Tag: Oregon Football

Ducks land commitment from 4-star WR Isaiah Mozee

The Ducks landed the No. 2 player from the state of Missouri on Wednesday.

The Oregon Ducks added another crucial piece of the 2025 class on Wednesday afternoon, getting a verbal commitment from 4-star wide receiver Isaiah Mozee.

Mozee is rated by 247Sports as the No. 213 overall player in the 2025 class, and the No. 22 WR.  Standing at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Mozee brings some really great size to the Ducks’ WR room.

Mozee is also not the only WR that Oregon has committed in 2025. He will join 5-star WR Dallas Wilson, the No. 23 player in the class, and Cooper Perry, the No. 1 player from the state of Arizona.

At the moment, the Ducks have the No. 20 overall class in the 2025 cycle, and there is a belief that more commitments should be coming in short order.

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Jordan James is running with anger, and Dan Lanning approves

“I think Jordan is running like an angry guy, which is exactly how you want your running back to run.”

After two seasons of Bucky Irving as the top dog in the Oregon Ducks running back room, Oregon will have a new leader at RB in 2024. Oregon has a deep crop of talented backs on the roster, but Jordan James, a junior, is the heavy favorite to be the Ducks’ top running back next fall.

In his first two seasons, James showed he is an elite running back, despite a low volume of touches. In 2023, James played in all 14 Ducks’ games, rushing for 759 yards and 11 TDs, averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

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After Oregon’s ninth spring practice on Tuesday, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning was asked about how James has developed this spring, now that he’ll likely be sliding into the top RB spot.

“I think Jordan is running like an angry guy, which is exactly how you want your running back to run,” Lanning said after practice on Tuesday. “Right, he’s out here and has really improved this spring.”

Part of Oregon’s offensive identity in the Lanning era has been throwing to the RBs out of the backfield, letting them use their elusiveness to create big gains in open space. It’s an area where Irving excelled and a skill Lanning thinks James has improved a lot this offseason.

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“I’ve seen him do more out of the backfield with his hands,” Lanning said. “He has a better understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish on the field. So really proud of Jordan’s development and where he’s at.”

Also returning at running back for Oregon is Noah Whittington, who suffered a season-ending injury last September against Colorado. In 2022 — Whittington’s first season as a Duck — he split carries with Irving, rushing for 779 yards on 5.6 yards per carry. I still expect James to be the lead back for Oregon this fall, but don’t sleep on Whittington as a second option.

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A’lique Terry ready to take ‘Law Firm’ to new heights in second year with Ducks

A’lique Terry and the Law Firm are ready to carry Oregon to new heights in 2024.

A year ago, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks were in somewhat of a tough position when it came to the coaching cycle in college football. After a promising first year in Eugene, Lanning saw Adrian Klemm, one of his top assistant coaches and offensive line coach, depart for a job with the New England Patriots.

With an opportunity to make a splash hire and replace Klemm with a big name, Lanning went a different route and opted for the promising up-and-comer in A’lique Terry, a former graduate assistant in Eugene who had most recently been coaching the defensive line for the Minnesota Vikings.

It certainly wasn’t a splash hire, but it may have been one of the most impactful hires that Lanning has made in his tenure with the Ducks.

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In his first year as the OL coach in Eugene, Terry produced a team that was named a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line in the country. All of that was with a unit that saw four new starters to begin the season.

That production was more than enough for Lanning to be assured in his hire.

“A’lique is doing exactly what I expected,” Lanning said on Tuesday. “He’s a rising star in the profession. He’s got great relationships with our players. You look at that group and they performed really well last year.”

With the solid 2023 performance comes increased expectations, though. While the team dealt with new starters a year ago, they now enter the 2024 season with an expectation that four starters will return, and only Rimington Trophy winner Jackson Powers-Johnson needs to be replaced in the middle.

So with that experience under his belt and the knowledge that many of his top players are returning, does Terry feel more comfortable going into his second year?

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“I won’t say I’m comfortable, you always strive to be uncomfortable,” Terry said on Tuesday. “I have a little bit more comfort with what’s going on, so it does help to have a year under us now, and to have many guys returning, but the ‘Law Firm’ being together this long, we know how to work together.”

If you don’t know what the ‘Law Firm’ is, it’s what Terry’s group of offensive linemen are called, birthed from the sound that coaches Terry, Leftwich, and Cavanaugh had rolling off the tongue a year ago.

The Law Firm won big in court a year ago, but now they head into their first Big Ten season needing to reach that standard once again.

“It’s a new challenge. It’s a new year,” Lanning said. “A’lique pushes himself to continue to get better with the other guys in that room and he’s done a really good job of that.”

The Ducks enter the 2024 season with expectations of competing for a Big Ten Championship and landing a spot in the newly expanded College Football Playoff. If the offensive line can continue to play at an elite level, the offense will likely be championship-worthy.

It starts up front, and the Law Firm is ready for the challenge.

“We’re always looking to be on call,” Terry said. “We have the continuity with each other. We know what to expect. We know what the standard is.”

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Oregon DB Daylen Austin arrested and charged with failure to perform duties of a driver

Oregon Ducks’ defender arrested in Eugene.

Oregon Ducks defensive back Daylen Austin was arrested in Lane County on Tuesday, April 16th, and charged with failure to perform duties of a driver. On Wednesday, Austin was released from Lane County Jail. His next court date is May 22nd.

Austin’s arrest came in connection to a fatal hit-and-run that took place in Eugene, where a 46-year-old man was killed. Police have not yet released the man’s name.

James Crepea of The Oregonian was the first to report the news of Austin’s arrest.

The Oregonian reached out to the Eugene Police for a comment on Austin’s arrest, but the police did not immediately respond, according to Crepea’s report. Failure to perform duties of a driver is a class C felony in the state of Oregon. A class C felony carries a maximum sentence of five years, and those convicted may also be subject to fines.

In the same report in The Oregonian, an Oregon athletics spokesperson said, “We are aware of the incident and are awaiting additional information.”

Austin, a 19-year-old sophomore, was absent from the Ducks’ practice Tuesday morning, but he has participated in other practices this spring.

In his first year at Oregon, Austin, a former 4-star prospect, played in three games, making three tackles and one pass breakup. Earlier this spring, Oregon DBs coach Chris Hampton expressed excitement for Austin’s growth and role on the team.

“I’ll tell you what, Daylen’s having a really good spring,” Hampton said after Oregon’s practice on Thursday, April 4th. “He really is. He can play STAR and he can play corner for us. He’s doing both. Really really fired up about his development and how he’s getting better and better. I think he can have a big season for us.”

 

This story will be updated as new information becomes available.

Jordan James opens up about working with Ra’Shaad Samples after Locklyn’s departure

“He knows what he’s talking about,” Jordan James said of Ra’Shaad Samples. “He’s gonna help us win games.”

It’s never easy for a player when their position coach takes off for another job opportunity elsewhere in the nation, but it may be a more difficult process to go through when said position coach leaves midway through the season, whether that be in the spring or the fall.

That’s something that the Oregon Ducks running back room has had to deal with over the past few weeks, with former RB coach Carlos Locklyn leaving to take a job with the Ohio State Buckeyes. The move took place the day before Oregon returned to spring camp following their spring break period, so the backs in the room were left without some stability for a short period of time.

Fortunately, head coach Dan Lanning was able to act quickly and make a great hire, bringing in Ra’Shaad Samples from the Arizona State Sun Devils. Samples spent time previously as an RB coach for the Los Angeles Rams, and is considered one of the rising stars in the coaching game.

While the hire is encouraging, the players in that room have still had to deal with the transition phase, going from one coach to another in short order.

“We have to work through it,” Oregon RB Jordan James said on Tuesday after practice, “Obviously, an unexpected loss of Coach Lock, but I think we’ve done a great job just within ourselves, holding each other accountable and doing the things were supposed to do while that process happened.”

James stands alongside Noah Whittington as the two prominent backs in the Oregon offense, while both Jay Harris and Jayden Limar will vie for larger roles this offseason as well. This will be James’ third year in Eugene, while Whitting also acts as a veteran at the position.

While the position went through the changes over the past few weeks, it has been their leadership that helped the transition.

“I think it’s important to just have some structure,” James said, “Obviously we didn’t have that when we were going through the process of finding a coach. But you know, like I said, we’ve done a great job. The whole room does a great job of holding us accountable and doing the things we’re supposed to do, regardless of the situation.”

As far as Samples goes, there is some excitement about what he brings to the table, both in his ability to develop players and recruit out on the trail as well. While he is still getting caught up on everything in Eugene, his presence has been felt early on.

“He knows what he’s talking about,” James said. “He’s gonna help us win games. He’s gonna help us get better at every aspect of our game.”

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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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Report: Oregon has reached out to former Georgia RB Andrew Paul

Per a report, the Ducks have reached out to former Georgia RB Andrew Paul.

Andrew Paul, an exciting running back for the Georgia Bulldogs, has decided to enter the transfer portal, and the Oregon Ducks have reportedly reached out to the intriguing prospect. Paul has three years of eligibility remaining.

According to a report from On3’s Steve Wiltfong, the Ducks are one of many teams who have contacted Paul since he announced that he is leaving Georgia.

In seven games as a freshman, Paul gained 143 all-purpose yards and scored 2 touchdowns for the Bulldogs. As a recruit, Paul ranked as a 3-star and the No. 59 RB in the class of 2022, but he was widely regarded as one of the most underrated recruits in his class and became a hot prospect in January of 2022.

During his initial recruitment, the Ducks went hard to bring Paul to Eugene. In early 2022, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning and former RBs coach Carlos Locklyn took an in-home visit with Paul after he rushed for 2600+ yards and 40+ TDs in his senior year of high school.

Paul was unable to play in 2022 because of an ACL tear he suffered in August just before the season. In 2023, Paul played sporadically averaging 4.4 yards per carry on a low volume of touches. Many expected Paul to be a depth piece for the Bulldogs once again in 2024, which could’ve played a role in his decision to transfer.

Carlos Locklyn, who recently left Oregon to be Ohio State’s RBs coach, was one of Paul’s primary recruiters, but Dan Lanning was equally involved in his recruitment, so Paul still has a personal connection with the Oregon coaching staff.

Another wrinkle to consider is how Paul relates to Oregon’s newly-minted RBs coach Ra’Shaad Samples. Both Paul and Samples hail from Dallas, Texas, a state where Samples has had recruiting success in the past. Samples is generally regarded as one of the nation’s best young recruiters, which could play a big role in bringing the former Bulldog to Oregon.

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Oregon Ducks looking to continue streak of 1st-round NFL Draft picks for fifth year

Can the Ducks keep their first-round streak in the NFL draft going?

When it comes to helping players make the jump from college to the NFL, few teams have been better than the Oregon Ducks, particularly with first-round talent.

The Ducks are currently on a four-year streak of having a player drafted in the first round, which started with quarterback Justin Herbert in 2020, selected by the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 6 overall. In 2021, the Detroit Lions took LT Penei Sewell with the No. 7 overall pick, the New York Giants took EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux with the No. 5 overall pick in 2022, and the New England Patriots drafted CB Christian Gonzalez at No. 17 in 2023.

Earlier this offseason, it seemed like a lock that the Ducks would be able to extend that first-round streak, potentially seeing QB Bo Nix, OL Jackson Powers-Johnson, and WR  Troy Franklin go in the first 32 picks. However, over the past few weeks, those three have seen their names slide down mock draft projections a bit. While it’s still common to see various mock drafts project them in the first round, it is at least a question of whether or not Oregon will keep the streak going.

This past week, Circa Sportsbook released their opening lines for NFL Draft positions, which gives an over/under for prominent players.

Bo Nix has his over/under set at 32.5; Jackson Powers-Johnson’s over/under is set at 30.5; Troy Franklin’s over/under is set all the way down at 41.5.

Based on those numbers, it seems like Powers-Johnson has the best chance to be a first-round pick, but he very well could fall into the second round. Of course, some mock drafts have Bo Nix going as high as No. 12 overall to the Denver Broncos, while I’ve seen others that project Franklin to the Buffaloes at No. 28.

We ultimately will see in a couple of weeks where each of these players ends up, but for now, the streak is certainly something to keep an eye on.

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Dante Moore opens up about decommitment from Oregon, transfer back to the Ducks

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore broke down his decision making when transferring from the UCLA Bruins to the Oregon Ducks.

Dan Lanning, Kenny Dillingham, and the Oregon Ducks were rolling with a full head of steam during the summer of 2022. They had just picked up a commitment from Dante Moore, the highest-rated quarterback to ever commit to the Ducks in the modern era. Getting ready for their first official season in Eugene, vibes were high up in Oregon.

Fast forward a few months, and that excitement around the quarterback position had changed slightly. After a successful season saw Dillingham leave the Ducks to take over as the head coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils, Moore announced that he would be decommitting from Oregon. Not long after, he announced his commitment to UCLA, joining Chip Kelly and the Bruins.

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Fast forward another year, and Moore was back in the transfer portal after a bumpy start to his career in Westwood. This time, he came back to Oregon, the place that he fell in love the first time around.

“Many people say there’s many reasons why I left but the real reason why is because Coach Dillingham left,” Moore said on Thursday after practice. “You know, as a quarterback, your OC needs to be your best friend and really at the end of the day when they hired Coach Stein, I didn’t know much of Coach Stein.”

Moore details that he talked with Oregon’s new offensive coordinator a bit before making his decision, but he ultimately felt like going to UCLA and joining Chip Kelly was the right decision.

Things didn’t go smoothly at UCLA, though, where Moore played in nine games, throwing for 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. After getting in and out of the starting lineup, Moore decided that it was time for a change of scenery after his freshman year, one that had a better chance to develop him.

“When I hit the portal, you know, I contacted Coach Lanning and he texted me back. I kind of knew where I was going already,” Moore said. “At the end of the day, out of high school, if things were right, I would have been here right now.”

Now, while Moore is competing with Gabriel for the starting QB spot, he says he feels happy to be where he feels like he belongs, around players who he helped recruit to Oregon when he was a commit.

“Just being out here, you get the best facilities in the world,” Moore said. “Got a great coaching staff. Best playmakers out here on the field. Just have everything around here.”

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Elijah Rushing named freshman to watch in college football spring season

All eyes are on Elijah Rushing in the 2024 class for the Oregon Ducks this spring.

There are a lot of intriguing storylines for the Oregon Ducks during this spring football season, most of which have to do with new players on the roster, either incoming transfers or true freshmen.

One of the many new players on this roster who has drawn a lot of attention early on, both through his recruitment and early in spring practices, is true freshman edge rusher Elijah Rushing. As a former 5-star recruit who was rated as the No. 26 player in the 2024 class, there are some eyes on Rushing nationally. This past week, CBS Sports named Rushing as one of several freshmen to watch during spring games this month.

Rushing flipped from his in-state Arizona program to Oregon, giving the Ducks one of the most dynamic edge rushers in the recruiting class. The 6-foot-6 specimen has the length and athleticism to play either with a hand down or standing up, giving him the versatility to get on the field right away in Dan Lanning’s defensive scheme.

After guys like Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti, and Blake Purchase all saw significant playing time at the EDGE as true freshmen in 2023, there is a belief that Rushing can play is way into the rotation this year. Seeing what he can do in the spring game will give us a good idea of how likely that is.

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