After losing one of the most experienced members of their defensive backfield over the weekend, the Ducks addressed their growing depth concerns in the secondary on Monday with the addition of Boise State grad transfer Jordan Happle.
Sunday’s announcement from senior-to-be Brady Breeze that he would be opting out of the 2020 season left Duck fans reeling a bit considering how much the Oregon secondary has been depleted this offseason due to a handful of COVID-related opt-outs. Breeze’s combination of experience and production, particularly at the end of the 2019 season, will be difficult to replace, as the Portland (Ore.) native was expected to be a central figure for the Ducks in the back end of the defense this fall. Instead, it’s a fellow Portlander and Oregon High School 6A star that will look to fill his shoes in Happle.
Named Metro League Defensive Player of the Year as both a junior and senior at local powerhouse Jesuit High School, Happle committed to Boise State’s 2016 recruiting class as a three-star prospect. After redshirting his first year on campus, Happle would go on to appear in 26 games for the Broncos, tallying 61 tackles (including 5.5 tackles for loss and one sack), four passes defended, and one interception over three seasons of play. In fact, Happle’s lone career interception came against Oregon in Boise State’s 38-28 win over the Ducks in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl.
According to the Idaho Statesman, the 5-foot-11 and 208-pound Happle was a likely starter at safety for Boise State prior to entering the transfer portal in September, and has experience playing both the boundary and field safety position in defensive coordinator Andy Avalos’ defense. After all, it was Avalos who helped recruit Happle to Boise during Avalos’ stint as a Bronco assistant.
With that, expect Happle to hit the ground running once fall camp gets underway this Friday, as he’s anticipated to contend immediately with players such as Steve Stephens, Bennett Williams, Verone McKinley, Jamal Hill, and JJ Greenfield for the starting job opposite senior Nick Pickett when the Ducks open the season vs. Stanford on November 7.
Top Photo: Former Boise State DB Jordan Happle (247Sports)