Oregon Football Defense Critical for Success with New Defensive Coordinator

After the sudden departure of Jim Leavitt in the offseason, Oregon Football have a new face in Andy Avalos taking the helm. His first-year impact will affect Oregon’s success this season.

A bright future began to shine for the Oregon Ducks after winning the Red Box Bowl with head coach Mario Cristobal stating his intent to stay in Eugene. With Jim Leavitt remaining, they appeared to be ready to hit the recruiting trail and grab the best athletes.

Leavitt played an essential role in both revamping Oregon’s defense but also recruiting players after being brought in by Willie Taggart to join his staff. After slithering off to Florida State, keeping Leavitt was a priority not only to keep the defense stable but continue his recruiting efforts.

His decision to mutually part ways with the team came as a surprise, putting the defense in limbo. Perhaps both Cristobal and Leavitt viewed objectives differently, causing Leavitt to pursue other avenues.

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"Despite walking away, the departure did not impact the Oregon Football recruiting class, landing talented freshman Kayvon Thibodeaux, who will undoubtedly play a vital role from the start and the coming seasons to build an active defensive line."

Coach Cristobal found a replacement before spring practices with the hiring of Avalos from Boise State. His aggressive style of defense made Boise State a tough opponent, leading the Mountain West Conference in sacks the last two years.

Avalos hopes to carry his disruptive defense into Eugene and become a force in the Pac-12. Oregon is trying to forge a new identity under Cristobal by playing physical and having the size to compete with opponents. Signs of this trend came last season at home against Stanford, but the Ducks could not finish in the fourth quarter.

Boise State’s loss is Oregon’s gain with Avalos and is being allowed to continue his success at a bigger stage with Oregon. The first game against Auburn will undoubtedly have highs and lows but should reflect the efforts of Avalos. Adjustments will occur throughout the year until all areas click.

Defense wins championships. With the talent coming in, the Ducks will find a way to buck the trend of being undersized against conference foes. The defense must step up to allow the offense to get on the field and light up the scoreboard.

For the Oregon Football program, consistency at the coaching level is going to be vital for success now and the future. As seen with Taggart, the impact put the program in disarray having to deal with a coaching search for two-straight years. Hopefully, the current staff will remain long term and put Oregon on the rise.