Oregon Football: What can we expect from Justin Flowe in 2021?

Justin Flowe is finally ready to take the field for Oregon football.

After missing the 2020 season with an injury, hopes for a breakout were crushed. Just about everyone expected big things from Flowe in year one as he signed with Oregon as one of the top recruits in school history, ranked the No. 6 player nationally.

That injury was a tough pill to swallow for the young former five-star, especially since he had to watch as Oregon won the Pac-12 and fellow five-star freshman Noah Sewell had a Freshman All-American season. He had to feel that it should have been him — or both of them.

Now that Flowe is back and healthy this offseason, he’s gearing up to finally show out for the Ducks. He was looking likely to be a backup all offseason until Isaac Slade-Matautia transferred to SMU this summer. It was a surprising move, but it made room for Flowe to push his way into that starting rotation under a new defensive coordinator.

Tim DeRuyter has plenty of talent to work with, but Flowe has to be one of the most purely talented athletes on the entire roster.

So what can we expect from Flowe in 2021?

Expectations for the budding Oregon football star

If you look at what Sewell did in his first year as a starter with the Ducks, it could be similar to what we could see from Flowe.

Sewell finished his freshman season with 48 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks in seven games and I think Flowe could top those numbers as long as he secures the starting job. I think he could top 50 tackles, find his way into the backfield regularly, and he could be used in blitz packages as well.

I said earlier this offseason that I think Flowe could have an All-American type of season, and that would be best-case scenario, but I think he’d be a Freshman All-American lock if he starts — which I believe he will.

Excitement for the Justin Flowe era is palpable and the trio of him, Sewell, and Mase Funa is going to cause serious problems this season.