Tag: Oregon special teams

Australian punter transfers to Oregon from Austin Peay

The Ducks added another punter to the roster this week.

The Oregon Ducks have added another transfer player for the 2023 season, this time in the form of a punter. Hailing from Newcastle, Australia, Matthew Rigney announced Tuesday morning that in 2023, he will be an Oregon Duck.

For the last two seasons, Rigney played for Austin Peay State, and before that, he played a season at Middle Tennessee. In 2022, Rigney averaged 40.89 yards per punt on 44 kicks. His longest punt of the season was 57 yards and 8 of those 44 kicks were downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Currently, the Ducks starting punter is Luke Dunne, who like Rigney is Australian. Dunne committed to Oregon back in December of 2022. Dunne is also a product of ProKick Australia, a special teams program that has produced NFL talent. Before Rigney’s commitment, Dunne was the projected starter for 2023, though now it is unclear who will shoulder the punting burden.

In 2022, Oregon struggled to punt the football. Throughout the season, four different punters were used and together, they combined for an average of 39.41 yards per punt. Whether it is Rigney, Dunne, or someone else taking the majority of the punts in 2023, hopefully, they will add some consistency to the Ducks’ special teams unit.

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Ducks Depth Chart Preview: Special teams can be special with starters running the show

Oregon special teams will consist of several first-stringers with speed and talent making them even more dangerous for opponents.

It used to be that the special teams were made up of second and third stringers, mostly freshmen, looking to participate on the field in any way they possibly can.

Oregon is looking to throw that notion in the garbage.

The Ducks special teams are going to consist of offensive and defensive starters looking to make that much of a difference that could turn a loss into a win thanks to either better field position or explosion plays.

Players such as starting wide receivers Mycah Pittman and Johnny Johnson III will be returning punts and kickoffs, respectively. Mykael Wright has already shown his explosion capabilities as a kick returner (ask USC) and while there is still a competition or the top kicking spot between Henry Katleman and Camden Lewis, we can at least have confidence that the Ducks have a solid option there.

But Oregon does have other world-class athletes who can pick up the slack if Pittman and/or Johnson need a break. Jaylen Redd has experience in the return game, as does Kris Hutson. Freshman Seven McGee’s speed and ability to shift through players also make him a candidate to see some time as a returner as well.

Here is our projection for the depth chart at the start of the season: