With kickoff to the 2019 season a little over nine weeks away, there’s substantial buzz around the Oregon football program and the opportunity that lies before them entering Mario Cristobal’s second season as head coach.

And the reasons for the optimism are valid.

For one, the Ducks return Justin Herbert, who could very well be the first quarterback taken in the 2020 NFL Draft should he cap off his collegiate career with an emphatic senior campaign.

Secondly, Oregon welcomes to the program its most highly-touted recruiting class in school history; a class that finished in the top 10 of the national recruiting rankings and one that features the highest-rated recruit in program history in Kayvon Thibodeaux.

There’s also plenty of hype surrounding the Oregon defense, which under first year defensive coordinator Andy Avalos (formerly the defensive coordinator at Boise State), is laden with talent and experience at each and every level, providing Oregon with perhaps its most impressive collection of athletes on that side of the ball since the end of the Chip Kelly era.

But perhaps the most encouraging aspect of this team heading into 2019 is the offensive line, which, to Cristobal’s unbridled delight, returns 153 combined starts (making it the most experience offensive line unit in college football since 2011) and features at least four players who could land on a wide range of all-conference and All-America teams.

Indeed, the reasons for optimism are numerous in the here and now, but as we steal a look ahead, one can already see the gathering clouds on the horizon that suggest that these sunny days may have an expiration date – particularly as it relates to the composition of Oregon’s offensive line entering 2020.

With the Ducks set to lose seniors Shane Lemieux, Jake Hanson, Calvin Throckmorton, Dallas Warmack, Brady Aiello, and George Moore at the end of the upcoming season, Cristobal and the Ducks will be forced to replace at least three of five starters projected to start Week 1 vs. Auburn, plus three key reserves who have starting experience of their own (excluding Moore). Sure, sophomore Penei Sewell may be one of the nation’s best young offensive tackles, while notable names like Alex Forsyth, Steven Jones, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, and Jonah Tauanu’u offer hope for the future after Oregon’s senior contingent departs, but experience and depth of talent will be scarce once the book is closed on 2019.

Given Cristobal’s offensive line background, one can reasonably assume that this won’t be a lingering concern, however. After all, the Ducks have already taken meaningful steps during the 2020 recruiting cycle to address those impending voids. Wednesday night’s commitment from Chicago (Ill.) Simeon three-star prospect Marcus Harper comes just weeks after the Ducks picked up a verbal commitment from one of the most intriguing members of their 2020 recruiting class in Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Francis School three-star Faaope Laloulu, a jaw-dropping 6-foot-7 and 390-pound athlete.

Harper, who checks in at a comparatively bite-sized 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, is almost surely a future fit at guard. Laloulu’s gargantuan frame, meanwhile, appears to be a fit initially at one of the tackle spots, though he could conceivably be an option at guard depending on his development and ability to shed weight.

The Ducks are also in a strong position for a trio of three-star prospects in Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro’s Jaylan Jeffers, Chamberlain (S.D.) two-way star Nash Hutmacher, and Oroville (Calif.) Butte College’s Brenden Coffey. However, there is a noticeable lack of star power among the known remaining targets on Oregon’s board, especially after Littleton (Colo.) Valor Christian four-star recruit Roger Rosengarten delivered a gut punch to the Ducks when he picked rival Washington over Oregon earlier this month.

With limited space remaining in Oregon’s 2020 recruiting class with roughly six months to go before the early signing period, the Oregon coaches will conduct a delicate balancing act in order to effectively round out their class. How they address the impending voids along the offensive line, however, might be the one storyline worth closely monitoring between now and then.