Tag: Devon Jackson

After bringing speed to Eugene, Ducks linebacker Devon Jackson is finally playing fast

After coming to Eugene as one of the fastest players on the team, junior linebacker Devon Jackson is finally learning to play fast.

No matter who you talk to, one word will likely come up when asked to describe Oregon Ducks junior linebacker Devon Jackson.

“Fast.”

Ever since he landed in Eugene as a headlining member of the 2022 recruiting class — Dan Lanning’s first with the Ducks — Jackson has been regarded as one of the fastest players on the team. Though he plays a position that isn’t typically known for housing sprinters, the former 4-star recruit from Nebraska routinely takes on receivers and cornerbacks in races and leaves them in the dust.

With a 10.54 100-meter time, and a 21.63 200m in high school, there was no question about what Jackson could bring to the table when he landed in Eugene.

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The only problem, though, is that speed is rendered useless when you don’t know where you’re going. Fortunately, a third year in Lanning’s defense is giving Jackson a sense of direction.

“Devon is a completely different player than when he got here,” Lanning said on Tuesday. “He’s always been a fast guy, but fast in the wrong direction doesn’t help you. Now, he’s fast in the right direction.”

His first two years at Oregon were slow. Jackson played in five games as a true freshman, recording a single tackle. Last year, things picked up as he recorded 17 tackles and 1.5 TFL in 12 games. Now, going into a season where he is expecting to be called upon in big moments to help spell the likes of Jeffrey Bassa and Jestin Jacobs, Jackson is ready for the task.

“I feel like I’m really confident in my ability, in this scheme, and in this defense with how they want me to play,” Jackson said. “It’s really coming to life this year.”

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While world-class speed is enough to inspire anyone, it’s the preparation that has gone on behind close doors that made the biggest difference for the former No. 109 overall player in the 2022 class. No longer can he rely on being the most gifted athlete on the field and ride that mismatch to success.

That’s a transition that took some time to get used to.

“Coming across the country, you know, you are ‘that guy,'” Jackson said. “But coming here, it’s like everyone else is fast too. You’re not the only fast guy, you’re not the only strong guy, not the only smart guy.”

Fortunately, Jackson had other players who were ‘that guy’ to look up to and help show him the way. Though all players in Oregon’s LB room have helped guide, it’s Bassa who Jackson credits with teaching him the most about what it means to be a linebacker at the college level.

“Jeff’s really helped me to learn how to take notes and, like, how to watch film from a linebacker perspective,” Jackson said. “In high school, I ain’t gonna lie, I never really did that. I was just talented. And so showing you like, how to do it and what to look for. It’s easy just to look at plays, but if you don’t really know what you’re looking for, you’re just wasting your time.”

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Going forward, Jackson doesn’t have much time to waste. He has two years of eligibility remaining before making a potential leap to the NFL. Snaps are going to be somewhat scarce on Oregon’s defense in 2024 with Bassa and Jacobs having one final go-around before departing for the NFL.

If he’s going to have an impact and make a name for himself, he needs to get moving, and do so fast.

Luckily, that’s what he does best.

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Jerry Allen names most likely breakout candidates for Oregon Football in 2024

A look at the biggest breakout candidates for the Oregon Ducks, according to Voice of the Ducks Jerry Allen on the Bleav in Oregon podcast.

The Oregon Ducks roster is as talented as we’ve ever seen on paper going into the 2024 season, and the team is expected to compete at the top of the nation, vying for a Big Ten Championship and a spot on the College Football Playoff.

Because of that talent that’s present, we tend to spend a lot of our time focusing on the stars, and the players who have become household names over the past few years.

For that success to be attained, though, some unheralded players are going to need to step up.

This past week on the Bleav in Oregon podcast with Zachary Neel and Jonathan Stewart, the legendary Voice of the Ducks Jerry Allen stopped by to talk all things Oregon, and they got into a discussion about who those breakout players could be.

Allen, who has been the play-by-bly analyst for the Ducks since 1987, highlighted a pair of young defenders who have a big chance to step up.

“Devon Jackson is a guy who I think is going to be really, really good,” Allen said. “I think he’s going to cause people problems and make people around him better.”

In his two seasons at Oregon, Jackson has played in 17 games with 18 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. This offseason, he’s drawn rave reviews from coaches and players alike who claim he will be a major piece of the defense going forward.

“How about (Bryce) Boettcher?” Allen continued. “He just is a disruptor. He was a disruptor in baseball, and he had his moments last year. But I think this year that will be a name that we are calling a lot.”

Boettcher has had a bit more production than Jackson so far, totaling 39 tackles in his 26 career games, with 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble.

The leaders at the linebacker group are veterans Jeffrey Bassa and Jestin Jacobs, but as far as depth goes behind them, it is a bit unknown. Because of that, it isn’t at all hard to see either Jackson or Boettcher stepping up in 2024.

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2023 Oregon Stock Draft: Picking unheralded Ducks with ‘The Flock Pod’

Once again, @ZacharyCNeel got together with the boys from @TheFlockPod to go through an Oregon Ducks stock draft. Who do you think won?

It’s becoming a time-honored tradition that I look forward to as much as anything we do each year — the annual Oregon Ducks Stock Draft conducted between Zachary Neel, and the hosts of The Flock Pod, JD Pluid, and Shane Potter.

Essentially, the trio goes through the Oregon roster and drafts unheralded players who may blow up over the season. If you were to think about it as buying stocks, the goal is to buy as low as you can and watch that stock — or player — grow and mature over the season. We did this last year and found great success. Here are the draft results from a year ago:

Zachary Neel (2022)
Kris Hutson
Christian Gonzalez
Bucky Irving
Josh Conerly Jr.

Shane Potter (2022)
Justin Flowe
Seven McGee
Jeffrey Bassa
Byron Cardwell

JD Pluid (2022)
Noah Sewell
Bo Nix
DJ Johnson
Terrence Ferguson

There were some hits and some major misses, but overall it gave us a great look at some of the guys on the roster who have a chance to break out over the coming weeks and months.

So who did everyone draft when going through the exercise ahead of the 2023 season? You can listen to the episode here:

Trio of Ducks, one former Oregon player crack Bruce Feldman’s ‘Freaks List’ for 2023

The Athletic’s ‘Freaks List’ is out for 2023. It features a trio of Ducks, one former Oregon player, and a 5-star recruit who unfortunately got away.

The Athletic’s ‘Freaks List’ written by Bruce Felman each and every year is among the most entertaining articles you will read leading up to the college football season. Like other publications, it doesn’t go through to top 100 players in the nation, regurgitating many of the names that we already know will have a big impact on the upcoming season.

Instead, Feldman goes through the 101 most physically outlandish “freaks” in college football. In his own words, the Freak’s List aims to “spotlight the players whose athleticism blew the minds of folks inside their own college football programs.”

A year ago, Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez was near the top of the list because of his length and speed. This year, a trio of Oregon Ducks made the cut for Feldman.

More than just those three Oregon players, though, there are a handful of other notable “freaks” for Duck fans to read about. Among them is one former Oregon Duck who transferred out of the program, a former 5-star recruit who Dan Lanning and Co. probably still have nightmares about losing, and a long list of Pac-12 players or guys who the Ducks will see on their 2023 schedule at some point or another.

Here are all of the “freaks” that you need to know about as an Oregon fan:

Second-year Ducks who have biggest chance to break out in 2023 for Oregon

Fall camp is the best time to identify potential breakout players. In Eugene, these second-year guys have caught our eye so far.

With over a week of fall camp behind us now for the Oregon Ducks, we’ve seen enough football and talked to enough coaches and players to start to get a sense of what is to be expected in the coming season.

One of the things that is always fun to try and identify during fall camp is a list of players who could be primed for a breakout. Whether that is experienced players who haven’t gotten an opportunity to prove their worth just yet, or young players who could be stepping into a vital role with a year of experience under their belts, there are always a handful of guys going into each season that look bigger, better, and ready to contribute.

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Whether it’s due to a massive weight gain or an increased knowledge of the scheme, the Ducks have a long list of second-year players who we have identified as candidates to break out in 2023.

Here’s who our eyes are on:

After significant weight gain, Devon Jackson is ready for breakout season with Ducks

After putting on over 20 pounds of muscle, sophomore LB Devon Jackson is ready to have a breakout season with the Ducks.

A year ago, Devon Jackson came to Eugene as a slender linebacker who was known for his speed. He had been recruited by a coaching staff that was no longer with the team but stayed committed to the Oregon Ducks despite the overhaul in leadership.

Throughout his first season, Jackson played in just five games, tallying one tackle on the year. Now, going into his sophomore year, the Omaha native is primed for a massive breakout, and he’s been the talk of the team going through fall camp thus far.

“He’s having a tremendous camp right now,” said LB Jeffrey Bassa. “He’s going to help the team play some good football this year. He’s stepping up as a young leader on the defense and the inside backer room.”

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Part of that stepping up is looking more like the part. Jackson said on Wednesday after practice that he has gained over 20 pounds — from 207 to 228 — since coming to Oregon a year ago. More than just a big weight gain, though, Jackson said that he’s gaining the right type of weight to be more impactful on the field.

“I just had to put on a lot of weight, start eating the right things, cut out a lot of sugar,” Jackson said. “It’s kind of hard to do because I’m from the Midwest; I like eating steaks and stuff.”

That body change has had a direct impact to his performance on the field, though, where he now feels more at home with the physicality that comes with an inside linebacker position.

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“I feel like I’m not getting thrown around a lot this year. I feel like with my athleticism, I could hold the weight. Working with the strength staff and the nutrition staff, they helped me put on the right weight and not the bad weight.”

Regarded as one of the fastest guys on the team, Jackson now has a claim to one of the most physically imposing as well, able to fly around the defense and deliver punishing blows.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen in my entire life someone that big move that fast,” said fellow linebacker Connor Soelle at Oregon’s Media Day. “That was my first impression. Coming here and seeing him outrun defensive backs, it’s just kind of amazing.”

Oregon’s got a lot of talent at the top of the LB depth chart with Jeffrey Bassa returning, and the addition of Jestin Jacobs from the Iowa Hawkeyes, but depth is needed.

If Jackson can prove to be as good as the buzz makes him sound throughout fall camp, then the Ducks could have a real playmaker on their hands.

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Oregon football storylines to follow: Which true freshmen will have an instant impact this spring?

We only know of a few true freshmen to join the Ducks for spring ball, but can’t wait to see which players have an instant impact.

The past couple of months of Oregon Football have certainly been eventful, all the while very little action took place on the field. A new coaching staff has been put into place, and a top-25 recruiting class has been signed. Meanwhile, highly-rated transfers have come to Eugene, and a few key players have left for new destinations.

For an Oregon fan, there are a lot of storylines to keep track of, and with Spring Practice starting on March 10th, we will likely get a few answers in the coming weeks. So which ones should you be paying the most attention to? We tried to help answer that question in our continuing Spring Preview by singling out a few and highlighting what makes them so interesting.

The True Freshmen Watch is On

The Oregon Ducks’ 2022 recruiting class definitely wasn’t the highest-rated that we’ve seen in recent memory, but it garnered a lot of excitement. To be up-front, the Ducks’ 25th-ranked class this year was their worst finish nationally since 2016 when they had the No. 27 overall class. Since then, Oregon has made it into the top-10 a pair of times and been inside the top-15 a total of four times. Despite that, the way that Dan Lanning closed on national signing day gave a burst of energy to the Oregon fanbase.

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A lot of that has to do with the fact that the Ducks’ class was ranked in the 70s after the departure of Mario Cristobal left for Miami. Lanning’s top crew of recruiters managed to build it back up, securing numerous flips from top-rated players like RB Jordan James and OL Dave Iuli, who chose the Ducks over Georgia and Miami, respectively.

Now with spring football on the horizon, we finally get to see some of these players in action.

Earlier this week, Ducks Wire has received confirmation that 4-star CB Jahlil Florence, 4-star WR Justius Lowe, 4-star LB Harrison Taggart, and 4-star ATH Anthony Jones will be enrolling early at Oregon and participating in spring ball, but we are waiting on confirmation from more players.

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While we don’t know the entire list of true freshmen to be enrolling early at Oregon, there has been a noticeable trend as of late that has seen high school seniors choose to graduate early and head off to college as soon as they can in order to get acclimated in the new lifestyle before the summer and football season begins. We saw that last season with QB Ty Thompson and WRs Troy Franklin and Dont’e Thornton, all of whom had impressive days during the Oregon Spring Game. So who will be the newcomers to have a big impact this year?

Without knowing the entire list just yet, it is impossible to say, but there are a number of recent recruits that we have high hopes for in 2022. Let’s touch on a few:

RB Jordan James

We are still waiting on confirmation from 4-star RB Jordan James as to whether or not he will be participating in the spring, but you can guarantee that he is going to attract a lot of eyes once he does finally hit the field in Eugene.

After flipping his commitment on national signing day and choosing the Ducks over the Georgia Bulldogs, there is a hope that he can develop into one of the feature backs for Oregon’s offense. That may not take place this year, with Byron Cardwell and Sean Dollars seemingly leading the way, but whatever we see from James early on will be newsworthy.

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Linebacker Harrison Taggart decides to stay with the Ducks

Linebacker Harrison Taggart decides to stay with the Ducks and defensive-minded Dan Lanning.

You just never know how many recruits are going to remain committed and how many are going to go elsewhere.

Dan Lanning has made it 2-for-2 in linebackers on early signing day with the official signing of 3-star recruit Harrison Taggart. Some recruiting services have Taggart listed as a 4-star.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from Draper, Utah was the top-ranked outside linebacker from Utah according to ESPN and No. 3 according to Rivals. He was also named the No. 2 linebacker from the state by 247Sports and the 247 composite. A three-year letterman, Taggart helped lead his high school team to a 40-2 record and two state championships and a state runner-up finish over the last three seasons.

Taggart finished his career with 237 tackles (151 solo) with 22 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles while averaging 7.2 tackles per game. He also had nine double-figure tackle games, including five 15-plus tackle games.

With Taggart and Devon Jackson in the fold, to go along with Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe, the Ducks are about to have the deepest linebacking corps anywhere in the country.

Devon Jackson holds firm with his commitment and signs with Oregon

Linebacker Devon Jackson held firm with his commitment to the Ducks as he was one of the first to officially sign with Dan Lanning.

Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe are about to receive some help. A lot of help.

Inside linebacker Devon Jackson held firm with his commitment to the Oregon Ducks as he was one of the first to officially sign during the early signing day.

Jackon is listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds. Most recruiting services give the Omaha, Neb. native as a four-star recruit. He had offers from Miami, Arizona State, Auburn and Illinois.

It’s a big early win for new Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who has just a few days on the job. Keeping the defensive recruits will be a priority for Lanning as he is finishing out his duties as the defensive coordinator at Georgia.

One of the reasons Oregon hired Lanning is his recruiting abilities and so far, those abilities are coming in handy.

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USA TODAY High School Sports recruiting rankings Power 5 spotlight: Pac-12

See the top 10 high school football recruits committed to Pac-12 schools.

As recruiting for the high school football class of 2022 picks up, more and more schools are seeing who may be its superstars of the future.

The majority of the Pac-12 has struggled with recruiting, as Stanford and Oregon have combined for the same number of five- and four-star recruits as the other 10 schools.

Here’s a dive into the top-10 ranked players, according to the USA TODAY High School Sports Composite Player Rankings, The list averages the grades from the three biggest recruiting services: 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. 

For conferences that do not have 10 players in the top-100, the remainder of the list came from the 247Sports Composite Ranking.

(Note: The recruit’s measurements and position are courtesy of 247Sports.)