Following a 2017 season in which the Oregon defense underwent a remarkable, if not inconceivable, 12-month turnaround between end of Mark Helfrich’s tenure and the conclusion of Willie Taggart’s fleeting time in Eugene, expectations are at an all-time high for Oregon defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt’s group.
In total, the Ducks return 11 players who started at least one game last season; a group that doesn’t include sophomores Brady Breeze or Deommodore Lenoir, who combined to appear in 24 games a year ago. It’s a side featuring a terrific mix of star-studded upperclassmen – such as Troy Dye, Jalen Jelks, Justin Hollins, and La’Mar Winston – and rising young talent – like Austin Faoliu, Jordon Scott, and Thomas Graham – making it one of the Pac-12’s most talented defenses.
Yet, with all that experience and promise returning to this group in 2018, one might reasonably presume that there’s little to no room for a newcomer to state his case for considerable playing time this upcoming season. After all, who would they realistically supplant?
Insert the competition of fall camp and sprinkle it with true freshmen Adrian Jackson and Jevon Holland; two players who have taken that rhetorical question to heart.
Through five fall camp practices, neither player has reportedly shown that they are bound by the imaginary constraints of the Ducks’ depth ch … err … organizational chart, raising the question as to whether either player could stake a claim to a starting role.
In Holland, the Ducks landed a four-star recruit who was rated as one of the top safeties ever signed by the Ducks, and a player who has lived up to his lofty billing through five practices. Per practice reports provided the university, Holland has flashed his penchant for creating turnovers, forcing at least one in each of team’s first four practices. Cracking the starting lineup at safety could be tricky however, as senior Ugo Amadi has one spot locked down, while Nick Pickett, Mattrell McGraw, and Brady Breeze are the top competitors for the other position.
Overcoming those veterans will be an uphill battle for Holland, but like Jackson, the Pleasanton (Calif.) native has more physical ability than any of the returnees, which could conceivably open the door for a starting role later in the year should opportunity present itself, and progress along his already impressive trajectory continues.
Speaking of Jackson, the four-star recruit and the top overall prospect in the state of Colorado by 247Sports’ Composite Rankings arrived on campus this summer with the kind of chiseled physique that could convince you he was entering his third year with the program. His performance early on in fall camp has evidently reflected that, as well. With the physicality, athleticism, and versatility to play any of linebacker positions in Leavitt’s defense, Jackson has already caught the attention of coaches and players alike, in particular Dye, who called the Denver native a “phenomenal beast.”
While Jackson has impressed in the early going, winning a starting a job over some of the Ducks’ more seasoned incumbents could be a tall order. Dye, Hollins, and Winston are all but guaranteed to be three of the four starters at linebacker for Oregon, while Kaulana Apelu and Isaac Slade-Matautia figure to provide the stiffest competition for the frosh. Though neither player has the physical tools that Jackson possesses, Apelu has starting experience and has appeared in 27 career games at Oregon, while Slade-Matautia made tremendous waves this offseason with his development this spring. Anticipate a linebacker rotation that features all three, particularly as the season gets underway.