The dog days of summer have arrived. And while there’s little cause for celebration during this portion of the calendar, there is good news to report:

WFOD’s 2019 Fall Camp Preview has arrived as well!

As fall camp fast approaches, WFOD will be rolling out an in-depth series of position-by-position previews to help you fully prepare for the upcoming season.

Our Fall Camp Preview series continues Sunday with a breakdown of Oregon’s linebackers.

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

Few players in Oregon history have dominated the linebacker position like Troy Dye has through three seasons of play. In fact, Dye is one of only two FBS players (and the only Power 5 player) returning in 2019 who has led his team in tackles each of the last three seasons. If that weren’t enough, Dye also needs just 121 tackles in 2019 to become Oregon’s all-time career leader in the category.

In short, Dye has served as the unquestioned heartbeat of the Duck defense since his first day on campus, and his production hasn’t waned despite the fact he’s on his third defensive coordinator entering his fourth and final season in Eugene. The only question now is how will Dye punctuate his career as a Duck.

Dye’s decision to bypass the NFL a year early and return for his senior season was monumental one for the Oregon defense, which was already losing three cornerstone members from last season’s group with the graduation of Justin Hollins, Jalen Jelks, and Ugo Amadi. Yet, despite those losses, the Ducks still possess a defense that has some of the best overall talent and depth in the Pac-12, with Dye serving as the central figure spearheading the unit. With another healthy season, there’s no reason to believe that Dye couldn’t challenge for first-team All-Pac-12 recognition, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, and perhaps even All-American honors.

The Supporting Ensemble

It wasn’t that long ago in 2016 that the linebacker position was undeniably the Achilles’ heel for the Ducks on the defensive side of the ball. Fast forward three years, and it’s arguably the most exciting unit on the roster heading into the upcoming season. A big reason has to do with the intriguing blend of experience and youth that resides within this group.

Senior La’Mar Winston, along with Dye, represents the experience part of this potentially potent equation. A Portland native, Winston is an athletic, versatile body who has steadily improved his game each and every season while also emerging as one of the biggest vocal leaders in the Oregon locker room. Though he may not stuff the stat sheet, he is one of the defense’s most reliable players. Alongside him is fellow senior Bryson Young, who has been a special teams mainstay for most of his career but now finds himself in the thick of the position battle at STUD after an impressive showing this spring. Joining him in the competition at STUD is former four-star recruit from the 2017 class and Miami (Fla.) transfer, D.J. Johnson. Originally from Sacramento, Johnson is a physical marvel at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds with the speed and athletic ability to be a devastating pass rushing force. After sitting out the 2018 season due to NCAA transfer rules, the redshirt sophomore will need to demonstrate greater consistency if he’s to fend off the hard-charging Young during fall camp.

August will also be an important month for sophomores Adrian Jackson and Isaac Slade-Matautia, as well junior Sampson Niu. Standing at a chiseled 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds, Jackson was a player who made early waves last summer during both team conditioning drills and fall camp thanks in large part to his tantalizing athletic gifts. The presence of players like Hollins, Jelks, and Winston on last year’s roster ultimately limited the opportunities for the Denver product as a freshman, but with Hollins and Jelks now gone, the path has been cleared for Jackson to seize his chance at making an impact. The same can be said for Slade-Matautia and Niu, who found themselves in and out of the starting lineup last season mostly due to nagging injury. Both players have garnered rave reviews over the past couple seasons, but now find themselves pitted against one another in the battle for the starting gig next to Troy Dye at inside linebacker.

Redshirt freshmen MJ Cunningham and Andrew Johnson close out this group of non-first year players at linebacker, as each is seeking their first taste of live game action this fall.

The Intriguing New Cast Member

The Ducks addressed the linebacker position in a big way last recruiting cycle, signing easily their highest-rated group of recruits at the position in school history. However, the player that headlined Oregon’s 2019 linebacker class – four-star prospect Mase Funa – isn’t necessarily the player who has captivated our interested heading into fall camp, though he certainly has the skills and physical makeup to factor into the rotation this season. Instead, that player is Treven Ma’ae, a three-star recruit from Hawaii who spent his senior year of high school on the mainland playing for West Coast powerhouse Bishop Gorman out of Las Vegas.

Since arriving on campus this summer, Ma’ae has turned heads with the way he has transformed his body, going from a player who many expected would need a redshirt year in order to physically develop, to a player who has reportedly been a workout warrior and is perhaps in line for a contributing role as a freshman. If the reports are to be believed, Ma’ae gives the Ducks another impressive physical specimen for which to build their up and coming defense around.

Funa and Ma’ae were joined this summer by three-star prospect Isaac Townsend, while four-star prospect Ge’mon Eaford and three-star JUCO prospect Dru Mathis were on hand this spring to get a head start on their development and acclimation to their new environs.

The Stirring Subplot

Who ends up starting at STUD?

This was another question we took an in-depth look at earlier this summer, but it’s a question that persists as we close in on the start of fall camp. The reports from the spring had D.J. Johnson and Bryson Young virtually deadlocked for the starting job, but things could get even more interesting if Treven Ma’ae continues exceeding expectations once preparations for the season begin in a couple weeks.

On top of that, it remains to be seen just how often the STUD position will be utilized under first year defensive coordinator Andy Avalos. Will it be part of the Ducks’ base alignment on defense? A situational position? Some combination of the two? No one outside of the program is seemingly able to answer that question at this time, and it may not be until the season opener vs. Auburn on August 31 before we really find out.

WFOD’s 2019 Fall Camp Preview – The Quarterbacks
WFOD’s 2019 Fall Camp Preview – The Running Backs
WFOD’s 2019 Fall Camp Preview – The Wide Receivers
WFOD’s 2019 Fall Camp Preview – The Tight Ends
WFOD’s 2019 Fall Camp Preview – The Offensive Line
WFOD’s 2019 Fall Camp Preview – The Defensive Line