019 that Oregon has been selected as a finalist for the award.

Oregon leads the nation in fewest total sacks allowed Oregon Ducks offensive stats ranked nationally after regular season since 2022 with 22, eight less than second-place Army (30). The Ducks led the nation in fewest sacks allowed in both 2022 and 2023.

Individually, left tackle Josh Conerly was named to the all-Big Ten first team by both the conference’s coaches and the media, and he leads the Ducks with an 80.3 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus while allowing just six total pressures in 404 opportunities.

Right tackle Ajani Cornelius was voted to the all-Big Ten second team by the media and the third team by the coaches, and guard Marcus Marper II was a third-team selection by the coaches.

The winner of the 2024 Joe Moore Award will be announced in a most unconventional way as representatives from the award committee will conduct a surprise visit to the winning university’s campus, likely in mid to late December.

Broncos scouts are zeroing in on these college football teams

Broncos scouts have been paying close attention to Oregon and Washington games this fall. Here are the prospects to know from those schools.

Going into this weekend’s slate of college football games, the Denver Broncos have spent more time scouting the Oregon Ducks and Arizona Wildcats than any other college football programs.

That’s according to NFL draft pundit John Vogel, who reported last week that Denver scouts have attended three Oregon games and three Wildcats games this fall. Broncos general manager George Paton also attended the Washington Huskies game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in September.

The most notable prospect among the four colleges mentioned is Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the top receiver in the 2025 class. The Wildcats’ offense also features offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea.

Oregon has a host of prospects who could interest Denver’s staff, including receivers Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart, offensive tackles Josh Conerly and Ajani Cornelius, defensive linemen Derrick Harmon and Jordan Burch, and running back Jordan James.

Washington’s prospects of note include running back Jonah Coleman, safety Kamren Fabiculanan and receiver Giles Jackson. Meanwhile, the Rutgers’ offense features offensive tackle Hollin Pierce and running back Kyle Monangai.

With Broncos scouts and executives checking in on those programs, the above players will be worth monitoring this fall. The 2025 NFl draft will be held in Green Bay from April 24-26. Denver holds seven picks.

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Trio of Oregon Ducks named Associated Press pre-season All-Americans

A trio of Oregon Ducks were named pre-season All-Americans by the Associated Press going into the 2024 season.

We know that the Oregon Ducks are expected to be one of the best teams in the nation this fall, contending for a national championship as new members of the Big Ten. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see that a trio of the Ducks’ best players have been named preseason All-Americans, according to the Associated Press.

On Monday, quarterback Dillon Gabriel, wide receiver Tez Johnson, and right tackle Ajani Cornelius were all named second-team pre-season All-Americans, per AP.

These honors are just the last of many for the three of these players, all of whom have been named to multiple awards watch lists leading into the season.

Johnson and Cornelius were named first-team preseason All-Americans by the Sporting News.

27 total players were selected for the first team offense and defense on Monday, 10 of which came from the SEC, with eight coming from the Big Ten. The Ohio State Buckeyes led the Big Ten with four players named to the first team.

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Duck offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius on Outland Trophy watchlist

Duck offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius was included on the Outland Trophy watchlist for college football’s best O-lineman.

Senior offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius is projected to have his best season for the Oregon Duck football team this season and he just landed on one of the pre-season award watchlists.

Cornelius was included on the Outland Trophy watchlist, an award given to college football’s top offensive lineman in the country.

He was an honorable mention all-Pac-12 last season where Cornelius started all 14 games at right tackle in first season as a Duck. Cornelius transferred to Oregon from Rhole Island and the increase in competition didn’t affect him at all.

He played 899 offensive snaps to rank second among all Oregon players. Cornelius helped Oregon offensive line lead the nation with just five sacks allowed, and tied for third nationally with just 44.0 tackles for loss allowed.

The Outland Trophy has been given since 1946 and Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat won the award last season.

Oregon RT Ajani Cornelius named to PFF Way-Too-Early All-America team

Ajani Cornelius, the Oregon Ducks right tackle, was named to PFF’s preseason All-America team.

Ajani Cornelius should be the poster child of the transfer portal.

After not receiving any FBS offers out of high school, Cornelius began his college career at Rhode Island, where he was elite. Then, with two years of remaining eligibility, he hit the transfer portal and ended up with the Oregon Ducks.

In his first season at Oregon, Cornelius was spectacular, and he looks ready to build on his skills in 2024. Ahead of the fall season, Pro Football Focus has named Cornelius to their Way-Too-Early 2024 All-America team.

Cornelius is one of three returning starters on the offensive line, along with left tackle Josh Conerly and guard Marcus Harper. Joining those three will be Iapani Laloulu at center, and likely Matthew Bedford at the other guard spot.

In 899 offensive snaps last season, Cornelius allowed just 11 pressures and zero sacks. Blocking for the run, Cornelius is still elite, earning a 73.1 run-blocking grade from PFF in 2023.

The right tackle position will be even more important for the Ducks this season because quarterback Dillon Gabriel is left-handed. Last season, Cornelius was blocking for Bo Nix’s sight side, but now he’ll have the more important task of covering Gabriel’s blindside.

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Two Ducks have a chance to crack CBS Sports’ Top 100 players in 2024

CBS Sports says there are two Ducks who could move into their Top 100 players with a good 2024 season.

The idea of moving to the Big Ten was for give Oregon a higher profile nationwide than the Pac-12 could ever do. That goes for the university on the whole and individual athletes in all the sports.

According to CBS Sports, there are two Ducks that are outside their Top 100, but they have a chance to crack the list should they have good seasons in the new conference.

The first Duck is linebacker Jeffrey Bassa.

According to writer Blake Brockermeyer, Bassa’s multiple talents can be a huge plus for the Ducks in the Big Ten.

“Bassa had his best season in Eugene under Dan Lanning last year and is one of the best coverage linebackers in the country as he can stay on the field for every snap,” he said. “Excellent tackler in the box and can also blitz the quarterback.”

The second Duck that could make a big jump and get out of that “second tier” status is offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius. The Pac-12 honorable mention had some difficulty adjusting to the Pac-12 level from Rhode Island, but after a year in the program, Cornelius could back a big leap in 2024.

“A transfer from Rhode Island last season, Cornelius is a powerful run-blocker who can move defensive linemen off the ball,” Brockermeyer said. “He plays with good pad level and hand placement. He struggles more in pass protection at times but those issues can be fixed with better technique. Could also kick down and be a solid guard at the next level.”

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5-Star OT Josh Petty locks in official visit with the Oregon Ducks

Josh Petty, a 5-star offensive tackle in the class of 2025, has scheduled an official visit with the Oregon Ducks.

The college football recruiting season for the class of 2025 is starting to ramp up, and the Oregon Ducks are already on the trail. On Sunday, Josh Petty, a 5-star offensive tackle, locked in official visits with four schools, one of which is Oregon, according to a report from On3’s Steve Wiltfong.

At 6’5″ and 262 lbs., Petty is one of the most physically gifted tackles in his class, and he seems to love finishing his blocks with Jackson Powers-Johnson-style pancakes. Relative to his peers, 247 Sports ranks Petty as the No. 2 OT in 2025, and On3 ranks him at No. 4.

Along with Oregon, Petty announced official visits with the Clemson Tigers, Auburn Tigers, and the Stanford Cardinal. His visit with the Ducks is scheduled for June 14th.

The Ducks have had success recruiting tackles during Dan Lanning’s time at Oregon, bringing in 5-star Josh Conerly in the class of 2022 and landing Ajani Cornelius as one of the top transfers in the class of 2023. Last year, they were close to landing 5-star Brandon Baker, but he ended up committing to Texas.

Conerly and Cornelius were the Ducks starting OTs in 2023, and they are expected to start at tackle for the Ducks in the fall. After this season though, both will probably move on to the NFL, leaving openings at the tackle spot, which could make OT recruiting a focus in 2025.

Pair of Oregon Ducks make ESPN’s Way-Too-Early 2024 Second Team

Both Dillon Gabriel and Ajani Cornelius made the ESPN “Way-Too-Early” All-American team.

The 2024 college football season, which promises to be a historic one with the 12-team playoff expansion, is a little over eight months away. Oregon opens Week 0 on August 24 at Hawaii.

So obviously it’s time to think about All-American candidates.

The Oregon Ducks are expected to be one of the top teams next season with a legitimate shot at not only making the playoffs but also making a run at a possible national title.

One of many reasons is quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a senior transfer from Oklahoma. The window for winning a national title is open now and the Oregon coaching staff felt an experienced and successful quarterback was needed.

In their way-too-early selection of preseason All-Americans, ESPN puts Gabriel on the Second-Team. They put Georgia quarterback Carson Beck on the First Team.

In his two seasons at Oklahoma, Gabriel completed 66 percent of his passes good for 6,828 yards, 55 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He spent three seasons at Central Florida before that.

Another reason Gabriel chose to finish his career in Eugene was that he will play behind an experienced offensive line that will protect him. Ajani Cornelius will anchor the right side of the 2024 line for the Ducks and he was also part of ESPN’s Second Team only behind Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr.

The transfer from Rhode Island had a nice season in his first year on the D-I level where he played in all 14 games for the Ducks. Cornelius is a 6-foot-5, 308-pounder from Harlem, NY. He was an Honorable Mention on the All-Pac-12 team.

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Oregon OT Ajani Cornelius announces return to Eugene for 2024 season

Oregon Ducks offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius announced that he would be returning to Eugene for one more season.

In the era of the transfer portal, it has become as important to recruit your own roster in the offseason as it is to recruit potential incoming transfers. Dan Lanning has just put on a masterclass of recruiting his own roster and convincing players who very well could have declared for the 2024 NFL Draft to come back to Eugene for one more season.

The latest player to opt in for another season with the Oregon Ducks is offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius.

After transferring to Oregon a year ago, Cornelius took over as the starting right tackle for the Ducks and was one of the best players at his position in the nation, grading out as the 11th-best pass-blocking OT (minimum 300 snaps) and allowing 0 sacks in 511 opportunities this year.

Cornelius is one of many players who have decided to come back for one more year at Oregon, joining players like Jeffrey Bassa, Jestin Jacobs, Terrance Ferguson, Tysheem Johnson, Tez Johnson, and Traeshon Holden.

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2024 Offensive Line Outlook: Ducks’ elite OL could be even better next year

Oregon’s offensive line was one of the best in the nation this year. They could be even better moving forward.

The 2023 season is behind us. While there is still a bowl game to be played — the Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames — Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are working hard on the construction of their roster for the 2024 season. They are hitting the transfer portal to fill holes ahead of the team’s first season in the Big Ten Conference. While they work on bringing new players in via the transfer portal, we want to look at the future breakdown of each position, detailing current players on the roster, incoming recruits and potential targets on the market right now.

So far this offseason, we’ve broken down the future of the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. Now let’s focus on the offensive line.

Coming into the 2023 season, the inexperience of the Oregon Ducks’ offensive line stirred doubts about how Oregon’s offense would fare. Quickly, that doubt was cast away. The Ducks’ O-line looked like a unit that had been playing together for several seasons, and they were named a Joe Moore Award finalist.

There should be plenty of returners along the O-line for 2024, which is a great sign for an offense that will employ a new QB. Of course, there will be changes, but Oregon has plenty of OL talent waiting in the wings, and they’ve shown they have some of the best coaching in the nation.

Let’s look at the full OL breakdown for the Ducks and see what the state of the position is going forward.