We made it!

After months of anticipation and speculation about the 2018 season, fall camp has officially arrived for the Oregon Ducks, and a not a moment too soon.

The Ducks opened preparation for the upcoming season Friday, giving coaches and members of the media their first glimpses of the team, as well their first opportunity to assesses the state of a program that had seen three different head coaches in the span of a little over a year. And while no concrete conclusions can be drawn with roughly a month to go before the start of the regular season, there is no shortage of noteworthy items to consider as the first day of fall camp comes to a close.

Below we take a look at three significant roster movement story lines emanating from Friday’s opening practice.

Jalen Hall not present, Bryan Addison takes reps at receiver

One of, if not the biggest, headlines from the offseason for the Ducks centered around status of freshman wide receiver Jalen Hall. As has been well documented since April, Hall – a former four-star recruit in Oregon’s 2018 recruiting class, per 247Sports’ Composite Rankings – was on campus for only one practice this spring before taking a leave of absence to address “personal matters” back home in Southern California. Since then, no definitive timetable has been given for when – or even if – Hall will return to the team. On Thursday, head coach Mario Cristobal did address Hall’s absence in his opening press conference of the fall, but did little to provide details on the matter, simply saying that Hall would not be included on the roster as fall camp began.

With the likelihood of Hall returning to Eugene appearing less and less likely with each passing day, Oregon went searching for solutions on Friday, as four-star recruit and former UCLA commit Bryan Addison took his initial reps as a Duck at wide receiver. At 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, Addison certainly fills the big, possession receiver void that was created by Hall’s departure, though there’s no guarantee that receiver will be Addison’s final position. With the ability to be a ballhawking safety on defense for the Ducks, Cristobal said after practice Friday that Addison would be splitting time between offense and defense until a final determination on his position was nailed down.

If the decision were left up to us, Addison would be a wide receiver. There’s no doubt he has the ability to make an impact at safety, but considering Oregon’s thin depth chart at wide receiver and given the natural ability Addison demonstrated at the position in high school, it feels like a no brainer that wide receiver should be his ultimate landing spot. Of all the potential roster movements that could take place during fall camp, this will be one of the more intriguing developments to monitor.

Malik Young is done, Sione Kava arrives

On Thursday, Cristobal revealed that defensive lineman Malik Young’s appeal to the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility was denied, leaving the Ducks with one fewer body along the defensive line, which was already one of the weakest position groups on the roster in terms of depth. Good news, however, came just before Friday’s practice, as junior college transfer Sione Kava was cleared for action this upcoming season. Checking in at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, Kava has the body type – not to mention the opportunity given the depth issues – that should allow him to make early contributions on defense once he gets physically and mentally up to speed.

Numbers get thin at linebacker

Coming into camp, linebacker was viewed as one of the strongest units on the Oregon roster. That still remains the case following Friday’s practice, though the number of players available to Ducks defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt has been diminished. On Thursday, Cristobal confirmed that sophomore D.J. Johnson would have to sit out the upcoming season to fulfill residency requirements after transferring to Oregon from Miami (Fla.) in January. Additionally, on Friday, Cristobal said that incoming freshman Andrew Johnson would be sidelined this upcoming year as he works to recover from a knee injury suffered while in high school. While both players – for different reasons – weren’t expected to make significant contributions their first years in Eugene, the reduced depth could prove to be an issue should injury misfortune take root at the position.