Tag: Ajani Cornelius

A’lique Terry announced as Oregon Ducks new offensive line coach

The Oregon Ducks have announced that A’lique Terry will be the newest offensive line coach for the team, taking over for Adrian Klemm.

The Oregon Ducks have officially hired a replacement for former offensive line coach Adrian Klemm, reportedly bringing in A’lique Terry.

Terry most recently was the Minnesota Vikings’ assistant defensive line coach, but he has spent time as the offensive line coach for the Hawaii Warriors, and he also worked as a graduate assistant on the offensive line at Oregon under Mario Cristobal’s tenure.

Terry will be taking over for Klemm, who left Eugene to join the New England Patriots’ coaching staff as the offensive line coach. Terry will also have the benefit of heading up one of the top position units in all of college football during the 2022 season, where the Ducks ranked first among all teams with just 5 total sacks allowed in 13 games.

Despite the impressive numbers, TK has a big task on his hands, as Oregon enters somewhat of a rebuild on the O-line this offseason. The Ducks saw four of their starters from last year — LT T.J. Bass, RT Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, RG Ryan Walk, and C Alex Forsyth — all graduate this offseason, which has left several vacancies on the offensive front. Fortunately, the Ducks have a returning starter in LG Marcus Harper, and senior RG Steven Jones announced that he would return for one more year after missing much of the 2022 season due to injury.

On top of those pieces, there is an expectation that former 5-star Josh Conerly — the No. 1 ranked OT in the 2022 recruiting class — will step into a starting role, while the Ducks also landed Ajani Cornelius — the No. 1 OT in the transfer portal in 2023.

There are a lot of questions about who will play where on the offensive line for the Ducks this season, and a lot of holes to fill. However, Oregon has no shortage of talent to be able to fill those holes and continue the stellar line play that fans have grown accustomed to seeing over the past several years in Eugene.

Now they have a coach who will be leading them as well.

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Which transfers are going to have the biggest impact for Oregon in 2023?

The Ducks have added some of the top transfers in the nation this offseason. Which ones will have the biggest impact in 2023?

One of the most impactful changes in the world of college football over the last half-decade has been the introduction of the transfer portal, and the rule changes that make it so players can pick up and move teams while maintaining eligibility right away.

This allows a lot of freedom for coaches when it comes to roster building, and particularly new coaches who are trying to overhaul a roster in quick order.

For Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks, we’ve seen an incredible amount of turnover in the past two years. This offseason alone, the Ducks lost well over a dozen players via the transfer portal, but Lanning was able to replace them with 10 incoming transfers who he believes fit his scheme and type of play. These players, while new to the team, should be able to have an impact quickly in Eugene, working to make the Ducks major contenders in 2023 and beyond.

So of the 10 new players who have transferred to Oregon this year, which one will have the biggest impact right away for the Ducks? I think I’ve got a pretty good idea.

Ohio State once again can’t close on a transfer portal prospect, commits to Alabama

The search for a transfer tight end continues

The Buckeyes have not had much luck with transfer portal prospects this cycle. Two of their offensive line targets ([autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Byers[/autotag]) visited but opted to go elsewhere.

[autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] had a chance to change that narrative with Maryland tight end [autotag]CJ Dippre[/autotag], who was choosing between the Buckeyes and Alabama. Unfortunately, this one did not go Ohio State’s way. On Tuesday, Dippre chose the Crimson Tide as his next destination.

This isn’t how Day saw this going. Tight end might not be at the forefront of team needs, but it is on the list.

The Buckeyes will most likely lose [autotag]Cade Stover[/autotag], and there is not much returning depth behind him. It looks like Ohio State is back to searching for another tight end.

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Florida OT Michael Tarquin entering transfer portal

Another Gator has hit the transfer portal, and now Florida might have some serious depth issues on the offensive line.

The Florida Gators will need to add some more depth to the offensive line after losing another player to the transfer portal. Offensive tackle [autotag]Michael Tarquin[/autotag] announced his decision to enter the portal on Thursday despite being a contender for a starting spot next season.

Tarquin began the year as the Gators’ starting right tackle but suffered an injury against Kentucky in Week 2 that kept him out for four games. Austin Barber emerged as an effective replacement, but Tarquin ended up playing in Florida’s final six games at his usual spot once healthy.

Some have called this the first true surprise of the transfer cycle for Florida. Tarquin was a presumed starter for next year’s club with left tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] headed to the pros. Even if the staff favors Barber, shifting him over to the left side would allow Florida to play two experienced tackles on the offensive line. Now, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has to do some portal work of his own to replace three-fifths of the starting unit ([autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] is headed to the NFL as well).

Napier said that the team was looking to add more players through the transfer portal during his early signing day press conference, and the Gators have been linked to Rhode Island transfer tackle [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag].

In-house options to take over Tarquin’s spot include Louisiana transfer [autotag]Kamryn Waites[/autotag], freshman [autotag]David Conner[/autotag] and incoming freshmen [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag], [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Livingston[/autotag].

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Thoughts on Ohio State’s disappointing early signing period results

It might have seemed like this was a bad day, but it wasn’t all bad #GoBucks

We all know how yesterday went, in the short term the Buckeyes looked very much like one of the losers of the day. Not only did they not get a verbal from either of the two 5-star prospects they were finalists for, [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei [/autotag] or [autotag]Damon Wilson[/autotag], they lost [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] as he flipped to [autotag]Auburn[/autotag].

To make matters worse, defensive back commit [autotag]Jayden Bonsu[/autotag] is still in the air, having tweeted he signed but no indication with who, [autotag]Miami (FL)[/autotag] being the other potential choice. Oh and transfer tackle [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag] chose Oregon over the Buckeyes as well.

It might have seemed like the sky was falling, but that’s not all that we can take away from the start to the early signing period. Find out what I thought about this disappointment and direction of [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] Football.

(Edit: as of 8:32 a.m. it has been reported by multiple outlets that Bonsu has officially signed with Ohio State)

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Ohio State comes up short in its pursuit of transfer offensive tackle

The hits keep coming for the Buckeyes today #GoBucks

The Buckeyes had one last chance to salvage the day: Rhode Island offensive lineman transfer [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag]. The tackle had a final four of [autotag]Tennessee[/autotag], [autotag]Nebraska[/autotag], [autotag]Oregon[/autotag] and [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag].

While we had to wait until later in the day for Cornelius’ moment, it provided more disappointment. The tackle selected Oregon. The Buckeyes were once again left staring at their hat on the table, as just one player ([autotag]Joshua Mickens[/autotag]) who was considering Ohio State actually selected the Buckeyes on Wednesday.

It sends [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] back to the drawing board. I believe the staff had an idea Cornelius wasn’t going to select the Buckeyes, which is why we saw an offer go out to Washington State tackle [autotag]Jarrett Kingston[/autotag] on Wednesday.

The assumption for the Buckeyes is they will continue to go hard after more portal offensive tackles. However, the younger offensive lineman on the team will surely need to step up if their pursuit of a portal tackle comes up empty.

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Despite losing 4 starters, Oregon’s offensive line could be a major strength in 2023

The Ducks are losing 4 starters on the OL this offseason. To retool, they turned around and picked up two of the top transfer portal lineman on the board.

By any metric you want to look at, it’s pretty easy to see that the Oregon Ducks had one of the best offensive lines in the nation last season. They were loaded with veteran leaders on the offensive front, utilizing the experience of guys like Alex Forsyth, T.J. Bass, Ryan Walk, and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu. Oregon gave up only four sacks all season, which was the best in the nation.

Unfortunately for Duck fans, it seemed early in the offseason like that may have been the mountain-top for OL play in Eugene. With four of those veterans leaving Eugene after exhausting their collegiate eligibility, it leaves only LG Marcus Harper as the returning starter.

Sure, there are guys like Josh Conerly, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and a handful of other younger players who have some experience playing in games, but it’s no secret that the Ducks don’t have the same depth and experience going into 2023 as they did going into 2022.

It’s a good thing the transfer portal exists, isn’t it?

Both Dan Lanning and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm attacked that need for the Ducks this offseason, and the early returns have been spectacular for Oregon. On Tuesday night, former Texas Longhorns OL Junior Angilua announced that he would transfer to the Ducks, and Wednesday afternoon saw former Rhode Island OT Ajani Cornelius do the same.

Angilua started 34 games across multiple spots on the line during three seasons in Austin, and was named a team captain for the Longhorns, as well as a Preseason Big-12 All-American in 2022 before an injury sidelined him for the year.

As for Cornelius, he is among the most highly-coveted players in the transfer portal this off-season, and has held offers from some of the top Power-5 schools in the nation, including Tennessee, Ohio State, Nebraska, Miami, and Penn State.

When it comes to new coaching staffs who haven’t had a few years to stack recruiting classes on top of each other and build up a depth chart full of their own guys, losing a group of seniors at a single position could be catastrophic, with not many places to turn. However, Lanning and Klemm took the opportunity to attack the transfer portal this offseason and get the offensive line back to a strength for the offense with a couple of big-time commitments.

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‘Maturity, power, intelligence;’ Dan Lanning’s Ducks score huge win with Ajani Cornelius

‘Maturity, power, intelligence;’ Dan Lanning’s Ducks score huge win with Ajani Cornelius

The news came out on Wednesday afternoon that former Rhode Island offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius would be signing with the Oregon Ducks and heading to Eugene for the remainder of his college career.

If you’re a Duck fan who isn’t currently celebrating, you had better start jumping for joy.

Cornelius was one of the most highly-coveted players in the transfer portal this offseason, garnering offers from some of the biggest schools in the Power 5 conferences, including the Miami Hurricanes, Ohio State Buckeyes, Tennessee Volunteers, and many, many others.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and over 300 pounds, Cornelius comes to Eugene with a chance to be a Day 1 starter on the Oregon offensive line, acting as an instant impact player who can help retool the Ducks’ front after losing four of five starters from the 2022 season. He brings 22 games of starting experience with him, as well as some character traits that will make him a veteran presence in the locker room.

“Maturity, power, intelligence,” a source told me of Cornelius on Tuesday. “He steps on campus ready to make an immediate impact.”

Here’s a closer look at who the Ducks are getting with the latest addition to their roster:

BREAKING: Rhode Island OT Ajani Cornelius commits to Oregon Ducks

The Ducks just landed arguably the most coveted player in the 2023 transfer portal. OT Ajani Cornelius is coming to Oregon.

The Oregon Ducks have officially landed arguably the most coveted player in the transfer portal this offseason, getting a verbal commitment from offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius, a former Rhode Island Ram.

Cornelius has made waves in the transfer portal this offseason, garnering attention from some of the top Power 5 schools in the nation and receiving scholarship offers from places like Oregon, Tennessee, Ohio State, Nebraska, South Carolina, Penn State, and many others.

He was the feature of a piece from The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, who tabbed Cornelius as the “hottest commodity in the portal” this year. Now he is a Duck and will be coming to Eugene for the 2023 season.

Cornelius started the last 22 straight games at tackle for Rhode Island, and standing at 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, he projects to instantly come to Oregon and insert himself into the offensive line as a Day 1 starter. This was a big need for the Ducks to address over the offseason, with four of their five starters from the 2022 season moving on from Eugene.

Now with projections that former 5-star OT Josh Conerly Jr. will start at one tackle position, while Cornelius starts at the other, the Ducks’ offensive line is shaping up nicely for the 2023 campaign.

Ajani Cornelius Transfer Portal Profile

What transpired with Ohio State’s transfer tackles who visited over the weekend

It’s transfer crunch time

Not only was it the last weekend prior to the early signing period, it was also a big weekend for transfers. Ohio State hosted two offensive tackles, [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeremiah Byers[/autotag], in hopes of luring them to play in Columbus next year.

What has transpired since has been interesting, given that there should be plenty of playing time available for a team that is in the College Football Playoff conversation every year, along with being a pipeline to the NFL.

Find out what is next for both Byers and Cornelius as the dead period gets closer and news could get a bit quieter on the transfer front.

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