Oregon football has second-most returning talent in nation for 2021

Oregon football is expected to compete for a College Football Playoff appearance in 2021 and the Ducks should be aided by returning talent.

Expectations are through the roof for Oregon football in 2021, and for good reason. The Ducks are bringing back one of the most talented rosters in the country along with the No. 6 recruiting class. Couple those with the fact that this team is the reigning Pac-12 champion and you have a squad that can compete for a playoff berth.

Mario Cristobal has to feel good about the wealth of talent returning and Oregon fans aren’t the only ones who have noticed.

Three teams in college football are already standing out above the rest in terms of returning talent and one of them is Oregon.

According to the “Returning Talent Index” from Football Outsiders, Oregon ranks just behind LSU in terms of returning talent for the 2021 season. The Ducks are also right ahead of Miami and those three are way ahead of the rest of the country in this metric.

The metric is comprised of returning players from last year’s roster, added transfers and the 2021 recruiting class which goes to show that Oregon should be one of the most experienced and talented teams in the country next year.

The next-closest Pac-12 team is UCLA which is ranked 11th in returning talent and Washington is No. 13 on the list. USC is No. 17, Utah is ranked 18th and Arizona State is the last team in the top 25 at No. 22. The conference should be much more competitive this season so Oregon’s defense of that crown won’t be a cakewalk.

But the Ducks should feel good about where they stand in terms of returning talent and impressive newcomers. This roster can compete with anyone.