Tag: aydin breland

Enrolling early helps players get acclimated, but has its challenges for Oregon’s freshmen

Dan Lanning spoke on Tuesday about how enrolling in the spring benefits incoming freshman on the Oregon Football coaches show.

As college football has evolved into the 21st century, the lines between student-athlete and professional-athlete have blurred. College football players now can profit from their name, image, and likeness; they maintain a strict weekly routine during the season; and their offseason never truly comes with non-stop training in the “off months.”

The growing importance of the spring football season in the past few decades has led to increasing numbers of incoming freshman working to graduate early and enroll at their new university in the spring semester so they can participate in spring workouts and practices. It’s a quick turnaround and the time commitment can be a lot for someone who may not even be able to vote yet.

On Wednesday, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning joined the Oregon Football Coaches’ show to help preview the upcoming Oregon football season. The Ducks had a large contingent of their 2024 class enroll early, so Lanning spoke about how it can be challenging for players at first.

“Well, just your schedule in general,” Lanning said “It can be pretty taxing when it’s starting off with football in the morning and finishing the class in the afternoon and possibly having a meeting after night. So it becomes really important how you manage your time.”

Of Oregon’s 27 high recruits in the class of 2024, 20 were expected to enroll early. Among those 20 are Elijah Rushing, Aydin Breland, and Jeremiah McClellan.

Enrolling in the spring can be challenging, but the biggest reason it’s become more popular is the benefit it offers the players. Freshmen can take more time to learn the team’s system, build chemistry with their teammates, and develop their skills. Coaches also start to fill out the depth chart during the spring season, so it’s in the interest of incoming players to showcase their skills as soon as they can.

“Yeah, I mean, anytime you can get acclimated, get into the process, you know, start early as far as learning the substance of the playbook,” Lanning said.  “And learning you know, what’s it like to be a college student all those things that it gets is really valuable time.”

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Top five defensive linemen signed to the Big Ten during the early signing period

Top five defensive linemen signed to the Big Ten during the early signing period #GoBucks

The initial hype of the early signing period has died down, but there was a ton of talent to explore and so much so we are breaking it down by position. We have already dove into the top five quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive tackles, interior offensive linemen and edge defenders to sign with Big Ten teams and now we want to break down a position that Ohio State actually attacked in a meaningful way at defensive line.

The Big Ten actually did not dominate in recruiting this position, only snagging five of the top 25 defensive linemen in the country and that is including the new teams via expansion. This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who is watching the bowl games that a majority of Big Ten schools are undersized and underwhelming on the interior of the defensive line.

Let’s now dive into the top five defensive linemen to sign with Big Ten teams during the early signing period according to 247Sports. Also, other sites may have some of the players assigned to different positions, but we’re just going by how 247Sports has them classified.

Oregon DL Aydin Breland making an early impact at Under Armour All-American practice

Oregon Ducks’ 5-star DL Aydin Breland is having an early impact at the Under Armour All-American Game practices this week.

We’re getting into the All-American game season, where the top-rated recruits and signees across the country gather to practice against each other and showcase their abilities in high school all-star games over the next month.

The first one on the schedule is the Under Armour All-American Game, which will be played on Wednesday, January 3rd, at 1 p.m. PT. There are a number of Oregon signees playing in the game, such as 5-star DL Aydin Breland, 4-star WR Jeremiah McClellan, 4-star OT JacQawn McRoy, and a handful of others.

Early on, it appears that Breland is making an impact and turning some heads in practice. He was recently named a top performer in the first day of practice per 247Sports:

Breland was one of the best during bag drills for the defensive linemen, flashing both power and twitch in his hips. Breland wasn’t asked to stunt a whole bunch at Mater Dei and never really stuffed the stat sheet, but he moves extremely well for someone his size. It will be interesting to see if he takes over 1-on-1s in the coming practices.

We will continue to monitor Breland and other Ducks’ performances over the coming days, and then look to see how they all show out on ESPN Wednesday afternoon.

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SIGNED: 5-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland is officially a Duck

The Oregon Ducks officially signed 5-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland, adding him to the top-10 ranked 2024 class.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning is no stranger to highly-talented defensive linemen, and he just inked a massive one in Eugene.

5-star DL Aydin Breland officially signed his national letter of intent on Wednesday, joining the Ducks’ top-10 ranked 2024 class. Breland is rated by 247Sports as the No. 11 overall player in the class, and the No. 4 defensive lineman in the nation.

Playing his high school ball at Mater Dei High School in California, Breland chose to stay out on the West Coast, choosing Oregon over other schools like Georgia, Miami, Texas A&M, and Alabama, opting for development under Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi.

Standing at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, Breland will be one of the bigger defensive linemen on the roster for the Ducks in 2024, and based on what we’ve seen from Lanning so far in Eugene, there’s a good chance that he can see a lot of playing time should he prove early on that he deserves it.

The Ducks lost several interior linemen this offseason, with guys like Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers, Taki Taimani, and Popo Aumavae graduating.

Here’s a look at Breland’s high school highlights

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SIGNED: 4-star defensive lineman Xadavien Sims is officially a Duck

Xadavien Sims, a 4-star DL in the class of 2024, has signed his national letter of intent for Oregon.

Xadavien Sims, a 4-star defensive line recruit in the class of 2024, officially joined the Oregon Ducks by inking his national letter of intent on Wednesday. Sims has been committed to Oregon since May and is one of three DL commits in Oregon’s 2024 class.

Sims is from Durant, Oklahoma, and is ranked the No. 1 player in his home state by 247 Sports. Oregon isn’t a natural landing spot for a kid from Oklahoma, so Sims must like what Dan Lanning, Tosh Lupoi, and Tony Tuioti are doing with the Ducks’ defensive line. 247 Sports also has Sims rated as the No. 211 player in the nation and the No. 29 D-Lineman.

One of the other defensive line commits in this class is 5-star Aydin Breland, from Mater Dei High School in Los Angeles. Breland is the highest-rated Ducks’ recruit in the class of 2024, and the No. 4 ranked DL in the country. Breland’s presence will make things difficult for Sims, but he’s talented enough to hopefully play alongside Breland in a year or two.

Oregon had a strong defensive line in 2023, but there aren’t many returning starters on the Ducks’ D-Line for 2024, and the position group will be overhauled. Sims probably won’t see a high share of snaps in year 1 — especially with Breland on the team — but this year will still be vital to his development. I see Sims playing a similar role to A’Mauri Washington’s in 2023, filling in at the end of games and preparing for his sophomore season.

Here are some highlights from Sims:

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2024 Defensive Line Outlook: D-Line will need to be built on young talent

A deep-dive on the state of the Oregon Ducks defensive line for 2024.

The 2023 season is now behind us, and while there is still a bowl game to be played — The Fiesta Bowl vs. The Liberty Flames — Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are working hard on the construction of their roster and hitting the transfer portal in attempts to formulate what this team will look like going into the 2024 season, the team’s first year 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, tight ends, offensive line, and cornerbacks. Now let’s focus on the defensive line. 

One of the biggest factors of the Oregon Ducks’ success this season was their defensive physicality, which allowed them to be consistent against the run and pressure opposing quarterbacks. But for 2024, the Ducks will be losing a large chunk of the defensive line that made Oregon’s defense so physically dominant. Dan Lanning will need to find ways to adequately fill those holes, especially as Oregon moves to the Big Ten where running the ball is a bigger focus.

For a breakdown of each player on the Ducks defensive line, as well as the state of Oregon’s front four for 2024 and beyond, continue below.

Why did five-star Aydin Breland commits to Oregon football? Because of grandma

Aydin Breland said grandma was a big part of his Oregon commitment.

Oregon football fans can thank grandma for landing five-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland. On Saturday, Breland committed to Oregon.

A five-star defensive lineman, Breland gave his verbal on Saturday afternoon. The class of 2024 recruit, ranked the No. 11 prospect in the nation by 247Sports, is a 6-foot-5, 300-pound defensive lineman from Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California).

Breland announced a final three in mid-September of Georgia, Miami and Oregon.

Mater Dei is the top-ranked program in the nation in the USA TODAY HSS Super 25.

In speaking to 247Sports after his commitment, he underscored the “family feel” around Oregon.

“I love the people in Eugene, the fans love you,” Breland told 247Sports.

“Eugene has a vibe in the city -I love it out there, it’s nice, it’s green, it’s calm. It’s where I felt I was going to get the best development.”

But the real family feel came from his home. Breland said Oregon being close played a huge role in his recruitment.

He felt a tug, he said, to be close to his family.

 

In a conversation with his grandmother about a week ago, Breland felt a tug on his heart to commit to Oregon. His grandmother said he hoped she could go to games and see him play.

“That really kind of changed my perspective on things and made me want to stay home – closer to home,” Breland said.

Georgia football misses out on 4-star DL

Georgia football misses out on 4-star DL Aydin Breland…

2024 four-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland has committed to the Oregon Ducks over Georgia and Miami.

Former UGA assistant Dan Lanning gets one over the Bulldogs, who came on strong late for the Mater Dei High School prospect (Santa Ana, California).

Breland (6-foot-5, 290 pounds) is the No. 7 defensive lineman, the No. 3 player in the state of California and the No. 38 player overall in the 2024 class, per 247Sports composite.

Georgia’s miss here will not break the Bulldogs class, which still ranks No. 1 in the nation, per 247Sports.

Georgia is looking to add another wide receiver recruit in the class of 2024 and may be trying to flip an NC State commitment.

Ducks jump into top 10 of 2024 recruiting rankings with addition of 5-star DL Aydin Breland

A look at where the Oregon Ducks 2024 class ranks nationally after the addition of 5-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland.

The Oregon Ducks are hoping to pick up their biggest win of the 2023 college football season thus far on Saturday afternoon with a top-10 showdown against the No. 7 Washington Huskies.

On Saturday morning, about an hour prior to kickoff, the Ducks scored their biggest win of the year in the 2024 recruiting class thus far, landing a commitment from 5-start defensive lineman Aydin Breland, a blue-chip player from Mater Dei High School.

Breland is the Ducks’ first 5-star player in the 2024 class. He is rated by 247Sports as the No. 6 overall player in the class, and the No. 2 DL in the nation.

With the addition of Breland, the Ducks took a big jump in the recruiting world, where they now sit in the top 10 nationally. Here’s a look at the latest rankings after the commitment:

BREAKING: 5-star DL Aydin Breeland commits to Oregon Ducks

5-star DL Aydin Breeland commits to Oregon. The Ducks land the No. 6 overall player in the 2024 class.

The recruiting hot streak continues for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks.

On Saturday, five-star defensive lineman Aydin Breland committed to Oregon, choosing the Ducks over the Georgia Bulldogs and Miami Hurricanes.

Breland is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 11 overall player in the 2024 class, and the No. 4 defensive lineman.

Breland’s commitment comes on the heels of the Ducks landing four-star cornerback Sione Laulea, the No. 1 rated junior college player in the nation for this class. It also comes not long after the news that five-star edge Elijah Rushing, the No. 8 player in the 2024 class, decommitted from the Arizona Wildcats and is heavily favored to commit to Oregon.

With the addition of Breland, the Ducks jump up to No. 9 in the 2024 national rankings. If they further go on to land Rushing as well, they will jump up another couple of spots to No. 6 in the nation.

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