Oregon Football: Justin Flowe could be surprise All-American in 2021

Hearing Justin Flowe talk at the beginning of fall camp is not only refreshing but it provides plenty of excitement for Oregon football fans.

Not only does he have some big expectations for himself and the team, but he also said that he’s healthy and ‘100 percent’ after last season’s injury which prevented him from having the same type of breakout freshman season as fellow five-star freshman linebacker Noah Sewell.

Now that Isaac Slade-Matautia has transferred out, leaving a vacancy at one of the linebacker spots on the inside, Flowe is projected to fight for a starting spot along with Dru Mathis.

And I’d put my money on Flowe who had all the hype heading into last season and the coaching staff has done nothing but praise him this offseason. Mario Cristobal even said that he expects a big year from Flowe and coaches usually refrain from putting pressure on a young player like that, but that’s how good he truly is.

Right now, some believe that Mathis will begin the season as the starter over Flowe, and that very well may be the case based on experience and the fact that he didn’t miss time like the freshman phenom did with a major injury. But I’d be willing to bet that by Week 2 or Week 3, we’re looking at Flowe as not only a starter but a leader on defense.

Flowe is going to have a monster breakout year at linebacker and he could even surprise people as an All-American candidate if he earns the snaps like Sewell did last year.

All-American seems like a lofty goal, but with the type of talent Flowe possesses, it should be the expectation, even in year 1.5.

Flowe has all the makings of an elite Oregon football star

How polarizing of a recruit was Flowe? While being the No. 6 player in the entire 2020 class, he had hundreds of thousands of eyes on him as fans of all major schools wanted a piece of the prized recruit. In fact, his junior film had over 130,000 views on HUDL which is the most I’ve ever seen on one tape.

And when you watch those highlights, it all makes sense. He’s physically gifted, instinctive, strong, and has a tremendous feel for the game in the middle of the defense.

Greg Biggins of 247Sports even compared him to Reuben Foster as a future first-round NFL draft prospect coming out of high school and the hype hasn’t even come close to dying down.

Flowe and Sewell might make up the best interior linebacking unit in the country by a decent margin and when the former is eventually named starter, he’s never going to look back.

We are watching a future All-American grow before our very eyes. Let’s just hope he stays healthy.