Oregon Spring Ball Position Battles: CB full of talent, short on experience

Oregon needs to fill the void left by corner Christian Gonzalez, but the Ducks have plenty of exciting options to choose from.

The cornerback position is often called an island because it’s the one place on the football field where it’s you and the other guy and no one else.

In 2023, the Oregon Ducks will have plenty of corners that possess pure talent, but they lack the experience a coaching staff prefers. They’re going to get that experience this year no matter what.

Oregon is definitely going to miss all-conference performer Christian Gonzalez, who will be a first-round draft pick in April. Not only will it miss his on-the-field abilities, but also his leadership qualities off the field. For those battling it out to be his replacement, showing leadership could be the determining factor of who sees the more playing time.

Of course, coming down with a few interceptions would help as well.

The Ducks will have the option of some high-profile recruits, some veterans, and a transfer from Alabama to fill the void Gonzalez left behind. This particular battle in spring football could be one of the more interesting ones for Oregon as they prepare for the Spring Game on April 29.

Here are the likely candidates to battle it out over the next month or so in Eugene.

Former Duck defensive back Jaylin Davies transfers to UCLA

Former Oregon cornerback Jaylin Davies has announced he has committed to play for UCLA.

With a new coaching staff, transfers are expected to come and go.

Defensive back Jaylin Davies is one of those players that went and he announced that he will be transferring to UCLA and will be playing for Chip Kelly.

Going to UCLA makes sense for the 5-foot-11, 170-pounder who originally hails from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and Matei Dei High School.

When he committed to Oregon, Davies was a consensus four-star recruit and top-20 cornerback nationally by most of the recruiting services and one of the top corners to come out of California.

But with the emergence of Twikweze Bridges, Dontae Manning, and a whole host of others, Oregon is very deep in the defensive back position so Davies must have felt he’ll see more playing time with the Bruins.

Besides, the kid is going back home and you can never fault him for doing that.

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Oregon signs talented 4-star cornerback Jalil Tucker

The Ducks score a massive signing from 4-star DB Jalil Tucker, which is the biggest win yet for new coach Dan Lanning.

Oregon’s defense just keeps adding the talent and in a couple of seasons, if not sooner, the Ducks are going to be very difficult to score on.

Already signing two linebackers and two defensive linemen, Oregon added to an already talented secondary with the signing of 4-star recruit Jalil Tucker. He had offers from both Arizona and Arizona State as well as Arkansas and Boston College.

Most recruiting services have Tucker rated as the No. 2 cornerback in all of California. He is also a candidate for kick returning duties as he had 438 all-purpose yards during the year including 137 yards on kickoff returns. On defense, had 25 tackles, 21 solo, with four interceptions and two tackles for loss including a sack.

Tucker joins an impressive secondary that’s already in Eugene, including Mykael Wright, Dontae Manning, Trikweze Bridges, and others.