Nishad Strother – Syndication Server

Oregon Ducks have litany of options to move forward after Matthew Bedford injury

After a fall camp injury to right guard Matthew Bedford, the Oregon Ducks have a number of options ahead of them to fill the hole.

The mark of a great team in college football is the presence of depth, and the ability to withstand injuries when they should happen to come. For Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks, that depth is going to be tested early on in the 2024 season.

On Saturday, Lanning confirmed after the Ducks’ second fall scrimmage that senior guard Matthew Bedford had suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for the next several weeks, at the very least. A person with knowledge of this situation tells me that the hope is Bedford, who is projected to start at right guard, will be ready to play by the time conference play begins in late September.

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“We’re not going to be selfish or try to push him back to get him here tomorrow,” Lanning said on Saturday. “I don’t think that’s realistic. Will he be able to play games for us this year? Yeah, absolutely. I think he will.”

Now it’s time to test that depth.

Fortunately, the Ducks have plenty of options to call upon. At the top of this list is Nishad Strother, an East Carolina transfer from last spring who competed with Steven Jones for the RG spot, but was sidelined with a minor injury during fall camp.

Strother started 30 games for the Pirates before transferring, playing over 2,000 career snaps at multiple different spots across the line. He was competing with Bedford for the starting RG spot throughout the offseason and now will likely step up as the leading candidate to start.

“That’s part of that competitive depth that we talk about,” Lanning said. “I think Nishad has worked his tail off to put himself in a position to be able to help us, as well as some other guys on that interior line. So that gives us an opportunity to figure out what our best lineup is.”

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While Strother may be the leading candidate to take over at RG, there is also a scenario where Lanning and OL coach A’lique Terry mix and match in the trenches and choose to shuffle things around.

One thing that this coaching staff has stressed over the years is cross-training their athletes in order to make them serviceable at multiple positions. That means that if necessary, someone like Iapani Laloulu — who played snaps at LG in 2023 — could move from center to RG, or Marcus Harper — who has spent time at C in the past — could move from LG to C.

“I think my job is to envision every scenario where anyone can be,” Lanning said. “So, yeah, absolutely, we envision a multitude of scenarios and what that looks like.”

So what will the final combination be? Time will tell, but the Ducks are certainly in a position where they can deal with an injury to one of their best for the start of the season.

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Practice Notes: Lineman returns, linebacker absent, new walk-on shows up

Several personnel notes from Oregon’s practice on Tuesday morning, including the arrival of Jurrion Dickey’s brother, Jajuan Dickey.

There were a few things to note from the early parts of Oregon Ducks practice on Tuesday morning, with some notable personnel takeaways.

The most notable takeaway is the fact that offensive lineman Nishad Strother returned to the field in full pads for the first time since practice on August 22. While the East Carolina transfer was fully dressed, he was wearing trainers instead of cleats. The guard has been dealing with an apparent shoulder injury, and was wearing a sling on his right arm earlier in the month.

Another notable takeaway is the absence of linebacker Jestin Jacobs, who was not accounted for while the team walked onto the field. We were also unable to locate the Iowa transfer in the portion of practice that was open to media members. Jacobs has yet to play this season while ramping back up from a knee injury suffered in 2022.

Finally, a new walk-on joined the group with Jajuan Dickey in shell pads with the team. When Jurrion Dickey, the former 5-star true freshman wide receiver, signed with the team back in December, he announced that his older brother would be joining him in Eugene as a walk-on. Though Jajuan missed fall camp and the first couple of games, he is part of the team now.

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Jackson Powers-Johnson returns to practice for Ducks, multiple defensive linemen absent

Tuesday was a welcomed sight for Duck fans, as center Jackson Powers-Johnson returned to the field ahead of Saturday’s game.

A welcomed face was back at practice for the Oregon ducks on Tuesday morning as the team prepares for their week one game against Portland State on Saturday afternoon.

Offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson was with the team as stretches and individual work started on Tuesday morning. He was wearing cleats and appeared to be a semi-full participant in drills during the portion of practice the media members were able to watch. During some offensive line drills, Powers-Johnson did not participate in snapping the ball, but he was at the front of the rotation at the center position in other drills.

Some notable absences, we’re offensive lineman Nishad, Strother, defensive end Teitum Tuioti, and defensive lineman Tevita Pome’e.

Head coach Dan Lanning said on Monday night that they expect most of their team to be healthy for Saturday’s game, but they are going to wait and see about a few people. Strother is among the potential starters who is likely to be unavailable. He was seen wearing a sling on his right arm over the weekend, and Lanning said that he is still up in the air for Saturday’s game.

We will continue to watch at practice over the coming days to see if any of the absent players return to the field.

Dan Lanning previews Portland State, talks injuries ahead of Week 1

It has been an incredibly long offseason for the Oregon Ducks.

243 days, to be exact.

That’s how long it has been since Dan Lanning wrapped up his first season as the head coach in Eugene with a victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Holiday Bowl.

Since then, there have been departures, arrivals, and a whole lot of hype built for the Ducks. Now, at long last, we have entered game week in Eugene, and just mere days from now the stands at Autzen Stadium will be filled with green and yellow, and meaningful football will be played.

In attempts to preview that upcoming matchup against the Portland State Vikings on Saturday afternoon, Lanning met with media members for his weekly press conference on Monday night. He touched on the biggest challenges that the Vikings will face, what the Ducks can do to find success in Week 1, and gave an outlook on some injuries going forward.

Here are some of the best quotes from Lanning on Monday:

Injury Report: Updated news for Oregon Ducks ahead of game vs Portland State

It’s refreshing to see the Oregon Ducks injury report be short as the 2023 season opener with Portland State is coming up on Saturday.

As expected, the injury report is short this week as the Oregon Ducks football team prepares for its season opener on Saturday against Portland State.

The injury report was quite extensive last season, even before the season began, so it’s refreshing news to know the Ducks are fairly healthy as the 2023 year approaches.

Obviously, that’s bound to change as the season goes along, but hopefully Oregon can stay as healthy as humanly possible in 2023 in order to see their true potential.

It’s also important that the injury bug stay away in a game with the Vikings, a team the Ducks are expected to handle with ease.

Remaining transfer targets and updated scholarship count for Oregon Ducks

The Ducks added 4 players to the roster since Saturday. Here’s where it leaves the scholarship count, and a couple of remaining targets on the market.

Update: This article was written before former Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Nikko Reed committed to the Ducks. The numbers have been updated to reflect his commitment.

The last few days have been filled with transfer portal activity for the Oregon Ducks, with Dan Lanning and his staff adding multiple players via the transfer portal and filling out their roster with the handful of remaining scholarships that they have at their disposal.

On Saturday, the Ducks added Colorado tight end Kaden Ludwick, a former Clackamas native, as well as former USC Trojans’ receiver Gary Bryant Jr. Then on Monday morning, former East Carolina offensive lineman Nishad Strother announced that he would be committing to the Ducks.

With all of the roster moves, the Ducks jumped up in the transfer portal rankings. However, where does all of the movement leave them when it comes to the scholarship count, and who are some players left in the transfer portal that the Ducks are reportedly targeting and looking to add? Let’s take a look:

5 things to know about Nishad Strother, Oregon’s newest OL transfer

Strother has ample experience starting at LG, but his path to starting at Oregon is going to be fraught with competition.

The transfer portal window is closed for the summer, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t still a major topic of conversation in the world of college football. While players can no longer opt into the portal unless they are a graduate transfer, anyone who is already looking for a new team is free to take visits and ultimately commit.

That’s exactly what happened for the Oregon Ducks on Monday, with East Carolina Pirates’ offensive lineman Nishad Strother announcing that he would be transferring to Eugene and joining Dan Lanning, A’lique Terry, and the Ducks.

Strother is a three-year player with two years of eligibility that has a load of experience starting for the Pirates.

Looking to find out more about Strother? We’ve got you covered. Here’s our breakdown so you can get to know the newest Duck a little bit better.

Ducks land transfer commitment from ECU offensive guard Nishad Strother

An experienced veteran is coming to Eugene. The Ducks added East Carolina LG Nishod Strother via the transfer portal.

The offensive line isn’t generally thought of as a major area of need for the Oregon Ducks this offseason, but as Dan Lanning has always said, if the opportunity arises for them to increase the talent level on the roster, then they will take it.

It appears that they did just that, adding East Carolina transfer Nishad Strother to the roster. Strother announced his commitment on Monday and will take one of the two available scholarships that Lanning and Co. had to work with.

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Strother was a three-year starter for the Pirates at left guard, starting 30 of 34 career games, including all 13 games in the 2022 season. He entered the transfer portal on April 29 with two years of eligibility remaining.

While Strother has settled into the LG position, he has also spent time at left tackle in his career as well.

Oregon fans don’t quite know how the offensive line rotation is going to shake out, but they can feel confident that there is a surplus of talent on the roster at that position. Between potential starters like Josh Conerly, Ajani Cornelius, Steven Jones, Junior Angilau, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Marcus Harper, Strother now joins the fold as someone fighting for a starting spot.

With Strother’s addition to the roster, the Ducks now have two scholarships available heading into the summer.

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