Breaking down Oregon’s roster needs as transfer portal sets to open
December 5 marks one of the most important days on the college football calendar. The transfer portal will officially open on Monday.
In today’s era of collegiate sports, players now have the freedom to change schools at the end of each year and try to find a situation that is better suited for their career. With the addition of name, image, and likeness, it’s turned into a free agency of sorts, with players often entering the portal to try and see what type of deal they can get in order to play for a new team.
Whether you love it or hate it, that’s the way things are at the moment.
For the Oregon Ducks, it’s a system that will tend to benefit them. With a strong NIL collective allowing them to bring players to Eugene, and a national brand that gives talented players an opportunity to attract eyeballs on the field, a lot of athletes want to play for the Ducks. Look no further than cornerback Christian Gonzalez. The former Colorado Buffalo transferred to Oregon last season, played to the level of his talents, and is now being projected as a first-round NFL draft pick.
So are there other players who could follow a similar path to Eugene as Gonzalez? Absolutely. As the portal now opens, let’s take a look at some of the areas on the roster where the Ducks could stand to improve via additions from the portal.
Cornerback
(AP Photo/Young Kwak)
I think that cornerback may be the No. 1 need for this team going into the portal season.
We already touched on Christian Gonzalez in the open, but it would be an absolute shock if he decided to return for another season with the Ducks. Aside from him, the cupboard is pretty bare for Oregon as far as experienced cornerbacks go. You’ve got Trikweze Bridge, who played well as the CB2 this season, and then both Dontae Manning and Jahlil Florence, each of whom saw limited run this season. Aside from that, there aren’t many players who have proven that they can be valuable starters.
Guys like Jalil Tucker, Khamari Terrell, and Avante Dickerson have all shown promise, but the Ducks certainly need more depth and experienced talent at this position before starting the 2023 season.
Offensive Line
(AP Photo/Young Kwak)
One of the reasons that Oregon was so successful in the 2022 season was because they could play behind a veteran offensive line that saw returning starters in Alex Forsyth, Ryan Walk, Malaesala Auamavae-Laulu, and T.J. Bass. Unfortunately, those four will all be leaving this off-season.
Oregon still has a lot of talent on the OL, including guys like Josh Conerly, Marcus Harper, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Steven Jones, among others. However, it would still be nice to add some depth to the group through the portal this offseason.
Safety
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Much like the cornerback position, there are a lot of questions at safety going forward. The Ducks are going to lose Bennett Williams, and they could potentially lose guys like Jamal Hill and Bryan Addison as well. Behind them, there are a lot of young players who show promise, but few who have proven experience on the field. If this Oregon defense is going to improve next year, it would be massively beneficial to add a veteran presence in the back-end of the secondary.
Defensive Line
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It’s unclear which players are going to end up returning for Oregon on the defensive line, but at this point, I expect guys like Brandon Dorlus, D.J. Johnson, Jordon Riley, and Taki Taimani all to move on. There’s a chance that some return, but even if that happens, the Ducks still have a need for pass rushers on the defensive front and guys that can create havoc in the middle.
Quarterback
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The quarterback position is a bit up in the air at the moment. It is still unclear whether or not Bo Nix will return for another season in Eugene or head to the NFL draft, but it feels like a toss-up at this point. There is also 5-star QB Dante Moore, who is expected to sign with the Ducks this December, but until he puts pen to paper, I think every Oregon will still hold a small amount of nerves, at the very least.
On top of that, Jay Butterfield has already announced his transfer, and it is expected that Ty Thompson will likely do the same. So with all of that, it wouldn’t come as a shock to see Oregon bring in a quarterback through the portal and try to at least provide some competition for whoever is left when all is said and done.
Punter
Oregon’s special teams were a mess in 2022, and particularly at the punter position. The Ducks were No. 116 in the nation when it came to net punting yards, and they cycled between Adam Barry, Ross James, Andrew Boyle, and Alex Bales, none of whom found much success. I expect the Ducks will likely bring another list of punters and kickers this year to see if they can find the right fit.
