Tag: Verone McKinley III

Five Oregon Duck defenders named to the Associated Press first team

Led by Kayvon Thibodeaux and Noah Sewell, Oregon took up nearly half of the AP first-team defensive selections.

The Oregon Ducks defense was one of the best in the Pac-12 and the Associated Press took notice.

Oregon occupied nearly half of the AP All-Pac-12 first-team defense released on Friday with five selections, while two more players earned second-team honors.

Defensive linemen Popo Aumavae and Brandon Dorlus, along with defensive back Verone McKinley III, linebacker Noah Sewell, and defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux were all named to the first team, giving Oregon five of the 11 spots on the first-team defense.

The Ducks have five first-team selections for the second time in the last three years, and their five defensive first-team honorees are the most in program history.

On offense, running back Travis Dye and kicker Camden Lewis earned second-team recognition, giving Oregon seven total AP All-Pac-12 selections.

To no one’s surprise, Thibodeaux is an AP All-Pac-12 first-team selection for the third year in a row, becoming the first Oregon player ever to achieve that feat.

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Kayvon Thibodeaux and Verone McKinley III named to Walter Camp All-American first-team

Neither Thibodeaux or McKinely III came away with the ultimate hardware on Thursday, but both were honored as Walter Camp All-Americans.

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Neither Kayvon Thibodeaux nor Verone McKinley III were able to take home the ultimate hardware that they were up for at the College Football Awards on Thursday night, but they were given a big honor before all was said and done.

Both Oregon players were named to the Walter Camp All-American first team by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

The Ducks are one of five teams with multiple first-team selections, joining Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and Pittsburgh.

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Thibodeaux and McKinley are the 9th and 10th Oregon players to be named to the Walter Camp first-team, and the first defensive players in Eugene since CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu was honored in 2014.

Thibodeaux was up for multiple awards on Thursday night, including the Bronco Nagurski Trophy, and the Chuck Bednarik Award. Similarly for McKinley, the defensive back was up for the Jim Thorpe Award.

Thibodeaux has already announced his intentions to forgo his senior season and declare for the 2022 NFL draft, where he is expected to be a top-5 pick. He will not play in the Alamo Bowl later this month when Oregon faces Oklahoma. McKinley is expected to return to the Ducks next season under a new coaching staff.

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Verone McKinley III named ESPN First-Team All-American

Oregon Ducks safety Verone McKinley III was one of two Pac-12 players named to ESPN’s All-American team.

One day after being named to the All-Pac-12 first team, Oregon Ducks safety Verone McKinley III was selected to ESPN’s All-American team.

“The Ducks’ ball-hawking safety led the FBS with six interceptions and was second on his team with 72 tackles,” ESPN wrote of McKinley. “He picked off four passes in three games in September, including one at the Oregon 35-yard line that sealed the Ducks’ 35-28 upset victory at Ohio State on Sept. 11. Six of his 11 career interceptions have come in the red zone. A high school coach’s son, McKinley has grown up around the game and anticipates routes as well as anyone.”

McKinley is the only Oregon player to receive the honor this year and was one of only two Pac-12 players recognized, alongside Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd Jr. who was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year on Monday.

McKinley was a big bright spot in an up-and-down season in Eugene, which will conclude on December 29 in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma – even as fans ponder the future of the program following coach Mario Cristobal’s surprise departure.

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Top NFL Draft prospects for Eagles to watch during conference championship weekend

2022 #NFLDraft: Top prospects for Philadelphia #Eagles to watch during #conferencechampionship weekend

The Eagles are preparing to head back up the New Jersey Turnpike to face an AFC foe in the New York Jets on Sunday.

Even as Philadelphia gets engulfed in Week 13 of the NFL season, the eyes of team scouts and general manager, Howie Roseman, will be on College football’s conference championship weekend.

The weekend is all about determining which four teams make the College Football Playoff while providing an opportunity for teams to scout the draft’s top prospect.

With Philadelphia having 3 first-round picks in April’s NFL Draft, Friday night and Saturday will provide the opportunity for Roseman to scout America’s top talent before the Senior Bowl.

Here are the players to watch starting with Friday night’s Pac 12 Championship game.

Kayvon Thibodeaux and Verone McKinley III named finalists for major year-end awards

Kayvon Thibodeaux and Verone McKinley III have both been named finalists for a couple of prestigious year-end awards.

By all accounts, it’s been a tough past week for the Oregon Ducks and their football team. However, a much-needed piece of positive news came out on Tuesday.

Defenders Kayvon Thibodeaux and Verone McKinley are both finalists for year-end awards. Thibodeaux is one of four finalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, while McKinley was announced as one of three finalists for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.

The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the top defensive player in college football. Thibodeaux is now the first Bednarik Award finalist in program history.

The Thorpe Award goes to the top defensive back in the nation. McKinley is the second Thorpe Award finalist in program history, joining Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (2015).

The winners of both awards will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards on December 9 on ESPN.

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Injury Report: Verone McKinley good to go vs. Oregon State; Ryan Walk remains out

Mario Cristobal said that Verone McKinley III would be ready to play this weekend against Oregon State, while some other players will remain out.

Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal gave an injury update to the media members on Monday afternoon, noting that starting safety Verone McKinley would be good to go for this coming game against Oregon State.

Cristobal also noted that OL Ryan Walk is still going to be out for a couple of weeks. Both safety Steve Stephens and Keyone Ware-Hudson are expected to miss this weeks’ game against the Beavers as well.

Cristobal also mentioned that TE/DE DJ Johnson is day-to-day at the moment.

The coming game will be among the biggest of the season for the Ducks, who need a win to clinch the Pac-12 North and make it back to the conference championship game. This is after a week where they lost to Utah, and had several players go down, with WRs Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd be lost for the rest of the season.

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Verone McKinley III one of 12 players to be named Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist

Oregon’s Verone McKinley III has been named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s best defensive back.

Verone McKinley III has arguably been the MVP for the Oregon Ducks this season, and his play on the field has undoubtedly shot him up a number of NFL draft boards. On top of that, he has also been named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in college football.

McKinley is currently second in the nation with 4 interceptions on the season. He is also one of 12 players to be named a semifinalist for the award, which was won last year by TCU’s Tre’von Moehrig. In 2019, Oregon’s Jevon Holland was also named a semifinalist for the award.

Here is the full list of semifinalists in 2021:

  • Coby Bryant – Cincinnati
  • Lewis Cine – Georgia
  • Jaylan Foster – South Carolina
  • Ahmad Gardner – Cincinnati
  • Kyle Hamilton – Notre Dame
  • Matt Hankins – Iowa
  • Brandon Hill – Pittsburgh
  • Verone McKinley III – Oregon
  • Ja’Quan McMillian – East Carolina
  • Riley Moss – Iowa
  • Jalen Pitre – Baylor

According to a release from the UO, McKinley III is the eighth player in program history to be named a Thorpe Award semifinalist, and first since Jevon Holland in 2019. Ifo Ekpre Olomu – a semifinalist in 2012, 2013 and 2014 – is the lone Duck ever to be selected as a finalist (2014) for the prestigious award.

Three finalists for the award will be selected on November 23rd, and the winner will be announced on December 9th.

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Oregon Ducks Player of the Game: Free Safety Verone McKinley III

The Oregon Ducks got contributions from most of the roster on Saturday, but Verone McKinley III’s two interceptions make him player of the game.

The Oregon Ducks rebounded from a slow start to cruise to an easy 48-7 victory over the Stony Brook Seawolves on Saturday.

While there were certainly plenty of options to choose from as the team’s player of the game, it is hard to ignore the game free safety Verone McKinley III had.

McKinley had three combined tackles and picked off two passes, giving him an NCAA leading three interceptions on the season.

Coach Mario Cristobal had plenty of praise to heap on the third year defensive back after the game:

“Well, this guy’s a student of the game now, he understands it inside and out,” Cristobal said. “Not only what we’re doing on defense, but what the offense is doing. He understands his formations, he understands route running. He studies receivers really well; formations really well. he’s just got a different level football IQ and then you see the way he’s worked on his body. He is fast he’s explosive, he’s a ball hawk and he’s got great ball skills.”

McKinley led the Pac-12 with four interceptions as a freshman in 2019, but only managed to pick off one pass in the shortened 2020 campaign. Now, he’s on pace to break records in Oregon’s secondary, thanks to his relentless work ethic and improved athleticism over the past year or so.

“He’s been a game changer for us,” Cristobal continued. “And the best part about that he’s not satisfied, he’s hungry. He wants more. He wants to take on more and that leadership role. He’s just strong, man. I can’t say enough good things about Verone McKinley.”

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Everything we know following Oregon’s 48-7 win over Stony Brook

Oregon did all it needed to do against an overmatched Stony Brook squad, and90/ the Ducks can now look towards Pac-12 play.

This was probably not what Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal was looking for after shocking the world in Columbus, but they got the job done.

Oregon had to fight tooth-and-nail for the majority of the first half against Football Subdivision Stony Brook, but after an explosive second half, the Ducks ended up pulling away with a 48-7 win over the Seawolves.

The Ducks found themselves up just 17-7 at halftime that saw the Seawolves pretty much hold their own against Oregon’s line on both sides of the ball. Safety Verone McKinley III managed two first-half interceptions that stifled would-be Stony Brook scoring drives.

Even though they had to do it with true freshman Ty Thompson at quarterback, the No. 4 team in the country made the necessary adjustments at the break to avoid another nailbiter.

Oregon defeats Ohio State, 35-28: How it happened in the end

Oregon’s huge 35-28 upset win over Ohio State was a win for the ages. This is how they got it done.

The day for Oregon started out grim even before kickoff as it was apparent that defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and linebacker Justin Flowe would not participate in the Ducks’ biggest game of the year.

Then the game started …

In front of 100,482 Ohio State Buckeye fans who have waited almost 650 days to watch their beloved team, Oregon shock the world with a 35-28 stunner in the Horseshoe.

Even without two of their star players, the Duck defense stepped up in a way only they thought they could and the offense turned in a performance that seemed to come out of left field after that lackluster game against Fresno State.

This will go down as Mario Cristobal’s biggest win of his career, even bigger than the Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin in the 2019 season. To go into Columbus and defeat the No. 3 team in the nation will go down as the biggest road victory in the program’s history.