Oregon Football: Competition building in first week of spring camp

On Tuesday, Oregon football coach Mario Cristobal talked about the excitement of getting back to football.

“(We have) a lot of 1-on-1, 2-on-2 competitions, creating battles in several positions.”

Cristobal also spoke about the experience of his coaching staff: “We have a really good think tank. We’ve all been at different places and seen things in different ways. We have a blueprint we believe in. They are invaluable.”

Oregon football trying Kayvon Thibodeaux at LB

Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter is not afraid to use this spring to experiment. One player, in particular, is finding himself in a new role on defense. Kayvon Thibodeaux is working at outside linebacker and also finding his way into the position in the first week of camp.

Thibodeaux has high expectations for both the team and himself this season. He wants to be a Heisman Trophy contender.

“I’ve transitioned to more an outside linebacker,” Thibodeaux said. “No one’s putting their hand in the dirt. The biggest changes it’s more about getting the job done.”

As it should be in the spring, technique and doing things the right way are an early key on all aspects of the game. Defensively, the competition is not for this job or that per se, it is to simply get better as a unit.

“I feel like now it’s more technical,” Thibodeaux said. “There is a competition within just the defense itself. When we come out we have someone helping us improve as we go.”

When it comes to the offense, quarterback Anthony Brown has had all of the snaps with the first team so far. The second team has been a mix of other quarterbacks. Cristobal has said this is how he feels that this is the best way to make the team better right now.

Spring practice continues for the rest of this month ending with the annual scrimmage on May 1.

Quotes obtained during Press Conference with Mario Cristobal and Kayvon Thibodeaux via Zoom.