Tag: DJ James

DJ James and Jamal Hill are back, but where do they stand after suspension?

Oregon’s defensive backs DJ James and Jamal Hill are back from suspension, but where do they stand in terms of the depth chart ahead of the season?

Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal announced after practice on Friday afternoon that the University of Oregon has decided to reinstate defensive backs DJ James and Jamal Hill immediately, though they will miss the Week 1 game against Fresno State.

That means that the two can practice with the team, and will likely travel to Ohio State in Week 2 for the Ducks’ biggest game of the season.

This is obviously huge news for Oregon, which has been without two of their difference makers on defense throughout fall camp after the two were indefinitely suspended following an alleged airsoft gun incident that took place early in August.

So now that we have a clearer picture of when both players will return to the field, what does that mean for the defense at large?

Missing fall camp is crucial, and it will arguably take some time for both players to catch up to the rest of their teammates when it comes to getting into football shape. Once that happens, though, will they see the field immediately? Both Hill and James were projected to be starters, with the former at the safety position, and the latter at the boundary cornerback spot.

Let’s talk about James first. The third-year player has played in 13 games in his career, with 16 total tackles and two passes defended. Once it was clear that he was going to be absent for fall camp, the attention turned to both freshmen cornerbacks Dontae Manning and Trikweze Bridges, both of whom had a very impressive couple of weeks and entered an intense battle for the starting BCB spot. Cristobal said on Friday that the competition between the two is still ongoing, but what is unclear is how long the winner of that competition will remain the starter.

Might James take over the starting role a couple of weeks into the season? And if he is in shape, will we see him on the field against Ohio State? That is something that we can’t answer without seeing him on the field at all. Both James and Hill were seen leaving practice with their teammates on Friday, so you can hope that they will be playing themselves into game shape over the next couple of weeks.

As for Hill, his path back to the starting lineup seems much more clear for the Ducks. Hill was a big piece of the defense in 2020, coming down with two interceptions near the end of the season. He also has 30 tackles and four passes defended in his 11 career games with the Ducks.

The battle for the safety spot alongside Verone McKinley III has not been as intense as at the BCB position, with a combination of Steve Stephens IV and Jordan Happle occupying that spot. Hill will have to earn the starting spot back once he returns to game shape, but if his past performance is any indication, that shouldn’t be too hard to do.

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DJ James and Jamal Hill to be reinstated; will miss opener vs. Fresno State

Jamal Hill and DJ James, once indefinitely suspended, will be reinstated, and available to play September 11th vs. Ohio State.

After declaring secondary starters DJ James and Jamal Hill were suspended indefinitely, Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal says the two players will miss the Fresno State game, but that’s it.

Both Hill and James were involved in an alleged incident with an airsoft gun that injured a few bystanders. The players are still facing three charges of reckless endangering, assault, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and disorderly conduct.

With this decision, it seems as Oregon will go into the Ohio State game with all of their defensive pieces in place. But whether or not James and Hill will be able to just assume their starting dutied remain to be seen.

The Ducks have had several freshmen step up in fall camp, such as Twikweze Bridges and Dontae Manning, who have the pure talent to fill in and not have Oregon miss much of a beat.

Oregon is scheduled to open the 2021 season Sept. 4 with the Bulldogs for an 11 a.m. kickoff on the Pac-12 Network.

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Defensive backs DJ James, Jamal Hill are ‘indefinitely suspended’ after alleged airsoft gun incident

Mario Cristobal said that both DJ James and Jamal Hill are indefinitely suspended after an alleged airsoft gun incident has both players facing charges.

We now know a little bit more about the punishment that both defensive backs DJ James and Jamal Hill are facing after an incident that took place in Eugene on Tuesday night where they were allegedly shooting air soft guns at innocent bystanders.

According to Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal, the two defenders are ‘indefinitely suspended for the time being. Cristobal said that he would update the media “when the time was appropriate.”

Hill and James were not at practice as the Ducks opened fall camp Friday morning at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex.

The suspension could potentially be a major blow for the Ducks at a position group where they can’t afford to take a big hit. Hill is Oregon’s returning starter at the nickel safety position, and James is thought to be in contention for a starting boundary cornerback role once the season starts.

Both players are facing three charges of reckless endangering, assault, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and disorderly conduct.

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Two Oregon football players arrested in pellet gun incident

Oregon defenders DJ James and Jamal Hill were arrested Tuesday night because of an incident with a pellet gun.

Two Oregon football players were arrested late Tuesday night (Aug. 4) and face charges after police say they targeted people with pellet guns.

According to the EPD, calls came in around 11:45 PST with three victims reporting injuries in the area of 11th Ave. and Willamette Street in Eugene.

Cornerback DJ James and safety Jamal Hill, both sophomores and 20 years old, were charged with three counts of reckless endangering, assault, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and disorderly conduct.

Reports say one person was hit in the face, but none of the three victims were hospitalized. Another victim said they were nearly hit by the suspects’ vehicle as they left the area.

The University of Oregon has yet to comment on the incident, but this could be a big blow to the Duck defense as James and Hill were both assumed to be starters when the season begins.

Hill, a Rex, Georgia native, saw action in all 14 games in 2019 and was a coaches’ Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention for 2020.

James, a Mobile, Ala. native, appeared in 13 games as a freshman in 2019 and in all seven contests in 2020. He made 14 total tackles, including two solos, and had one pass breakup. James also had a career-high four tackles, all solo, and a pass breakup in the Pac-12 Championship game against USC.