Oregon football is finally back with spring ball and the Ducks are looking like Pac-12 favorites again. Here are some storylines to follow.
Spring ball is finally here and while the basketball team is trying to make a Final Four run, the football team is taking the field as the reigning Pac-12 champs.
The Ducks just won the conference title last season, beating USC in the championship game, and they look like the favorites once again to take the Pac-12 crown. But they have a lot of questions to answer this spring and a lot of position battles to monitor.
Plus, they have a new defensive coordinator to get acquainted with in Tim DeRuyter from Cal.
Which storylines should we all be watching this spring as Oregon takes the first step to defending its conference crown?
3. Impact of early enrollees
One of the most interesting storylines every spring is the impact of the newcomers. For Oregon, it has over a dozen early enrollees from the 2021 recruiting class and many could have an immediate impact or at least push some upperclassmen for a spot on the two-deep.
Four-stars offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia, quarterback Ty Thompson, receivers Troy Franklin and Dont’e Thornton, tackle Bram Walden, linebacker Keith Brown, cornerback Jaylin Davies, tight end Moliki Matavao and center Jackson Light are some of the names we should be watching for.
Will someone like Suamataia or Bram Walden help fill the void on the line left by Penei Sewell or will they even crack the two-deep? It’ll be interesting to see their development.
Thompson is probably the guy I’ll be most excited to see. He could be the Ducks’ next starting quarterback and we’ll see just how ready he is this spring. And his fellow 2021 class targets (Franklin and Thornton) will be the future of the receiving corps.
These early enrollees should be the center of attention this spring.