Tag: Junior Angilau

10 biggest position battles to watch ahead of Week 1 for Oregon Ducks

Week 1 is fast approaching. These are some position battles that we’re keeping a close eye on over the next week in Eugene.

Fall camp officially ended for the Oregon Ducks on Wednesday afternoon, wrapped up with a media availability for both head coach Dan Lanning and quarterback Bo Nix.

While the past several weeks have been filled with schematic install and getting the players into football shape, the next few days will mainly consist of figuring out the final spots on the depth chart, and working towards the Week 1 clash with Portland State.

For the most part, the Ducks should feel pretty good about where they stand when it comes to the depth chart. Some of their top positions — quarterback, running back, tight end, defensive line — have established starters returning for another year, so there isn’t a lot of skepticism about who is starting where. At other spots on the roster, though, we can’t say the say.

Earlier this week, we gave our final depth chart projection going into the last week of fall camp. Over the next several days, though, these position groups need to be figured out.

Here are some of the biggest position battles to watch play out over the next week for the Ducks:

Junior Angilau back to full health, ready to compete for starting OL spot at Oregon

Junior Angilau back to full health, ready to compete for starting OL spot at Oregon

While the Oregon Ducks were figuring out how they were going to replace almost an entire starting offensive line this past offseason following the departure of four starters, they looked to the transfer portal to bring in talented individuals who up the level of competition.

Former Texas Longhorns OL Junior Angilau is one of the linemen that Dan Lanning chose to bring in. However, his ability to compete for a starting spot on the line was a bit delayed as he recovered from a knee injury suffered last year.

Angilau didn’t participate in spring football with the Ducks, but after extensive rehab over the summer, he is now back to full health and ready to contribute.

“Back to where I was? I remember I told Ajani (Cornelius), ‘I can’t wait until somebody hits me,'” Angilau said. “I’ve been waiting for someone to, like de-cleat me. And then I’ll feel like I’ll be back. That hasn’t happened yet, but I do feel like I’m back, I’m 100 percent. I’m ready. I’m so excited.”

At the moment, the depth chart has not shaken out on the offensive line. We have ideas about who is going to start where — Cornelius, Josh Conerly, and Jackson Powers-Johnson are widely expected to be the starting right tackle, left tackle, and center, respectively — but the two guard spots are up likely up for grabs. Angilau played both guard spots during his time as a Longhorn, but primarily was the LG in Texas.

Throughout fall camp, he has been competing with Marcus Harper, Nishad Strother, and Steven Jones primarily for the starting spots.

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Meet the new Ducks: What UO transfers want Oregon fans to know about them

“Hard-working, dedicated, unselfish.” We asked Oregon’s incoming transfers what they want Duck fans to know about them. The answers didn’t disappoint.

The 2023 college football season unofficially kicked off on Monday afternoon for the Oregon Ducks with the annual media day taking place inside the club level at Autzen Stadium.

There, media members had a chance to sit down and talk to more than 40 of the players on the team and get their perspectives going into the new season. It offered an opportunity to talk to a handful of new players on the team for the first time.

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That’s what I was focused on. With more than 50 players on the roster wearing the green and yellow for the first time, I wanted to find out what Oregon fans who knew nothing about these players should know about them.

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What better source than the players themselves? I asked the incoming transfers — all but two of them I could get to due to interview scheduling — what they wanted Duck fans to know about them and who they are going into the season.

These are the answers I got.

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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Transfer Profile: 5 things to know about Oregon’s newest offensive lineman Junior Angilau

The Ducks not only got a starting-caliber OL in Junior Angilau, but it appears they got a top-notch locker room guy as well.

It’s not often an offensive lineman with 34 career starts becomes available through the transfer portal. So when Oregon saw former Texas Longhorn lineman Junior Angilau show interest in being a Duck, head coach Dan Lanning worked his magic.

Angilau announced Tuesday night that we would indeed move from Austin to Eugene. It couldn’t have come at a better time for the Ducks. They are coming off a season with a veteran offensive line to 2023 where there are bound to be a few question marks after losing four starters.

Having Angilau in the program and being able to put him anywhere along that line will be a huge plus for the Ducks. With quarterback Bo Nix returning for one more season, having an experienced line protect him will be even more important. We all saw what that looked like and the results were really good.

Here are five things to know about Oregon’s newest lineman in charge of protecting the Ducks’ Heisman contender:

Texas OL Junior Angilau commits to Oregon Ducks

Oregon is cleaning up in the transfer portal this year, now adding former Texas OL Junior Angilau to the haul of veteran additions.

The Oregon Ducks continue to clean up in the transfer portal this offseason, adding another big-time addition, this time on the offensive line with former Texas Longhorns OL Junior Angilau.

Angilau is a veteran player who missed the 2022 season in Texas because of an injury, but before that he had started in 34 games over the previous three seasons, being named a Second-Team Big-12 Preseason All-American leading up to the 2022 season.

Angilau took a visit to Oregon over the weekend and reports coming out show that it went very well, with the veteran OL and the staff creating a solid relationship. With his size and experience, Angilau projects to be in line to compete for a starting spot right away and help rebuild the Oregon offensive line after losing four of their five starters from the 2022 season.

Angilau is the fourth player that the Ducks have added through the transfer portal, joining Alabama WR Traeshon Holden, Alabama CB Khyree Jackson, and Iowa LB Jestin Jacobs. Rhode Island OT Ajani Cornelius is set to announce his commitment on Wednesday afternoon as well, with the Ducks in the running as a finalist.

Junior Angilau Transfer Portal Profile

Report: Texas Longhorns OL Junior Angilau takes visit to Oregon

The Ducks are hosting former Texas OL Junior Angilau on an official visit this weekend, per a report from 247Sports.

We knew that the Oregon Ducks were going to get some late, under-the-radar visitors in town for this weekend ahead of the early signing period, and one was finally revealed on Friday night.

According to a report from 247Sports, former Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Junior Angilau is on an official visit to Eugene to check out the Ducks and get to know Dan Lanning and Adrian Klemm, along with the rest of the staff.

Angilau is a veteran player who missed the 2022 season in Texas because of an injury, but before that he had started in 34 games over the previous three seasons, being named a Second-Team Big-12 Preseason All-American leading up to the 2022 season.

We will see how the visit goes for the Ducks this weekend, but with so many spots to fill on the offensive line this offseason, it would certainly be a big get for Oregon.

Junior Angilau’s Transfer Portal Profile

What Junior Angilau entering the transfer portal means for himself, Texas

Junior Angilau should see plenty of interest in the portal.

Junior Angilau is in the transfer portal. After suffering a season ending injury in fall camp, the productive starter is looking for a change of scenery.

Angilau started 34 games for Texas. When the veteran player went down with injury many viewed it as a huge loss for what would be a young starting offensive line.

Texas certainly missed Angilau early as interior offensive linemen experienced growing pains. However, as the season progressed, each lineman grew into his role and produced.

While it’s conceivable Angilau could work his way back into the lineup, the Longhorns are well equipped at the position. For the proven starter, there should be plenty of suitors looking to add talent in the interior offensive line.

Here’s a look at what it means for Angilau and for Texas.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for week 6

Trying to figure out where to find the Sooners game on Saturday? Here’s how to watch, stream or listen to Oklahoma vs. Texas in the Red River Showdown.

Oklahoma will face off with Texas on Saturday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

It all comes down to this. The Red River Showdown provides an opportunity for the Oklahoma Sooners to right a few wrongs from the last couple of weeks against their arch-rivals, the Texas Longhorns.

When the two sides meet in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, the records and the record books get thrown out the window. All that matters is what happens between the lines.

The biggest storyline facing the two teams is the health of their quarterbacks. Quinn Ewers is expected to make his return for Texas, while Dillon Gabriel is not expected to play this week after suffering a concussion in last week’s loss to TCU.

Regardless of who plays quarterback for the Sooners, the Oklahoma defense has to be better than it has been in recent weeks. Texas poses several difficult matchups with Bijan Robinson, Xavier Worthy, and Ja’Tavion Sanders. If Oklahoma can limit some big plays and force Texas to drive the field, that will give them a better chance to make stops. And that’s what this game will come down for the Sooners. Making stops on defense. If they can’t do that, it’ll be difficult for the offense to keep up.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Oct 8, 2022
  • Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
  • TV Channel: ABC
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
  • Listen: Sreaming on the Varsity App

Oklahoma vs. Texas injury report:

Oklahoma

[autotag]T.D. Roof[/autotag], LB: Elbow (out for season).

[autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag], LB: Shoulder (out for season).

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], QB: Concussion (questionable).

[autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], RB: Ankle (questionable)

[autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], S: Lower Body Injury (questionable).

Texas

Quinn Ewers, QB: Shoulder (probable).

[autotag]Isaiah Neyor[/autotag], WR: Knee (out for season).

[autotag]Junior Angilau[/autotag], OL: Knee (out for season).

Players to watch:

Oklahoma

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] WR: 22 receptions for 438 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

[autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], RB: 66 carries for 460 yards, 3 touchdowns at 7 yards per carry.

[autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], RB: 44 carries, 223 yards, 2 touchdowns, 5.1 yards per carry.

[autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], RB: 33 carries, 164 yards, 4 touchdowns, 5 yards per carry.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], LB: 42 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks.

[autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], LB: 44 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks.

[autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], DB: 34 total tackles, 4 pass break ups, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble.

[autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag], DE: 10 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble.

Texas

[autotag]Quinn Ewers[/autotag], QB: 69.4% for 359 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

[autotag]Bijan Robinson[/autotag], RB: 88 carries for 515 yards, 8 touchdowns at 5.9 yards per carry. 18 receptions for 188 yards, 1 touchdown.

[autotag]Xavier Worthy[/autotag], WR: 21 receptions for 231 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

[autotag]Jordan Whittington[/autotag], WR: 21 receptions for 257 yards, and 0 touchdowns.

[autotag]Ja’Tavion Sanders[/autotag], TE: 20 receptions for 212 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

[autotag]Javion Ford[/autotag], LB: 51 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles.

[autotag]Demarvion Overshown[/autotag], LB: 38 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

[autotag]Anthony Cook[/autotag], S: 34 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups.

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