The veteran-most linebacker on the Oregon Ducks’ defense announced via his Instagram page on Friday that he plans to enter the transfer portal ahead of the 2021 season and find a new team with which to finish his college career.
The announcement definitely came as a shock to many fans of the Ducks, with Isaac Slade-Matautia standing as the most experienced player in the middle of the defense, having started for more than two years and racking up over 130 career tackles.
So why did it happen? A number of reasons could be to blame, but not all of them are bad for the Ducks. At the top of the list, it has to be considered that Tim Deruyter, Oregon’s new defensive coordinator, had something to do with it. That’s not to say that he did anything wrong or pushed Slade-Matautia out, but just an acknowledgment that playing under a new DC can sometimes be difficult, and players and coaches don’t always mesh well.
A more likely reason for Slade-Matautia’s decision to transfer — one that Duck fans should feel extremely good about — is that the recruiting in Oregon is at such a high level that the young players on the team could have pushed the veteran down the depth chart. If we’re going to try and nail down a reason as to why Slade-Matautia decided to search for a new roster to join, it likely has something to do with that.
Look at some of the defensive recruits that Oregon has gotten over the past couple of seasons that could push Slade-Matautia out of his starting job. Justin Flowe (5-star), Noah Sewell (5-star), Keith Brown (4-star), and Mase Funa (4-star). All of those players have come to the Ducks in the past couple of years, and are now entering their prime collegiate years.
At the weak-side linebacker position, Slade-Matautia was slotted to try and stave off both Flowe and Brown this offseason in order to keep his starting spot. Does the transfer announcement tell us that the depth-chart upheaval has already taken place?
While it is too bad to see a player with a desire to leave what Mario Cristobal has built in Eugene, it’s also hard to fault him. With one last season in college. of course Isaac wants to find the situation that is best for him, looking to put together one last season of tape and try to convince an NFL team to take a chance on him. It’s likely that this would have been hard to do in Oregon, with such a dynamic core of young linebackers coming up.
Duck fans can be sad to see Slade-Matautia go, but still be happy with the reason why he left. Both things can be true.
Here’s to hoping that Isaac finds a good landing spot for the next season.
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