The Ducks lose six starters as we have discussed before, but because of their deep rotation this year on defense, they return 19 players who played significant snaps on a very good unit last season. Here is a look at the defensive ends, where line coach Jerry Azzinaro loses Kenny Rowe and reserve Tyrell Irvin:
Defensive ends: Terrell Turner, Dion Jordan, Brandon Hanna
Prospects and Newcomers: Anthony Anderson, Tony Washington, Colt Lyerla, Sam Kamp
#45 Turner, a 6-3, 261-lb. senior in 2011, had 33 tackles last season, 2.5 sacks, an interception in the Civil War, and one memorable interview with Chip Kelly. Turner has good quickness and a good motor and he flies to the football. The one thing he lacks, of course, like many of the Oregon defensive linemen, is premier size. As a returning starter he'll be counted on to anchor the d-line and step up his production. He is athletic and smart on the field, and should emerge as one of the leaders on the defense next year.
From Crenshaw High in Los Angeles, Turner is a converted linebacker and one of the strongest players on the team. He's a member of the Oregon Iron Club who totaled 1204 lbs. in the squat, clean and bench press in testing last winter, tied for the team high with a 395-lb. bench.
Vocal and funny, the popular Turner is great for team chemistry, particularly since he has a great work ethic in the weight room and classroom. He could also give a seminar on how to properly form the "O," as he demonstrates in his "Turner Time" segments.
#96 Dion Jordan is 6-7, 230, a converted tight end from Chandler, Arizona. In his first season on defense he also had 33 tackles, including four in the national championship game, two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss for the year.
Jordan has the frame to get stronger, and as a former wide receiver he possesses exceptional speed for a defensive linemen, tops in the group with an electronically-timed 4.77 in the 40. He's athletic enough to replace Kenny Rowe in the 3-4 "drop end" role, although Duck fans have to hope Coach Aliotti eliminates the coverage glitch that Auburn exploited in Glendale and Ohio State did in the Rose Bowl, getting a defensive end isolated one-on-one with a wide receiver without help behind him. With his long wingspan Jordan can be fearsome in the pass rush or in the flat, but he has no business out on a island in the deep third.
Jordan played both ways in high school, and lost a significant part of his senior year to a serious accident. He was burned while cleaning up spilled gasoline with a shop vac, hospitalized with third-degree burns. Oregon stuck with him, and now three years later, he could be ready to emerge as an instinctive, resourceful and hard-to-block weapon on the edge. Jordan also has a tremendous motor and athletic ability. Nick Aliotti has said he was born to play defense, and the reasons should be even more evident in his junior year and first season as the undisputed starter.
#44 Brandon Hanna is a capable role player, a converted linebacker, 6-2, 234, from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Hanna had 18 tackles last season and two sacks, including one against UCLA on Richard Brehaut, forcing a fumble deep in Bruin territory that Marvin Johnson recovered at the two. Note the glazed look it creates in Rick Neuheisel's eyes as Hanna bullrushes through a helpless UCLA tackle and the Ducks punch it in on the next play to go ahead 60-6.
Hanna plays with good intensity. He got another sack against Ryan Katz in the Civil War, chasing him down as he's flushed out of the pocket. Hanna still moves like a linebacker, playing tough in space, but as we learned painfully in Glendale, the Ducks' lack of size up front can make them vulnerable to the power running game. They are ideally suited, however, to defending against other spread teams and passing offenses, able to bring pressure from multiple angles and pursue with frenzy. Like much in defensive football, it's a tradeoff. The Ducks have to be fierce and tenacious to overcome their supposed liabilities, and their record and steady defensive improvement speaks volumes.
This off season, they'll continue to work to improve their quickness, technique and strength to overcome that apparent disadvantage. The continued development and determination among these three will accomplish a lot for Oregon's defense. They have to defend the edge and get to the passer, and find ways to defeat hook blocks and pulling guards, avoid being snowed under by jumbo formations and beefy fronts.
Help is on the way. The Ducks have verbal commitments from Lylerla and 6-5, 237-lb. defensive end Sam Kamp from Mesa, Arizona. Kamp probably needs a year to mature and adjust to the college game after losing his season season of high school ball to a broken clavicle he suffered in a summer passing league. The injury required surgery and he was held out of contact for 6-9 months, and Kamp dedicated himself to the weight room in recovery.
The 6-5 225-lb. Lyerla will be closely watched by Duck fans in spring drills. He's enrolling early to participate. The most highly-rated of Oregon recruits, the Hillsboro High product has the athleticism to excel at a half dozen positions, from wide receiver to tight end, defensive end or linebacker. He would be a great fit at the drop end position, but with a 4.55 40 time, it's hard not to save him for a role in the Oregon offense. He played all over the field as a prep, running back, wide receiver and linebacker, rushing for 1519 yards and 25 touchdowns on the way to a 5A state championship and Offensive Player of the Year in 2009.
Anderson, a redshirt sophomore in 2011 and Washington, a redshirt freshmen, also have promise. #91 Washington shined on the scout team this year, and at 6-3 245 the Los Osos High product is still maturing physically. He has good speed for a defensive end, running about a 4.7 40, with 87 tackles and 11.5 sacks his senior year of high school. #85 Anderson is 6-5, 233, also a high school basketball star at Helix High in Spring Valley California.
Both these players will be looking to make an impression and work their way into the rotation in spring ball. Washington in particular could blossom into an NFL-quality talent if he continues to apply himself and get stronger.
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