It’s been practically two full months since the 2019 season ended for the Oregon Ducks; a season that will be long remembered as a year of resurgence for the Oregon football program.
A Pac-12 Championship. A Rose Bowl victory. A second consecutive star-studded recruiting class signed, sealed, and all but delivered. Those types of accomplishments simultaneously restore the integrity of a proud program while also serving as an emphatic launch point for a new era under the direction of Mario Cristobal.
Yet, as strange as it may seem, the time for reminiscing and the savoring of moments from the recent past is over – at least insofar as it relates to Cristobal and his coaching staff. The countdown to spring practice can be marked by days, if not hours, and with it marks the first tangible signs that preparations for the upcoming 2020 season are underway.
With spring football set to begin in earnest for the Ducks on March 5, culminating with the annual spring game on April 18, WFOD is taking the time between now and then to examine the prevailing storylines at each position group.
Today, our Spring Storylines series continues with a look at the offensive line.
How does Oregon go about replacing four starters along the offensive line?
Next to replacing a star quarterback, few offseason tasks are more daunting for a head football coach than being forced to replace four-fifths of your starting offensive line from the previous season. In fact, the total of number key offensive lineman Mario Cristobal must replace heading into 2020 balloons to five when you account for departed senior reserve Brady Aiello, who appeared in 47 career games for the Ducks, making 25 starts along the way.
The good news for Duck fans is that few, if any, head coaches across the country recognize the importance of quality offensive line play than Cristobal, though even he would likely admit that the burden of replacing Calvin Throckmorton, Dallas Warmack, Jake Hanson, Shane Lemieux and their combined 177 career starts will be an undertaking unlike just about anything he’s encountered in all his years shepherding offensive line units.
The silver lining in all of this is the fact that Oregon will welcome back reigning Outland Trophy winner Penei Sewell. Regarded as the top offensive lineman in all of college football and a near lock to be a top 10 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the junior left tackle will serve as the obvious and necessary cornerstone for a group that will need to find a way to come together in an expedited fashion. Particularly considering the difficult non-conference schedule that’s set out before them, headlined by a date with Ohio State in Week 2.
An effort to project this group beyond Sewell gets tricky rather quickly when you take into account the number of players who will be receiving their first real opportunities at extended action beginning this fall. The player who feels the most like a sure thing in the starting lineup after Sewell is sophomore Steven Jones. After appearing five games as a true freshman in 2018, the 6-foot-7, 354-pound Jones appeared in only four games last season, allowing him to redshirt and preserve a year of eligibility moving forward. Though versatile enough to play guard, Jones seems like an ideal fit bookending Sewell at right tackle.
After Jones, Swiss Army knife Alex Forsyth seems like the next best bet to fit in at either of the guard positions, or perhaps even center. The redshirt junior from West Linn has appeared in 10 career games as a Duck, though has never earned a start. His tremendous versatility should allow Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal to tinker with a number of different offensive line combinations this spring and into the fall.
Though perhaps not as versatile as Jones or Forsyth, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu appears destined to take over one of the guard spots for Oregon this upcoming season. Once regarded as the no. 1 ranked JUCO offensive tackle, Aumavae-Laulu arrived in Eugene as a 6-foot-7, 345-pound behemoth, but has since slimmed down to much more manageable 313 pounds. After appearing in two games last season, Aumavae-Laulu was able to preserve his redshirt, giving him two full seasons to live up to the hype he garnered while in the junior college ranks.
With those four players more or less penciled into the starting rotation to varying degrees, that leaves one open spot amongst the first stringers. One player, in particular, to keep an eye on is T.J. Bass, a JUCO transfer who 247Sports’ Composite rankings tabbed as the top-ranked offensive guard a season ago. His ability to play guard or center should provide the Ducks with added flexibility as they work determine their best o-line rotation leading up to September. Bass could receive push, however, from incoming freshman Jonathan Denis, who like Bass, arrived on campus in January and has already put in the work during the team’s winter conditioning program. Of the incoming freshman along the offensive line, Denis may be the one most poised to earn significant reps this season.
Jonah Tauanu’u, Sam Poutasi, Chris Randazzo, Dawson Jaramillo, and walk-on Ryan Walk round out the notable depth along the offensive line this spring. Of this group, keep a close eye on the developments surrounding Tauanu’u, Randazzo, and Walk, as all three have the opportunity and the talent to stake their claim to significant playing time in 2020.
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Spring Storylines: How much might Sean Dollars’ role expand in 2020?
Spring Storylines: What can be expected from Devon Williams in year one?
Spring Storylines: Who steps up at tight end?
Top Photo: Ducks offensive lineman Penei Sewell (58) flexes in celebration. Oregon Ducks football takes on Utah for the Pac 12 Championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Dec. 6, 2019. (DL Young/Emerald)