Five players primed for big breakthroughs on defense for Oregon


Team / Tuesday, July 7th, 2020

Part of the build-up and excitement heading into a new college football season are the discussions that take place around the players that could take the next step in their development and establish themselves as relied upon stars.

Notwithstanding the real uncertainty regarding the viability and safety of having a full and uninterrupted football season in this COVID-19 climate, WFOD takes a closer look at a handful of players who could be in line to see their roles and respective profiles expand with increased opportunity in 2020.

Today, our short series concludes with a look at the top candidates on defense for Oregon.

Five players primed for big breakthroughs on defense for Oregon
Oregon DB Bennett Williams (Photo: 247Sports)

5. Bennett Williams

The addition of JUCO transfer Bennett Williams to the Ducks’ 2020 recruiting class seemed to land as a relative afterthought last fall. After all, Williams was rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, and moreover, he would be joining a position group at safety that had no shortage of talent set to return for the upcoming season.

Cue the Rodney Dangerfield “No Respect” references for a player who was named an ESPN.com Freshman All-American at Illinois following the 2017 season.

Perhaps contributing to the understated nature of Williams’ recruitment, despite his notable on-field exploits, was the abrupt nature in which he was dismissed from Illini program a few weeks into the 2018 season. Though the details surrounding his dismissal are somewhat vague (a “violation of team rules”), Williams took the promise of his 64-tackle and (team-leading) three-interception freshman season to the College of San Mateo (Calif.), where he emerged as the second-best JUCO safety in the country at the conclusion of 2019.

Having arrived in Eugene in time for winter conditioning and the onset of spring practice before COVID-19 disrupted life as we know it, Williams has used the time to familiarize himself with his teammates, surroundings, and the Ducks’ defensive scheme while also tacking on roughly 5-10 pounds of muscle, as he currently checks in at an even 6-feet and 206 pounds. Cracking the rotation won’t be easy for Williams with proven veterans like Brady Breeze, Verone McKinley, and Nick Pickett expected to claim the lion’s share of the safety reps, but don’t count out Williams, who has the experience and traits of a player who is simply too good to keep off the field.

Five players primed for big breakthroughs on defense for Oregon
Oregon DL Popo Aumavae (Photo: Oregon Athletics)

4. Popo Aumavae

It was a slow and inauspicious start to Popo Aumavae’s career at Oregon, after a shoulder injury forced Aumavae to redshirt his first year on campus in 2017. As time has gone on, however, Aumavae has pushed his way into the rotation along the defensive line and enters the upcoming 2020 season with a chance to prove his eye-opening performance as a redshirt sophomore was no fluke.

Serving as the primary understudy for senior nose tackle Jordon Scott a year ago, Aumavae flourished in that role, notching 15 total tackles, including five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Impressively, Aumavae’s sack total ranked third on the team behind true freshmen Kayvon Thibodeaux (9.0) and Mase Funa (4.0), as all three were, at best, part-time starters in 2019.

Though Aumavae still likely has another year to go before being completely unleashed as the Ducks’ starting nose, he is a player who is anticipated to garner even more snaps this fall given the way he was able to impact the game in his limited opportunities last season. At 6-foot-3 and 302 pounds, Aumavae’s ability to penetrate and detonate plays in the backfield alongside Scott gives Oregon as potent a 1-2 punch in the middle as you’ll find in the Pac-12.

Five players primed for big breakthroughs on defense for Oregon
Oregon DL Brandon Dorlus (Photo: Oregon Athletics)

3. Brandon Dorlus

Similar to some of the aforementioned names on this list like Bennett Williams and Popo Aumavae, sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus may also be forced to bide his time a little longer before making the dramatic impact that is expected of him.

Just as players like Nick Pickett and Jordon Scott stand in the way of Williams and Aumavae, respectively, Austin Faoliu is the imposing obstacle standing between Dorlus and considerable playing time. Yet, even with that, it’s clear after his appearance in nine games as a true freshman that the Deerfield Beach (Fla.) native is bound for a much greater role as a sophomore, particularly given Faoliu’s history of nagging injuries.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds, Dorlus, like Faoliu, has the versatility to play just about anywhere along the defensive line, offering Ducks defensive coordinator Andy Avalos the opportunity to get even more creative with his defensive looks. Though his numbers in 2020 may not wildly exceed the five tackles (including two for loss) he posted last year, Dorlus’ time is coming, and his name is one Duck fans will want to further acquaint themselves with in advance of the season.

What Adrian Jackson's season-ending injury means for Oregon
Oregon LB Adrian Jackson (Photo: Oregon Athletics)

2. Adrian Jackson

Last week, WFOD took a look at the most irreplaceable players on Oregon’s defense heading into 2020. In that piece, we highlighted the play and presence of Isaac Slade-Matautia; a player who feels like somewhat of a forgotten man lost in the hoopla surrounding highly-touted linebackers like Mase Funa, Justin Flowe, and Noah Sewell. And while that still feels true a week later, redshirt sophomore Adrian Jackson might actually be the player who is most deserving of the “forgotten man” label.

After appearing in 12 games and tallying 13 tackles (including one for loss) as a true freshman in 2018, Jackson’s 2019 season ended before it began, as the Denver native suffered a season-ending foot injury just days before the Ducks embarked on their trip to Arlington to face Auburn inside AT&T Stadium. That injury effectively removed Jackson from the immediate consciousness of the majority of fans, despite the fact that Jackson was considered to be an up and comer after an encouraging debut season.

A little less than a year removed from that injury, Jackson remains a player to watch now that he’s expected to be fully healthy for the start of the season. Where he fits in exactly will be worth monitoring, as at 6-foot-2 and 232 pounds, Jackson has the versatility, athleticism, and body type to play just about anywhere at linebacker. Expected, at least initially, to make his hay competing at outside linebacker/STUD, 2020 could prove to be a majorly resurgent year for one of the more dynamic athletes on defense for the Ducks.

Spring Storylines: What might 2020 have in store for Oregon's young guns at linebacker?
Oregon LB Mase Funa (Photo: GoDucks.com)

1. Mase Funa

Few perhaps expected Mase Funa to come storming out of the gates like he did as a true freshman in 2019. A little over a year removed from a knee injury that cost Funa his senior year of high school football, the Mater Dei product showed few, if any, signs of rust upon his return to the field, this time cutting his teeth in the world of major college football.

Though the second half of the season didn’t quite measure up to what Funa accomplished over the first half of the season, the Anaheim (Calif.) native still managed to finish the year ranked second on the team in sacks (4.0), third in tackles for loss (8.5), and third among all freshmen (true and redshirt) in total tackles (26). Funa managed to do to all of this despite receiving just one start and perhaps playing a tinge out of shape considering he wasn’t with the team during spring practice of last year.

With a year under his belt and full offseason to improve his physique and learn the finer points of his role within Avalos’ defense, the expectation now is for Funa to hit the ground at a dead sprint with Bryson Young graduated and unofficially bequeathing the STUD position to the former four-star prospect. More so than any other player expected to step into an expanded role on defense for Oregon this year, Funa is the one who seemingly stands to benefit the most.

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Top Photo: Oregon LB Mase Funa (Oregon Athletics)

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