Occupying a very small corner within one of the wildest years in modern human history has been a college football offseason and now season that has appropriately reflected our current day and age. The twists and turns have been numerous and well documented over the past several months, as COVID-19 continues to hang like an anvil over the viability of a 2020 college football season. In addition to that, college football’s player empowerment movement and the multiple opt-outs from high profile players across the country (including a handful who were on the Oregon roster) has also contributed in shaking the foundation of a decades-old American institution.
The extent to which these factors will change the previously accepted landscape of college football is unknown. What is known, however, is that after previously postponing the 2020 football season, the Pac-12 has decided to change course and proceed with an abbreviated conference schedule, joining the vast majority of the FBS on the gridiron this fall.
With Friday set as the official start date of fall camp for the Ducks, WFOD is here to help preview and bring you up to speed on the upcoming season by providing its position-by-position breakdown of the Oregon roster. The series continues Wednesday, as we take an in-depth look at the defensive backs.
As always, you can find the most up-to-date look at the Oregon depth chart by visiting our Living Depth Chart page.
The Headliner
By the time the 2020 season comes to an end, there’s a good chance we’re discussing a different player’s name in this space, but considering the importance of senior cornerback Deommordore Lenoir in terms of his experience and leadership for this secondary, entering this season, it’s hard to go in another direction.
With 27 consecutive starts at corner entering the fall, Lenoir is undoubtedly the cornerstone (no pun intended) for this new look Duck defensive backfield. Originally expected to join forces with Thomas Graham, Jevon Holland, Brady Breeze, and the rest of the talent that has been stockpiled in the secondary, Lenoir’s inclusion in that group positioned the Ducks to have arguably the best secondary in the country. Then, as we all know, COVID came through like a wrecking ball, upending our expectations for the fall, which ultimately lead to Lenoir, Graham, Holland, and Breeze each making the decision to opt-out of the 2020 season. And though the Oregon secondary won’t be the loaded group that was anticipated, Lenoir’s decision on Monday to opt back in this fall is a significant development for this defense.
Lenoir’s five career interceptions and 21 career pass breakups provides the Ducks with one of the best cover corners in the Pac-12. For further proof, last season, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Lenoir limited opposing quarterbacks to a 54.1 completion percentage while being targeted a team-high 74 times. Impressive numbers to say the least, however it may be his competence as a tackler that solidifies Lenoir as one of the more well-rounded cornerbacks in the entire country. In fact, according to PFF, Lenoir has missed just three tackles in 137 opportunities in his first three seasons, an astounding figure considering the number of open-field tackles that cornerbacks are often required to make.
Oregon’s secondary may not have the overall collection of talent to be the utterly suffocating group they were chalked up to be pre-COVID, but with Lenoir back in fold, the unit should be far from an Achilles’ heel.
The Supporting Ensemble
If Deommodore Lenoir had elected to remain out for the 2020 season, the “headliner” label would have assuredly gone to sophomore cornerback Mykael Wright. And even then, despite Lenoir’s presence, a compelling argument could be made that Wright is deserving of such a title as the Ducks prepare to take the field this fall.
Even more impressive is the fact that Wright failed to start a single game for the Ducks in 2019, yet still produced a spectacular enough freshman season to earn Freshman All-American and Pac-12 All-Conference recognition on the 306 snaps he played across 14 games. Listed at 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds, Wright is an electric athlete who proved as much in his debut season, particularly on special teams, where Wright produced momentum-swinging kickoff returns against Washington State, USC, and Oregon State. In fact, his two kickoff returns for touchdowns versus the Trojans and Beavers marked the first time since 2016 that a Pac-12 player had returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single season.
Defensively, Wright showed similar promise as a freshman, as Wright graded out (82.7) as the no. 25 cornerback in the country by PFF. Though his traditional stats were relatively modest (21 tackles, two for loss, one interception, and four pass break ups), Wright established himself as a rising star with future All-American potential, as not only did the Antelope Valley (Calif.) native exhibit outstanding cover skills, but like Lenoir, proved himself to be a very capable tackler, as he did not miss a single tackle in 2019 per PFF.
He teams with Lenoir to give the Ducks the best cornerback tandem in the Pac-12, though the players behind them provides Oregon cornerbacks coach Rod Chance with intriguing depth that could prove useful throughout the secondary. A year older and a year wiser, sophomore DJ James and redshirt freshman Trikweze Bridges should see their respective roles expand this season with Graham, Holland, and Breeze opting out. James, who appeared in 13 games last season, has the look of a future starter at corner, while the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Bridges has the kind of tantalizing frame and multi-faceted skill-set that could see him contend at a number of spots in the defensive backfield.
At safety, hard-hitting Nick Pickett and the versatile Verone McKinley reside as the feature names in the back end. Pickett’s experience is practically unrivaled on the Oregon roster, as his 126 career tackles in 38 career games makes him one of the more battled-tested players on defense. Meanwhile, in his first full season of action in 2019, McKinley emerged as one of the defense’s best playmakers, tying for the Pac-12 and team lead with four interceptions en route to earning Freshman All-American honors. They are joined by sophomores Jamal Hill and Steve Stephens; two promising young talents who will get every opportunity to carve out substantial playing time this fall in light of the losses in the secondary.
The Intriguing New Cast Member
Justin Flowe and Noah Sewell have justifiably commanded the majority of the headlines in discussions surrounding the five-star prospects that were signed to Oregon’s 2020 recruiting class. However, it can be easy to forget that the Ducks actually signed a grand total of three five-star recruits last cycle, with Kansas City (Mo.) Raytown cornerback Dontae Manning serving as the mildly overlooked third banana of the trio.
Standing an even 6-foot and 192 pounds, Manning arrives in Eugene with the look of a player who is ready-made physically to immediately contend in the Pac-12. Upon Manning announcing his commitment to Oregon, we wrote that, “it appears as if Dontae Manning was constructed purely from quick twitch muscle fiber. His initial quickness and burst from a dead stop is impressive enough, but he has the reflexes and body control to adjust to the receiver mid-route, not to mention the speed to make up ground or close in to deny the receiver the ball.” And to be honest, it’s hard to find a different arrangement of words that better explain the caliber of athlete that Manning is. Should his athletic traits fully translate to the next level, it would come as no surprise to see Manning have a Mykael Wright-type of freshman impact on this team.
While Manning may be the sexy name of the newcomers that have joined the Ducks this fall, Bennett Williams, Jordan Happle, and JJ Greenfield should all have opportunities to stake their claims to playing time this season. Like Wright and McKinley, Williams is a former Freshman All-American in his own right, as the 6-foot-1, 203-pound safety was one of the bright spots on a woeful Illinois team back in 2017. Williams would end up running afoul in Champaign, which led to his transfer to the College of San Mateo for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. After ranking as one of the top JUCO players in the country during the 2020 recruiting cycle, Williams signed with Oregon in December and arrived on campus in January.
Happle, meanwhile, only officially joined the program this past Monday. A former standout at Jesuit High School in Portland, Happle committed to Boise State to play for then Broncos assistant Andy Avalos. Happle would go on to appear in 26 games for the Broncos, tallying 61 tackles (including 5.5 tackles for loss and one sack), four passes defended, and one interception over three seasons of play. He comes to Oregon looking to snatch the starting safety spot vacated by fellow Oregon 6A star, Brady Breeze.
The Stirring Subplot
How much of a step back does the secondary take without Graham, Holland, and Breeze on hand?
There aren’t many weak spots when you take a long look at the Oregon defense, though the secondary is one area where the Ducks went from an absolute strength pre-COVID to a potential question mark in the present day. Without the return of Deommodore Lenoir, the Ducks would be in a much more compromised position than they are currently, but you also don’t just lose a troika of game-changing veteran players and expect to be hunky dory the following season.
Given the experience of players like Lenoir and Pickett, the defensive backfield should have ample leadership to go along with a fantastic young core that features three former Freshman All-Americans (McKinley, Wright, and Williams), a five-star recruit (Manning), and a pair of surging sophomores (James and Hill). Depth could become a concern if injuries occur or COVID-related issues arise, especially considering how much nickel defense Avalos likes to employ, but on the whole, this feels like a group with an above-average floor and a potentially excellent ceiling.
WFOD’s 2020 Fall Camp Preview – The Quarterbacks
WFOD’s 2020 Fall Camp Preview – The Running Backs
WFOD’s 2020 Fall Camp Preview – The Wide Receivers
WFOD’s 2020 Fall Camp Preview – The Tight Ends
WFOD’s 2020 Fall Camp Preview – The Offensive Line
WFOD’s 2020 Fall Camp Preview – The Defensive Line
WFOD’s 2020 Fall Camp Preview – The Linebackers
Top Photo: Oregon CB Deommodore Lenoir (Scott Boldt/Scoopduck.com)