Tag: Nikko Reed

Stock Report: Jordan Burch officially arrives, while Troy Franklin makes another statement

Evan Williams and Jordan Burch are dominating on defense, while Troy Franklin continues to impress. Our stock report for Week 5.

Over the last several weeks, our stock reports for the Oregon Ducks have gotten a little bit chummy, to be completely honest.

It’s hard to knock these players for much when they are winning games by an average of 39.8 points per game and are 5-0 on the season for the first time since 2013.

While we normally set out in a stock report article to highlight who played well, and who might need to perform a little bit better, there have been very few things to criticize over the last several weeks.

That was the case again on Saturday in a 42-6 win over the Stanford Cardinal. The Ducks struggled early, punting on their first two possessions and falling behind 6-0. A 42-0 run from there left any doubt about this team behind.

There was some fantastic play from the defense, explosive play from the offense, and, all-in-all, an impressive performance from the Ducks.

Here’s our stock report following all of the action:

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:

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.

Position Outlook: Nikko Reed adds another playmaker to crowded cornerback room

Who will be competing for the starting CB spots at Oregon, and how good are their chances of securing it? We broke down the options.

When coming to Oregon over a year ago, head coach Dan Lanning said that he wanted to create a Ducks’ roster that was stacked with talent, and competitive top to bottom. He didn’t care about the players who were listed as starters before his time in Eugene; his goal was to amass talent and have them all compete for the starting spot on the field.

“Iron sharpens iron.”

It’s a common phrase uttered by Lanning and his staff. It’s been impressive to see how the roster has taken shape over the past off-season with that ideal in mind.

Position battles are going to be fascinating to watch this fall in Eugene. With a handful of incoming transfers and many more highly-ranked recruits, the Ducks have a roster that is fraught with guys who could easily win the starting jobs.

One of the positions on the roster that will see the most competition is cornerback. The Ducks have welcomed in a couple of transfers who have shown that they can produce at a high level in the past, and there are some incoming freshmen who have a shot to make some noise as well. On top of the newcomers, veteran mainstays like Trikweze Bridges, Dontae Manning, and Jahlil Florence are also fighting to stay near the top of the depth chart.

What will the end result be once fall comes? We can’t wait to see. Here’s an early position outlook for the cornerbacks in Eugene.

BREAKING: Ducks land commitment from Colorado CB Nikko Reed

Coach Demetrice Martin is bringing another Colorado CB to Eugene. Really solid addition for the Ducks.

It it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Arguably the best defensive player for the Oregon Ducks in 2022 was cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a former Colorado Buffalo who followed coach Demetrice Martin from Boulder to Eugene.

The Ducks are going back to the well and trying to see if lightning will strike twice.

On Monday, former Colorado cornerback Nikko Reed announced that he would be committing to the Ducks, following Coach Meat to Oregon and looking to crack his way into the starting lineup under Dan Lanning. In two seasons with Colorado, Reed became a big contributor and put up some impressive stats:

Colorado Buffaloes

2021: 6 Games | 7 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU

2022: 12 Games | 42 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INT, 7 PBU

Reed will have no shortage of competition for playing time in Eugene. The Ducks also brought in former Alabama CB Khyree Jackson this offseason, and have holdovers on the roster like Trikweze Bridges, Dontae Manning, and Jahlil Florence all competing for the starting spots on defense.

The addition of Reed currently puts the Ducks over the 85-man scholarship limit, but there are a lot of personnel moves left to be made before the season starts this fall.

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Ducks now predicted to land Colorado CB transfer Nikko Reed

Last time a CB from Colorado came to Oregon, it worked out pretty well. Looks like the Ducks are going back to that well.

The last time that Oregon Ducks coach Demetrice Martin went into Boulder and brought one of his former Colorado Buffalo players to Eugene, it worked out pretty well.

Dan Lanning and the Ducks have to be hoping that they can see lightning strike twice, working hard to land a transfer from former Colorado cornerback Nikko Reed, who was in Eugene for a visit this past weekend.

While Christian Gonzalez saw tremendous success after coming from Colorado to Oregon, there is a hope that Reed can do the same, if he does end up becoming a Duck. On Monday morning, 247Sports analyst Greg Biggens logged a Crystal Ball Prediction for Reed to commit to Oregon and follow Coach Meat to Eugene.

Coming out of high school, Coach Meat was Reed’s primary recruiter. Reed went on to have a couple of solid seasons with the Buffs, but is now looking for a new home as part of the mass exodus from Boulder once Deion Sanders came to town. We will see in the coming days if the Ducks are able to land him and add him to the roster.

It should be known that at the current moment, Oregon is believed to have a pair of scholarships left to work with this offseason, though it’s unclear at the moment whether they have one or two.

Nikko Reed’s Transfer Portal Profile

Colorado CB Nikko Reed enters transfer portal

Nikko Reed, one of CU’s starting cornerbacks from last season, entered the transfer portal

The college football transfer portal is open again until the conclusion of April and five Buffs have entered their names so far.

Defensive backs Keyshon Mills and Dylan Dixson made their intentions clear earlier in the week and on Saturday, tight end Austin Smith, running back Jayle Stacks and cornerback Nikko Reed followed by adding their names to the portal.

Of those aforementioned four, losing Reed stings the most. He likely wasn’t in line to start next season after Colorado added a slew of big names at CB, but the soon-to-be junior would’ve provided some valuable depth at the position.

Still, Reed’s decision makes sense; he’s certainly talented enough to land at another Power Five school. Colorado’s other starting cornerback from last season, Kaylin Moore, entered the portal in December and landed at Cal.

Reed recorded 51 total tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defended in his two years with the Buffs.

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Primed with more confidence, Nikko Reed ready to step up in multiple roles

Nikko Reed had a few big moments last season and he’s back with more confidence

Probably the coolest moment for me last season was when I interviewed then-true freshman Nikko Reed a few days prior to Colorado’s final game against Utah. I asked him about taking over kick return duties and he told me, “I’m very confident that I’ll score Friday.” Reed’s premonition came true when he returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards into the endzone.

Now entering his sophomore year, Reed is set to begin the season returning kicks while also having to step up at cornerback.

“It’s just next man up, there’s no pressure or nothing,” Reed told me at Saturday’s football media day. “I want to start, I don’t always want to be a backup. So now that I’m here, I gotta take over now.”

Reed, whose freshman highlight reel also includes an impressive pick against Washington, is sharpening both the mental and physical side of his game during camp.

“I have more confidence coming into this year,” Reed said. “I just want to work on my technique, like better eyes, and just staying in the moment and slowing the game down for myself.”

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

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Previewing Colorado football’s special teams

Getting strong field position is a must this season and the Buffs’ special teams units can produce

Colorado has built a history of having strong special teams play. The legs of the Buffs’ kickers and punters have sent footballs flying into orbit on a regular basis.

This year seems to be no different as the Buffaloes have highly-touted players in the placekicking and punting rooms. Colorado also returns its top three leaders in special teams point totals from a year ago, along with a host of young players who will be looking to make their mark. Additionally, both the punt and kick return positions also seem to be set going into the season.

Let’s look at how we believe it will all play out.

Colorado football state of the position: Cornerback

The Buffs are retooling with some youth in the cornerbacks room

No Position on the defense has seen more turnover this offseason than cornerback.

Colorado lost its two starters from last season’s team to the transfer portal — Mekhi Blackmon landed at USC while Christian Gonzalez followed former Buffs defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin to Oregon.

But the players left over have the chance to keep the position group as a strength for the defensive unit. With the youth and talent that Colorado has built over the past few recruiting classes, this is the boom or bust position group of the defense.

Below is our projected depth chart at each spot, followed by some analysis: