Coming out of high school Devon Jackson was one of the fastest linebackers in the country. At Burke High School in Omaha, Nebraska he won the state high school 100 meter championship in 10.57 seconds, the 200 meters in 21.63.
A redshirt freshman now, he didn't play much last year in his first season with the Ducks, appearing in 5 games, just 9 total snaps on defense and 40 on special teams. In interviews he's admitted his head was swimming a bit, struggling a little to understand the defense, something that's not uncommon in a linebacker's first year.
His other challenge was his size--Jackson came out of high school at 6-2, 200, too light to compete in the PAC-12 as an inside linebacker.
With just 21 days left until the opening game of the season against Portland State he's making a lot of noise in fall camp. Teammates single him out as one of the most improved players on the defense, much more physical, still fast. Jeffrey Bassa calls him (jokingly) the second-fastest linebacker on the team, maybe the second-fastest player on the roster after transfer receiver Tez Johnson. Most importantly, an improved understanding of assignments and coverages allows him to play at speed.
"Way through the roof. I think we're going to be a more physical team this year."
— Max Torres (@mtorressports) August 9, 2023
-#Oregon inside linebacker Jeffrey Bassa on the team's physicality following Tuesday's practice. #GoDucks🦆 pic.twitter.com/h6ADihY9fw
He's bulked up to nearly 230 pounds, and the increase is all muscle, no loss of agility.
It will be interesting to watch his role develop in the season's early games. If Jackson can be a contributor at inside linebacker as a redshirt freshman, this becomes a much stronger unit. Not many linebackers hit 21-22 mph on the GPS.
Quarterback Bo Nix sees a lot of improvement in the defense over last year. On Monday he told the media, "They're dialed in right now. They're doing a great job. Team speed is really impressive on defense. They do a good job of getting to the football. They do a good job of playing sound defense and making it tough on us. We're challenging them and they're challenging us. It's made for a good fall."
If that improvement translates to game day, the Ducks are conference championship contenders. Improved pressure from the Front Seven could make this a far more effective defense, maybe even a playoff team.
Playoff hopes hinge on that game two road game at Texas Tech. No two-loss team has ever made the college football playoff, so an early loss away from Autzen would require the Ducks to be perfect for the rest of the season, a daunting challenge in the PAC-12.
The Red Raiders finished 8-5 last season with four straight wins to end the year, led by an offense that cranked out 461 yards a game, 22nd in the country. They were 27th in the nation in scoring at 34.2 points a game and threw for 302 yards a contest, 12th-best in passing yardage.
In all, a decent offense led by a competent quarterback in Oregon transfer Tyler Shough, who'll have a lot of motivation to show how much he's grown since leaving Eugene. Winning an early showdown with Bo Nix would boost his NFL hopes, as well as setting up the Red Raiders for a run at their own Top 25 season and conference title.
After a tune-up in the opener against Portland State, the night game in Lubbock should be an early indication of how real that increase in physicality really is.
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