One of the most wrong-headed notions that's surfaced about this Oregon squad is that Dan Lanning inherited a ready-made roster from the previous coaching staff. That's the sort of foolish and lazy criticism casual fans and careless analysts come up with. It simply isn't true.
Lanning and the Oregon coaching staff built the Ducks through careful evaluation. In the first season he took over 21 players left via the transfer portal while 17 players came to Eugene, including Bo Nix, Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington, Casey Rogers, and Christian Gonzalez, who is now emerging as a star in the NFL.
I would like to report a strangling. https://t.co/LeuAdG5hcy
— Dale Bliss (@DSH_Newton) September 26, 2023
In year two, the Ducks added 16 players through the transfer portal:
WR Tez Johnson (from Troy)
WR Traeshon Holden (from Alabama)
WR Gary Bryant (from USC)
TE Casey Kelly (from Ole Miss)
TE Kaden Ludwick (from Colorado)
OL Junior Angilau (from Texas)
OL Ajani Cornelius (from Rhode Island)
OL Nishad Strother (from East Carolina)
DL Jordan Burch (from South Carolina)
LB Jestin Jacobs (from Iowa)
LB Connor Soelle (from Arizona State)
CB Khyree Jackson (from Alabama)
S Evan Williams (from Fresno State)
DB Tysheem Johnson (from Ole Miss)
DB Nikko Reed (from Colorado)
Tez Johnson, Gary Bryant and Traeshon Holden have combined for 39 catches and 7 touchdowns at wide receiver. Casey Kelly scored his first touchdown as a Duck against Colorado. Ajani Cornelius has established himself as a starter at right tackle. Jordan Burch leads the team in sacks with three, while Tysheem Johnson paces the team in tackles with 24.
Soelle, Williams, and Reed have all been instrumental in the transformation of the Oregon defense, which ranks 11th in the country, allowing 264 yards per game, 17th in scoring defense at 13.3 points per game.
In addition, the staff has brought in two full recruiting classes by now. In 2022 the Ducks added running back Jordan James, starting left tackle Josh Conerly, linebacker Devon Jackson, linebacker Emarrion Winston, defensive tackle Ben Roberts, guard Dave Iuli, and cornerback Jahlil Florence. All are an important part of the rotation now in their second year.
The 2023 class is one of the best in school history, and several of those players have emerged as true freshman. Poncho Laloulu is playing regular snaps on the offensive line. Teitum Tuioti has played in three games while recording his first sack against Colorado. Matayo Uiagalelei batted down a pass this weekend, appearing in every game and recording seven tackles. In all, 23 freshmen have seen the field this year.
Some of the more significant holdovers from the Cristobal era include Troy Franklin, Jeffrey Bassa, Jamal Hill, Trikwese Bridges, Steven Jones, Marcus Harper II and Bryan Addison, but it's impossible to imagine this team reaching 4-0 without Nix, Irving, Khyree Jackson and the rest. This is a new culture, stronger than anything that preceded it.
Ducks vs. Them: Game 4 Cinematic Recap. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/5PgrZNoaNU
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) September 26, 2023
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