A Way-Too-Early ranking of Oregon’s position groups for the 2023 season – 247Sports

Final 2022 ranking: 8th

Explanation: I wasn’t high on how this group played in 2022, and I’ve yet to see why they should take a significant step forward in 2023. Noah Sewell’s final season felt like a dud. Statistically it was his worst season, and the eye test would back that up. Yet, one might argue that he was still the team’s best inside linebacker. Pro Football Focus certainly thinks so, as his counterpart, Jeffrey Bassa, graded out as the Pac-12’s second worst linebacker starter and fourth worst defensive starter regardless of position.

Replacing Sewell isn’t the only item on the docket. The Ducks will have to decide how Bassa best fits into this defense. Recruited to play safety, might a move to nickel be in the works? They’ll also have to fill in the depth behind whomever starts. Justin Flowe and Jackson LaDuke were fourth and fifth on the team in LB snaps, and both have transferred out.

The Ducks have addressed some of that through the portal with the additions of Iowa transfer Jestin Jacobs and Arizona State transfer Connor Soelle. As I’ve said many times before, a school like Oregon should be seeking plug-and-play players from the portal. I think that’s exactly what Jacobs, a star defender in the Big 10, expects to provide the Ducks. Soelle’s role is less clear given the he wasn’t exactly a standout in Tempe on what was statistically one of the league’s worst defenses.

Ultimately, I don’t feel comfortable placing this group above any on the roster. There is no guarantee it’ll be better than it was this past season, and as most would attest, linebacker play was among the biggest disappointments of the season. I’d include myself in that group, as I had ranked the linebackers as the best unit on the team around this time last year, and wound up ranking them eighth by season’s conclusion.

Final 2022 ranking: 5th

Explanation: Like linebacker, Joe Lorig’s first year leading Oregon’s special teams was among the biggest flops of the season. Lorig is seen as one of the sport’s best special teams coaches. His units have consistently performed at a high level with many of his Penn State teams finishing near the top of national leaderboards in return and coverage figures. That wasn’t what happened in Eugene in 2022 though. The Ducks were bottom-feeders both regionally and nationally in punt and kick return and coverage. These issues really came to light in the regular season finale in Corvallis when gaffe after gaffe paved the way for OSU’s remarkable fourth quarter comeback.

I’m yet to be convinced things will be significantly better in year two under Lorig. For that to be the case, Aussie punting signee Luke Dunne had better be an immediate contributor. That would save the headache experienced in 2022 when Lorgi and company made seemingly bi-month changes at the position without every finding a consistent option. The issues in the return game are more mystifying. The team seems ripe with return capable athletes, and yet the season finished without a single return of 40 yards or greater.

The one bright spot in 2022 should continue to be one in 2023. Camden Lewis was again excellent. The junior knocked through 14-of-16 field goal tries and also hit all 64 extra points. His return will at least shore up one area.

I do want to underscore two under-the-radar departures as well, and how that could negatively or positive impact Lewis and the kicking game. Long snapper Karsten Battles exhausted his collegiate eligibility last fall, removing a five-year starter from the equation. Also gone is Adam Barry, the team’s on-again off-again punter, but full-time holder. These aren’t departures that many are talking about, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that Lewis will be working with a different snapper and holder next season.

Final 2022 ranking: 7th

Explanation: There isn’t a group on the team with more question marks right now than the defensive backfield. That’s not a great place to be sitting considering how up and down this group was as a whole last season. Moments of success in the secondary were largely overshadowed by the glaring shortcomings — most notably those experienced in the loss to Washington. While I still found linebacker a bigger issue last season, it would be hard to convince me that the secondary was anything but mediocre.

Now to the questions at hand. For starters, Dan Lanning and company will have to find a replacement for former safeties coach Matt Powledge, who left after the bowl game to become Baylor’s defensive coordinator. This is an important hire given some of the issues experienced last season. The Ducks will also look to find a new lockdown cover corner after Christian Gonzalez become a one-and-done player in Eugene. Gonzalez was arguably the team’s best defensive player and is expected to be taken in the first round of this spring’s NFL Draft. Sorting out the safety rotation is critical too. Every safety is set to return other Bennett Williams, and the Ducks have recently added his brother, Evan Williams, a Fresno State transfer, for 2023 to muddy the waters further.

Williams isn’t the only secondary transfer addition. The team has also added former Alabama corner Khyree Jackson. The hope is that Jackson will do enough to win a starting job opposite of Trikweze Bridges, who seemed to get better and better as his first season as a full-time starter wore on. Player development will be crucial as well with highly-rated recruits like Dontae Manning, Jahlil Florence, Avante Dickerson and Jalil Tucker needing to take a step this offseason in case Jackson doesn’t pan out.

Settling on a safety two-deep is no easy task. For my money, it’s the most difficult on the team to peg right now. Jamal Hill, Steve Stephens IV and Bryan Addison are each back. That threesome started and played just about every rep at safety last season along with Williams. Does the staff turn to that group in similar fashion in 2023? And how does Evan Williams’ addition impact things? There are no clear answers right now. One also wonders if any of the Hill, Stephens and Addison trio will leave the program. Hill will be in his fifth collegiate season while the other two are entering their sixth.

Final 2022 ranking: 6th

Explanation: The defensive line will undoubtedly be experienced in 2023. Nearly every major contributor from 2022 has announced their intention to return. The question is are they talented enough to become a top-shelf unit. While I found the team’s defensive front to be better than any group behind them, it wasn’t exactly a banner year. The Ducks were solid against the run, but rarely impacted opposing passers in the pocket (the 18 sacks are a program-low since 1986). The question for this group more narrowly seems to be how much more juice can you squeeze from them?

The Jordan Burch addition is of great significance. Not only is the former 5-star recruit talented enough to become the team’s most talented defender, but his play could also provide a cumulative impact too. Think about how much easier Brandon Dorlus and Popo Aumavae’s lives were playing beside Kayvon Thibodeaux in 2021. If Burch is as advertised, a 6-foot-6 and 275 pound freak, those around him will reap the benefits. While there is still room to pluck more from the portal, Burch figures to be the biggest addition made this offseason.

This group is also largely projectable. It’s not hard to see how all these pieces fit together — in part because so many of these pieces are back. Dorlus and Casey Rogers seem likely to retain their starter roles, while Popo Aumavae and Taki Taimani will battle to become the next space-eating nose tackle. Burch and DJ Johnson are physically synonymous in many ways, and therefore Burch seems like the perfect replacement. There is also returning depth at each spot with players like Mase Funa, Keyon Ware-Hudson and Treven Ma’ae returning too.

Lastly, this does feel like a position group where roster turnover should be expected. The Ducks are currently about 10 scholarship over the 85-player maximum. Getting to a legal number will require some departures, and this group, which currently consists of 26 scholarship players, is operating with an abundance.

Final 2022 ranking: 2nd

Explanation: No position on the team lost as much to graduation as this one. Four of five starters up front are gone, and that makes this the perceived weak link of the offense. While I do have them ranked fourth out of four offensive position groups, my concern level isn’t very high right now. That’s because things have broken about as well as one could hope for. Steven Jones’ decision to return for a sixth and final season provides continuity, while the transfer portal has brought two of the more highly-regarded available offensive linemen in Rhode Island’s Ajani Cornelius and Texas’ Junior Angilau into the fold.

The talent along this line should be as good and possibly a bit better than the previous group. What is missing is the familiarity and continuity that group provided. Remember, that Alex Forsyth, Ryan Walk, T.J. Bass and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu weren’t just starters in 2022, but also in 2020 and 2021. Part of what made that group so special was their experience not just as individuals but as a unit together. So, while the recruiting profiles of the players set to replace them is grander, I wouldn’t expect O-Line play to be nearly as consistent or dominant as it was last season.

How do all the pieces fit together?

Ultimately, that’ll be up to Adrian Klemm to decide, but the most likely rotation at the moment would look something like this: Josh Conerly Jr. at left tackle, Junior Angliau at left guard, Jackson Powers-Johnson at center, Steven Jones at right guard and Ajani Cornelius at right tackle. That is one big, athletic group, and one that doesn’t even feature Marcus Harper, who started 10 games in place of the injured Jones this past season. There might be some depth concerns at tackle, but all in all, this looks like a unit capable of being one of the best out west once again.

Final 2022 ranking: 4th

Explanation: Recent successes on the recruiting trail really paid off this past season at wide receiver and tight end. Troy Franklin and Terrance Ferguson, a pair of 2021 signing class headliners, each developed into go-to options for Bo Nix and enjoyed career seasons as sophomores. Their return, along with Kris Hutson‘s, provide Nix with a reliable stable of familiar targets.

The Ducks have not stood pat here either. The team will add a pair of big-time transfer players in Traeshon Holden (Alabama) and Tez Johnson (Troy). Johnson is the adopted brother of Nix. The Ducks also signed five-star prep wideout Jurrion Dickey and high four-star wide receiver and tight end prospects Ashton Cozart and Kenyon Sadiq. These moves were important given that Chase Cota, Dont’e Thornton, Moliki Matavao and Cam McCormick will not be with the team in 2023 after playing sizable roles in 2022.

At receiver, Franklin hopes to take an even bigger step as a junior. I thought he checked all of the boxes this past season. He was a plus on short, intermediate and deep routes, and regularly made plays after the catch just as he made circus catches look routine. His presence alone improves the standing of the group. What pushes it over the top are the pieces around him. Holden was Alabama’s starting Z-receiver, and should slide into the same role at this new school. Hutson and Johnson have each historically played slot receiver, but figure capable of playing together in certain packages too. Lastly, I don’t know if we’ve talked enough about Dickey. He is just the second five-star WR to sign with the program, and players of that caliber have a track record of being early contributors.

I do have some concerns about the depth at tight end. The roster is currently constructed with just three scholarship tight ends with one being a first-year player in Sadiq. While I don’t doubt that Ferguson, Sadiq and Patrick Herbert are talented enough to handle things, adding one or two more TEs would help this group immensely. Finding the room to do so, is where things might get dicy.

Final 2022 ranking: 1st

Explanation: The job done by Carlos Locklyn probably hasn’t been acknowledged as much as it should be. Around this time a year ago, there were just two scholarship running backs on campus. Spring practice actually opened with that number. The fact that Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington and Jordan James all joined the program after that and went on to become the three feature backs is credit to Locklyn and his ability to identify talent, recruit it and then coach it up. I wound up grading the running backs as the best unit on the team, and while that might be debatable, what is not is that that the play at running back was the best its been in a handful of seasons.

Like his position coach, I’m not sure Irving is as appreciated nationally as he should be. Brining him down proved a problem for just about every defense the team faced. The combination of vision, balance, agility and speed make him one of the more gifted running backs to come through the program. PFF graded him as the sixth best back nationally. According to their data, Irving gained 4.4 yards per carry after first contact. 

Whittington was no slouch either and James proved a more than capable short-yardage specialist. With those three all back, and the additions of four-star prep signees Dante Dowdell and Jayden Limar, the Ducks will have one of the better stables of runners regionally as well as nationally.

Final 2022 ranking: 3rd

Explanation: Like running back, quarterback was seen a question mark last offseason. Bo Nix was not considered a sure thing, as a portion of the fanbase preferred Ty Thompson over the Auburn transfer. After a less than stellar first impression, Nix won over any detractors by the end of his first month starting. The offense rattled off eight consecutive 40-point showings with Nix’s dual-three skillset blending perfectly with Kenny Dillingham and his vision for the offense. The only thing that really interrupted the run of success was a lower leg injury that cost him his mobility over the final two plus games of the regular season.

Based upon stats alone, Nix’s 2022 season slots among the best quarterback seasons in school history. Only three Ducks have ever thrown for more yards than Nix, and none have been more accurate than his near national-leading 71.9 percent completion percentage. His legs did heavy lifting too, as only a handful have run for more yards, and his 14 rushing scores are second only to Marcus Mariota in his Heisman Trophy winning season.

With Nix electing to return for 2023, the Ducks remain on par with the league’s best, which also bring back their signal callers or have upgraded the position this offseason. If Nix can remain healthy, everything is on the table. If he goes down, well, that situation is sub-optimal.

Thompson is set to return, but his play to this point has been fairly lackluster. The Ducks have also signed four-star prep Austin Novosad, who has already enrolled in school, but Novosad is considered more of a project thanks to his lean frame.