Tag: kobe savage

‘I feel air under my wings;’ Kobe Savage is at home in Oregon Ducks secondary

Oregon Ducks transfer safety Kobe Savage is up to speed with the defense and feels motivated and ready for a national championship run.

For the second year in a row, the Oregon Ducks went to the transfer portal in order to try and find someone at the safety position who can provide an extensive impact in the secondary.

Last year it was Fresno State’s Evan Williams, who went on to lead the team in tackles before getting drafted by the Green Bay Packers. This year, it’s Kansas State’s Kobe Savage who is being tabbed as the newcomer tasked with lifting up the secondary.

The expectations are certainly high for the fifth-year senior. After starting his career at the junior college level, Savage racked up 115 tackles and 6 interceptions in two seasons with the Wildcats. Before those expectations can be reached, though, Savage has to master the defensive scheme that head coach Dan Lanning is throwing at him.

“I feel like I made a big leap from spring ball coming in this fall,” Savage said on Friday. “I know I was a vet, but just trying out this different scheme, trying to figure out all the different terminologies that Coach Tosh and Coach Hampton are using.”

So far, that transition has been going well for the veteran. While he was knocked out of the spring game in the first quarter with a concussion, Savage has felt inspired by the wave of competition in Eugene, and motivated by those around him.

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“I feel like I’ve got a lot of air under my wings going into fall camp,” Savage said. “I feel like it’s been a pretty productive camp.”

Outside of camp, though, is where Savage has noticed the biggest difference from what he’s used to. It’s the connection at Oregon that has stood out, with players and coaches getting close on a personal level, and not just interacting as teammates.

This connection — a pillar of Lanning’s program — has been a breath of fresh air for the transfer.

“Just hanging out outside the facilities,” Savage said. “Coach Lanning and Coach Tosh do a good job bringing us all together to do extracurricular activities at their house. We all have a lot in common, we’ve got one goal, and that’s to win a national championship at Oregon.”

But August is rolling into September, and the time for bonding and team building is coming to a close. Now it’s time for competition, and a hopeful College Football Playoff run for the Ducks.

Fortunately, Savage has connected with his brothers well enough to know that they’re all on the same page going into the season.

“I feel like we all know what’s at stake, and what we need to do.”

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ESPN names Oregon’s biggest weak point going into 2024 season

The safety position isn’t lacking of talent at Oregon, just experience is needed, according to ESPN.

On paper, the Oregon Ducks defense set to take the field in 2024 is among the most talented we’ve seen in Eugene in quite some time. With a mix of transfer portal stars and homegrown talent, Dan Lanning has the unit ranked among the nation’s best so far this preseason.

If there is a vulnerability, it is the very last line of the defense on the field (safety), at least according to ESPN.

It’s not for the lack of talent, however.

Oregon’s so-called safety problem is inexperience and bringing in newcomers such as transfer Kobe Savage from Kansas State and true freshman Kingston Lopa. ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti says the present and future are very bright for the Ducks.

Oregon’s safeties are not so much a weakness as much as they are a question mark. The Ducks lost Evan Williams, Steve Stephens IV and Bryan Addison at the position from last year but added Kobe Savage, who should slide into a starting spot, from Kansas State. After Savage, however, the depth is murky. Tysheem Johnson has shown potential but also of lackluster play, which could open up a window for a younger player to step up this season. — Paolo Uggetti

It’s fair to question the unit right now as we wait to get a feel for how developments shake out and see what the production will be like. But it wouldn’t come as any surprise to see the Ducks’ safety unit quickly establish itself as elite early in the season.

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Report: Alabama transfer S Peyton Woodward to take Oregon visit

Alabama transfer Peyton Woodward is set to visit Oregon this coming weekend, per report.

The spring transfer portal has been quiet for the Oregon Ducks. At least, the Ducks have been quiet relative to their habits in past portal windows. One exception could be Peyton Woodward, a safety who joined the Alabama Crimson Tide in the class of 2024.

Woodyard entered the portal on Monday with a “do-not-contact tag” at the tail end of his first spring football season. A do-not-contact tag typically means the player already has their next school picked out, and as Pete Nakos reported Tuesday morning, Oregon is the favorite to land Woodyard.

The Ducks put a lot of recruiting capital into Woodyard during his initial high school recruitment, hosting him for an unofficial visit in April 2022. Now that he’s in the portal, Woodyard is expected to visit the Ducks again this upcoming weekend, according to a report from Matt Zenitz. Woodyard was a 4-star safety recruit and ranked by 247Sports as the No. 20 S in the class of 2024.

If Woodyard commits, he’ll be one in a crowd of elite defensive backs Oregon has brought in this offseason. In the winter transfer portal, the Ducks brought in safety Kobe Savage and cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, both of whom are expected to start in the fall. And in the 2024 high school class, Oregon signed four 4-star DB recruits.

Oregon’s depth of experience in their secondary means Woodyard, wouldn’t see much of the field in his freshmen year if he were to join up with the Ducks, but the competition in the Oregon DB group would be a great way to develop. Both of Oregon’s starting deep safeties will be out of eligibility after the 2024 season, so the Ducks will need to lean on their young talent to fill those holes.

Report: Oregon is a leading candidate for Texas A&M transfer safety Jacoby Mathews

A safety transfer for Oregon? It’s looking like the Ducks might be in the market.

At 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16th, the spring transfer portal window opened, which means madness across the college football world is about to ensue. For the Oregon Ducks, there are already some storylines to follow. First, Andrew Paul — a Georgia Bulldogs running back — hit the portal, and the Ducks are on the early shortlist of candidates to bring him in.

But, perhaps even more intriguing is Jacoby Mathews, a former Texas A&M safety who told Steve Wiltfong of On3Sports that he is considering Oregon and Florida State as his next schools.

Mathews is a junior safety from Ponchatoula, Louisana. During his high school recruitment, Mathews was initially committed to LSU before he flipped to Texas A&M. In two seasons with the Aggies, Mathews tallied 66 total tackles, 5 pass breakups, and an interception. 42 of those tackles and the interception came in 2023, Mathews’ sophomore season.

Mathews is a hybrid safety, who seems to feel equally comfortable against the run and the pass. Mathews is at his best in coverage and when pursuing ball carriers, using his speed and quickness to track the ball and track his opponents to prevent big gains.

At safety in 2024, Oregon is returning senior Tysheem Johnson, a hard-hitter who’s decent in coverage, and bringing in senior Kobe Savage, a ball hawk with some speed from Kansas State. The rest of the Ducks safety room is quite young, so the addition of Mathews would add valuable experience to the Oregon secondary next season and beyond.

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Breaking down Oregon’s new-look secondary ahead of the 2024 season

A deep dive into the Oregon Ducks secondary entering the 2024 season, which features several new faces ready to have an instant-impact.

We usually wait until later in the year to dive deep into a position group and preview how things are shaping up for the Oregon Ducks going into the season, but when looking at the secondary that is being put together in Eugene, we simply couldn’t wait.

On Saturday afternoon, the Ducks landed a commitment from former Washington Huskies’ cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, adding yet another proven veteran playmaker with an incredibly high upside to a defense that returns a majority of starters from last season.

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The Ducks have also added guys like Kam Alexander, Brandon Johnson, and Kobe Savage to the secondary, all of whom project to be instant-impact players.

To keep track of all of the movement, and offer an idea of what the Ducks’ starting secondary players and depth pieces will look like, let’s break down all of the names that you need to know and project how they will impact the team in 2024.

5 things for Oregon Duck fans to know about new S Kobe Savage

Get to know the Oregon Ducks newest transfer portal addition, former Kansas State S Kobe Savage.

The Oregon Ducks landed another big-time player in the transfer portal this week, getting a commitment from former Kansas State safety Kobe Savage, who was in Eugene on a visit over the last few days.

Savage was a two-year starter at Kansas State, now coming in as one of the most coveted secondary players in the 2024 portal cycle thus far. In two seasons, Savage played in 22 games, totaling 115 tackles, 6.5 TFL, and 6 interceptions.

After having players like Evan Williams and Steve Stephens run out of eligibility this offseason, picking up a safety who can contribute right away was one of the biggest priorities for Dan Lanning and his staff, and they now did that.

Here are some things that fans should know about their newest addition:

Kansas State S Kobe Savage to transfer to Oregon Ducks

The Ducks just landed a big-time player at a major position of need. Kansas State safety Kobe Savage is coming to Oregon.

One of the Oregon Ducks’ biggest needs going into this transfer portal cycle was getting some help in the secondary, and they made a big move to address that by landing former Kansas State Wildcats’ safety Kobe Savage.

Savage, a two-year starter at Kansas State, is expected to transfer to Oregon, coming in as one of the most coveted secondary players in the 2024 portal cycle thus far. In two seasons, Savage played in 22 games, totaling 115 tackles, 6.5 TFL, and 6 interceptions.

The Ducks hosted Savage on a visit this past week after he entered the portal, and quickly made it know that he was one of their top prospects in the portal.

Savage comes to Oregon with one year of eligibility remaining after spending the start of his college career at the JUCO level.

With players like Evan Williams and Steve Stevens IV leaving Oregon this offseason, and Bryan Addison transferring to UCLA, it’s clear that the Ducks need some help at the safety position. Picking up an experienced and productive player like Savage certainly addresses that.

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SIGNED: 4-star safety Aaron Flowers is officially a Duck

Aaron Flowers, a 4-star safety recruit, inked his national letter of intent for Oregon on Wednesday.

Aaron Flowers, a 4-star safety in the class of 2024, has signed his national letter of intent, officially making him an Oregon Duck. Flowers has been committed to Oregon since last spring, and he is the highest-rated safety recruit for the Ducks, a position where Oregon lacks depth.

Flowers is ranked as the No. 9 safety and the No. 110 overall player in the class of 2024, and it’s easy to see why. With his elite speed at the safety position, Flowers can cover a lot of ground in pass coverage, but he is also physical enough to be a force in the run game.

Despite his age, Flowers could see some playing time in 2024. Safety wasn’t the strongest position for Oregon in 2023, and they are losing Evan Williams and Steve Stephens IV this offseason. Tysheem Johnson is the only returning safety who played a high volume of snaps in 2023, which means there is a hole Flowers could potentially fill.

Currently, Oregon is pursuing Kansas State transfer Kobe Savage to fill the hole at safety, and freshman Cole Martin is expected to receive a starting role in 2024. Still, Flowers possesses enough talent to make playing a consistent amount in his freshman year a possibility, which would benefit his development. I expect Flowers to fill the role Martin had in 2023, playing in most games, but not the key snaps.

Here are some highlights of Flowers:

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2024 Safeties Outlook: Ducks need to find some help in the portal

Oregon is in some serious need of an immediate infusion of talent and experience when it comes to the safety position 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, cornerbacks, defensive line, and edge rusher. Now let’s focus on the safeties.

Oregon has some recent success with the transfer portal in getting safeties to come to Eugene and make an immediate impact and the Ducks need to most likely do it again for the 2024 season.

They lose a lot of talent at that spot due to graduation and outgoing transfers. While the players on the roster are talented, they are lacking in experience for the most part. It’s not a spot you want to be in as you go into the Big Ten Conference. Securing the services of a couple of safeties in the portal might be almost as important as getting Dillon Gabriel at quarterback.

Here’s a breakdown of Oregon’s safety position going into 2024, and some transfer targets that the Ducks are looking at.

Report: Ducks to get visit from Kansas State safety Kobe Savage

The Oregon Ducks are expecting to get a visit from Kansas State transfer safety Kobe Savage at some point this weekend, per a report.

One of the major positions of need for the Oregon Ducks to fill this offseason is at the safety spot in the defensive secondary. While the team has linked the most to Clemson S Andrew Mukuba, a new target is reportedly planning to take a visit to Eugene this coming week, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

The target is former Kansas State safety Kobe Savage, a former JUCO star who has 115 tackles and 6 interceptions for the Wildcats over the past two seasons.

He is expected to visit both Oregon and Washington ver the weekend, with both teams in good standing to potentially land him.

This past season, Savage had 57 tackles, 3.5 TFL, and 3 interceptions.

The Ducks have been rumored to get a visit from Clemson’s Mukuba at some point this week as well, so if that happens, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dan Lanning and his team lock down at least one portal safety in the coming days.

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