Tag: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu

Phil Steele honors 15 Oregon Ducks on his preseason all-Pac-12 list

A total of 15 Oregon Ducks made Phil Steele’s all-Pac-12 selections, with four Ducks making the first team.

It’s that time of year where pre-season lists are being published in the world of college football and there’s no more prestigious pre-season publisher than Phil Steele.

He has selected 15 Oregon Ducks as all-conference players with four of those Ducks on his First Team All-Pac-12 list.

It should come as no surprise that defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux would lead this particular list off. Thibodeaux has a chance to be a First-Team All-American and a very high draft choice when the NFL draft rolls around next April.

Joining Thibodeaux on the first team is offensive linemen TJ Bass and Alex Forsyth to go with cornerback Mykael Wright. Bass and Forsyth will be second-year starters for Oregon along that huge O-line and Wright was an all-Pac-12 player last season as a sophomore.

On Steele’s second-team all-conference is safety Verone McKinley III, linebacker Noah Sewell, receiver Devon Williams, offensive lineman Steven Jones, and tailback CJ Verdell.

McKinley was a freshman All-American in 2019 and Sewell was also one in 2020. Because of the pandemic, those players are still a sophomore and freshman, respectively, and look to be the core of the Oregon defense in 2021.

The 6-foot-5 Williams should be a go-to target for quarterback Anthony Brown this season as he has Jones, Bass and Forsyth to protect him. Brown is listed on Steele’s fourth-team all-conference list.

Verdell is looking to become of of the great Oregon tailbacks of all time with 68 more yards to crack the Oregon Top 10 list. He’s less than 1,000 yards away from 3,500 career yards.

Safety Jamal Hill leads Oregon on Steele’s third team along with offensive lineman Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, long snapper Karsten Battles and punter Tom Snee.

Hill played in all 14 games in 2019 and another six in 2020 where he managed to grab two interceptions. Aumavae-Laulu, at 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds will be yet another massive body on that line and Battles is a very reliable long snapper that is key to the Ducks’ special teams. Snee’s punting ability has improved each season as he averaged nearly 44 yards per punt in 2020.

Along with Brown, defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus made Steele’s fourth-team all-Pac-12 list.

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Spring Position Preview: A young, but experienced offensive line ready to flex some muscle

Oregon’s offensive line was inexperienced in 2020, but now they’re ready to show valuable lessons were learned along the way.

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert will be the first one to say that much of his success was due to his offensive line. The group literally grew with Herbert in the program.

But then when it was time to leave, they all left. What remained in 2020 was talented, but extremely young and inexperienced, which showed at times. Oregon’s run game wasn’t as explosive, and suddenly the Ducks quarterback, either Tyler Shough and Anthony Brown, was scrambling more than usual.

[lawrence-related id=712]

Now it’s a year later and the offensive line is still together, ready to show that some hard lessons were learned and those lessons are going to be put to use this coming season.

This young group has always had the necessary size to be successful, but in 2021, the offensive line has experience in the back pocket. No one will be happier to play with the new and improved line than Brown and the tailbacks.

CJ Verdell insists he has a chance to rush for 2,000 yards this season and that goal would be silly to have unless the correct offensive line was in place.

It all begins with the center, Alex Forsyth. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder from West Lynn, Ore. went from playing in just five games in 2019 to being a second-team all-conference selection by the Pac-12 coaches.

Manning the left side of the line will most likely be George Moore at tackle and TJ Bass at guard. Moore, a senior from Antioch, Calif. stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 325 pounds. Despite being named as the No. 1 junior college offensive lineman after the 2016 season, he hasn’t been able to find consistent playing time until last season.

Bass is another junior college transfer that didn’t see significant playing time until 2020. The 6-foot-5, 318-pound junior from Deming, Wash. made the most of his opportunity last season and was named as an honorable mention by the Pac-12 coaches.

Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard

On the right side of the center will be junior Ryan Walk and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu. Walk is a Eugene native from Sheldon High School and has seen firsthand how good the Herbert brothers are. He’s not so bad himself. At 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, the media named him as an all-conference selection in 2020. As for Aumavae-Laulu, the 6-foot-6, 325-pounder from Hilo, Hawaii was a second-team all-Pac-12 player last season after redshirting the 2019 season.

Not only is the offensive line group experienced, but it’s deep as well. The Ducks have several big men who will fight for playing time, beginning with Steven Jones and Dawson Jaramillo.

Jones is a mammoth human being at 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds. The Temecula, Calif. native was in the regular rotation of linemen last season and he should expect that not to change anytime soon.

The 6-foo5-5, 303-pounder Jaramillo, a Portland, Ore. native, should also expect to see some regular playing time in his sophomore season.

Someone who might be able to break through fairly quickly is true freshman Kingley Suamataia from Orum, Utah. At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Suamataia was a five-star recruit and rated as a top 25 player and one of the best offensive linemen in the country. He was also named to the second-team All-USA High School Football Preseason Team by USA Today.

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Spring Position Preview: A young, but experienced offensive line ready to flex some muscle

Oregon’s offensive line was inexperienced in 2020, but now they’re ready to show valuable lessons were learned along the way.

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert will be the first one to say that much of his success was due to his offensive line. The group literally grew with Herbert in the program.

But then when it was time to leave, they all left. What remained in 2020 was talented, but extremely young and inexperienced, which showed at times. Oregon’s run game wasn’t as explosive, and suddenly the Ducks quarterback, either Tyler Shough and Anthony Brown, was scrambling more than usual.

[lawrence-related id=712]

Now it’s a year later and the offensive line is still together, ready to show that some hard lessons were learned and those lessons are going to be put to use this coming season.

This young group has always had the necessary size to be successful, but in 2021, the offensive line has experience in the back pocket. No one will be happier to play with the new and improved line than Brown and the tailbacks.

CJ Verdell insists he has a chance to rush for 2,000 yards this season and that goal would be silly to have unless the correct offensive line was in place.

It all begins with the center, Alex Forsyth. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder from West Lynn, Ore. went from playing in just five games in 2019 to being a second-team all-conference selection by the Pac-12 coaches.

Manning the left side of the line will most likely be George Moore at tackle and TJ Bass at guard. Moore, a senior from Antioch, Calif. stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 325 pounds. Despite being named as the No. 1 junior college offensive lineman after the 2016 season, he hasn’t been able to find consistent playing time until last season.

Bass is another junior college transfer that didn’t see significant playing time until 2020. The 6-foot-5, 318-pound junior from Deming, Wash. made the most of his opportunity last season and was named as an honorable mention by the Pac-12 coaches.

Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard

On the right side of the center will be junior Ryan Walk and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu. Walk is a Eugene native from Sheldon High School and has seen firsthand how good the Herbert brothers are. He’s not so bad himself. At 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, the media named him as an all-conference selection in 2020. As for Aumavae-Laulu, the 6-foot-6, 325-pounder from Hilo, Hawaii was a second-team all-Pac-12 player last season after redshirting the 2019 season.

Not only is the offensive line group experienced, but it’s deep as well. The Ducks have several big men who will fight for playing time, beginning with Steven Jones and Dawson Jaramillo.

Jones is a mammoth human being at 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds. The Temecula, Calif. native was in the regular rotation of linemen last season and he should expect that not to change anytime soon.

The 6-foo5-5, 303-pounder Jaramillo, a Portland, Ore. native, should also expect to see some regular playing time in his sophomore season.

Someone who might be able to break through fairly quickly is true freshman Kingley Suamataia from Orum, Utah. At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Suamataia was a five-star recruit and rated as a top 25 player and one of the best offensive linemen in the country. He was also named to the second-team All-USA High School Football Preseason Team by USA Today.

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