Former Ducks OL Ryan Walk takes coaching job under Mario Cristobal at Miami

Former Oregon OL Ryan Walk has found a start to his coaching career, working with Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes.

One of the most glaring differences Oregon Ducks fans will notice from 2022 to 2023 is along the offensive line. Four of the five starters from last season have moved on from Oregon. Some, like Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Alex Forsyth, and TJ Bass are currently undertaking NFL training camp, while others are taking on other ventures.

One of those players is Ryan Walk, a former guard for the Ducks, who was named an honorable mention on the 2022 All-Pac-12 team as voted by the coaches. Despite not realizing any NFL dreams after graduation, the former walk-on from Sheldon High School wasted no time making an exciting career transition. According to his bio on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Walk is now an assistant offensive line coach at the University of Miami.

In his senior season, Walk started all but one game — missing it due to injury — and was a major part of the Ducks’ offensive line that ended up as one of the best pass-blocking units in the country. Walk was a walk-on to the team in 2017, redshirted that season, played five games each in 2018 and 2019, and became a starter after that.

During every season but his senior year, Walk was coached by Mario Cristobal, who, after parting ways with Oregon football in 2021, became the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes.

As Cristobal looks to restore Miami to the glory they saw in the early 2000s, offensive prowess will be essential, and to have a prolific offense, solidity on the offensive line is nearly a necessity. That, in addition to the fact that Cristobal is a former offensive tackle, means that strong blocking will likely be a focus for the Hurricanes, and the role of an OL coach like Walk will be paramount.

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Ryan Walk accepts invite to rookie mini-camp with Jacksonville Jaguars

Ryan Walk accepts invite to rookie mini-camp with Jacksonville Jaguars

Former Ducks offensive lineman Ryan Walk was unable to sign with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent, but he did accept an invite to the rookie mini-camp for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

As a local kid who went to Sheldon High School, Walk joined the team as a walk-on player in 2017, utilizing his redshirt as a freshman. He played sparingly in 2018 and 2019 and then became a full-time starter at right guard in the 2020 season. Throughout 2021 and 2022, Walk was a main-stay on the offensive line for the Ducks, and was one of the leaders of a unit that was arguably the best in the nation last season.

At 6’3″ and 295 pounds, Walk may have some bulking up to do in order to play on the interior offensive line against NFL defensive linemen, but hopefully, he’s up to the task.

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Assessing Ryan Walk’s performance at Oregon Pro Day

Ryan Walk’s impressive pro day may have improved his standing among the NFL scouts who attended the event in the Mo Center.

There are many reasons to have these so-called “Pro Days” at various campuses nationwide. NFL scouts get to see up close what the potential draft picks can do and write down whatever measurements they need to in order to make a decision come draft time.

But sometimes an athlete catches their eye that the scouts weren’t necessarily expecting to shine. Oregon offensive lineman Ryan Walk may have been one of those athletes.

Walk is projected to be a undrafted free agent, but after the Oregon Pro Day, he did nothing but improve his status among those watching.

He completed the most bench presses and had an impressive time in the 40-yard dash, crossing the finish line in just over five seconds. Should Walk go undrafted, after today, he will have teams offering him a free-agent contract shortly after.

Naming the biggest winners from Oregon’s 2023 Pro Day

The future Pro Ducks showed out in front of NFL scouts on Tuesday. Here are our biggest winners from the 2023 Oregon Pro Day.

The Oregon Ducks 2023 Pro Day took place on Tuesday morning at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene. It was a toned down version of the NFL Combine, where 12 former Ducks took the field in front of a large group of NFL scouts to show what they can do.

Various players went through a couple of jumps, the 40-yard dash, cone drills, and on-field position drills. In the end, their afternoon of work was boiled down to a large set of numbers, and a few pages of notes written in a notebook that several scouts will take back home to their respective coaches.

The entire spectacle may seem excessive to some, but it is virtually one of the biggest job interviews that some of these players will ever have. For guys like Chase Cota, Benett Williams, and Jordan Riley, among others, what they were able to put on tape at the Pro Day may got a long way in convincing an NFL team to give them a shot with a draft pick or practice squad invite in the future.

All in all, 12 guys took the field for Oregon on Tuesday:

  • Christian Gonzalez
  • Noah Sewell
  • DJ Johnson
  • Benett Williams
  • Jordon Riley
  • Chase Cota
  • Alex Forsyth
  • TJ Bass
  • Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu
  • Ryan Walk
  • Adam Barry
  • Karsten Battles

Which of those players had the best days and likely made the best impression on the scouts who were tuned in? Here are our picks.

Dan Lanning offers cryptic injury update for QB Bo Nix, multiple starting offensive linemen

Lanning was asked about the health of QB Bo Nix. He gave a guarded answer, but hinted at some positive news that was received on that front.

The potential high ceiling for the Oregon Ducks’ 2022 season was thrown into question on Saturday night when quarterback Bo Nix went down with an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies.

Nix sat out a drive while getting checked out by trainers in the medical tent, but he went back in for the Ducks’ final drive, though it was too late for a comeback victory.

Nix did not meet with media members after the game, so it wasn’t until Monday night that we gained any clarity on his injury. If that’s what you call what head coach Dan Lanning gave us during his weekly press conference.

“I’m not going to share really any update with anyone,” Lanning said. “We came away dinged in that game. I will say that I feel lot more positive today getting to hear some news on where things are at right now.”

Of course, the question was about updates for Nix as well as starting center Alex Forsyth, and starting right guard Ryan Walk. It’s impossible to say whether or not supposed positive news was or any individual in particular, or the group at large.

“I’m feeling better about our health this week,” Lanning again stated later in the interview.

Whether that means that all three starters are good to go and will play vs. No. 10 Utah on Saturday or not is up for question, but we will learn more on Tuesday when media members get a chance to see a portion of practice.

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Updated injury news for Oregon Ducks ahead of BYU game

An updated look at the Oregon Ducks’ injury news ahead of the BYU game on Saturday.

The injury list was extensive prior to the Eastern Washington game, but in the week leading up to BYU, that list is growing smaller, which means the Ducks are becoming healthier.

The good news is offensive lineman Ryan Walk should see time on the field after missing the second half of the Georgia game and all of the Eastern Washington contest.

Coming off the list is right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson and wide receiver Caleb Chapman. The Ducks will need all the firepower they can muster against the No. 14 Cougars, and it seems as if Oregon’s Justin Flowe dodged a bullet after missing some practice time this week.

While Oregon doesn’t officially release an injury report each week, we took information gleaned from interviews and practice and have put together one of our own. Here is our estimation of what Oregon’s injury report will look like on Saturday.

Oregon Practice Report: Starting OL absent as Ducks bounce back from Georgia loss

One of Oregon’s starting OL was absent from practice on Tuesday after getting dinged up against Georgia. That, and other takeaways from the day:

The Oregon Ducks have been excited to get back on the field this week after under-performing over the weekend against the Georgia Bulldogs in their season-opener.

With a lot of doubt cast as to how good they actually are this season under a new head coaching staff, Dan Lanning said that the team is eager to prove that they’re better than they showed on Saturday.

That started on Monday with practice and continued into Tuesday, which featured full pads and an emphasis on physicality and tackling. Media members were able to watch the first 15-20 minutes of practice on Tuesday. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from that session:

Oregon Ducks’ OL Ryan Walk announces intentions to return to Eugene in 2022

Ryan Walk is now the 5th Oregon lineman to announce his return to the Ducks. The only OL to depart is George Moore, who is out of eligibility.

Just a couple of hours after Oregon Ducks’ lineman TJ Bass announced that he would be returning to Eugene for the 2022 season, Ryan Walk did the same thing.

Walk is the fifth lineman for the Ducks to announce that he would be returning for the coming season, with the only one doing otherwise is George Moore, who is out of eligibility.

In Dan Lanning’s first season with Oregon, the offensive line is projecting to be incredibly experienced, with almost all of the starters returning, other than Moore. The Ducks will also have Jackson Power-Johnson back, as well as Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, who initially declared for the NFL draft but was convinced to return by Lanning.

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QB Anthony Brown and OL Ryan Walk named semifinalists for national awards

Anthony Brown (Davey O’Brien Trophy) and Ryan Walk (Burlsworth Trophy) have been named semifinalists for national awards.

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Oregon Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown and offensive lineman Ryan Walk both have had tremendous seasons and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Brown was one of 20 players to be named a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, the Davey O’Brien Foundation announced on Tuesday.

Brown is the only Pac-12 quarterback to be selected as a semifinalist, and one of nine seniors. He joins Justin Herbert, Marcus Mariota, Dennis Dixon, Joey Harrington, and Bill Musgrave as Oregon QBs to be named semifinalists for the award. Mariota became the first Duck to win the honor in 2014.

The Oregon signal-caller is 153-of-241 passing (63.4 percent) for 1,895 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s also first among Pac-12 quarterbacks with seven rushing touchdowns.

Walk was selected as one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on.

The Ducks offensive guard and sometimes center is the only player from the Pac-12 to be named a semifinalist, and one of three offensive linemen. The Eugene native is the first player in program history to be selected as a Burlsworth Trophy semifinalist.

Unfortunately, Walk went down with an apparent injury in last week’s game at Seattle is expected to miss the next 3-4 weeks. But he should be available for the bowl season.

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Injury Update: Ryan Walk avoids season-ending injury; expected to miss 3-4 weeks

Ryan Walk is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a left knee injury, but should be okay to go for the bowl season.

The Oregon Ducks offensive line has been hammered with injuries almost from Day 1 of the 2021 season. The group has had to mix and match throughout with the most significant injury being center Alex Forsyth.

So when lineman Ryan Walk went down with a left knee injury in the middle of the Washington Huskies game, a collective holding of the breath occurred on the Duck sideline.

As it turns out, according to Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal, the injury wasn’t as bad as first feared. The Ducks thought that maybe Walk would be out for the rest of the season.

Fortunately for everyone involved, especially Walk himself, the big 6-foot-3, 293-pound junior will only miss three or four weeks. That timetable might take him out for the remainder of the regular season, but he should be available for the bowl season or maybe the college football playoff.

Lineman Steven Jones also went down during the game as he was rolled up on and he’s questionable to play this Saturday against Washington State. Jackson Powers-Johnson, who has missed time, will be available for the Cougar game.

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