Ducks' best position group smashes all the cliches about Oregon's identity

In the way-too-early ESPN Top 25, Oregon was No. 6, and they picked a surprising unit as the strength of the team.

Reporter Paolo Uggetti, the author of the best Dan Lanning profile, said about the Ducks' defensive line, "Despite the departures of Jordan Burch and Derrick Harmon to the NFL, this is where Dan Lanning's recruiting -- and Oregon's development -- has shined."

Harmon went in the first round to Pittsburgh, Burch in the third to Arizona, but there's plenty of talent in position coach Tony Tuioti's arsenal, including his son, Teitum, who powered through opponents for 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss last year.

Pass rush bookend Matayo Uiagalelei rated the cover of Lindy's annual college football magazine after posting 10.5 sacks in 2024.

Uiagalelei and Tuioti are the acknowledged pacesetters in the group, but they're not alone. A fresh wave of young talent prepares for larger roles in the defense, and they're all capable of great things.

A'Mauri Washington, Aydin Breeland, Jericho Johnson and Tionne Gray will come at opponents in waves from the interior, a group of big, quick blue-chip tackles that exceed the talent level of any group Oregon has had inside, every one of the them north of 300 pounds.

The Ducks brought in Bear Alexander, the former four-star from Georgia and USC. They're hope to resurrect his career the way they did for Harmon and Burch. Alexander tallied 47 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two pass deflections for the Trojans in 2023 before deciding to redshirt last season. He's 6-3, 315 and powerful, though he's never completely harnessed the potential he posed coming out as a four-star prospect from Terrell, Texas.

It's the outside rushers that could have the most devastating impact on opposing offenses, an athletic, disruptive group capable of true mayhem. Uiagalelei and Tuioti are proven but Xadavien Sims and Elijah Rushing were both stars of the 2025 recruiting class, Rushing a five-star prospect.

Purchase flashed serious potential as a freshman in 2023 before redshirting last year. The 6-3, 260 edge rusher/outside linebacker from Denver lined up in various spots and showed the ability to make plays and penetrate at 6-3, 260.

Purchase logged 10 total pressures and five quarterback hits in just 179 snaps as a true freshman, a sack against Washington State.

In the spring game this group overwhelmed the offensive line, credited with 11 "sacks" under the modified, quarterback-preserving rules of the annual intersquad game. They showed the ability to get after the passer and be relentless, and the depth in the unit will keep them fresh.

It's been a long while, maybe never, since the defensive line was the strength of an Oregon team, but if that proves to be the case this season, this could be a stifling defense. Tuioti and Young Concrete provide the leadership, hand in the ground or standing up.

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