Summer practices are well underway as Dan Lanning and the Oregon coaching staff continue to put the finishing touches on the team before the group embarks on what everyone hopes will be a historic season. Heading into the year, the Ducks are expected to be one of the teams with the best chances to win the National Championship, but it doesn't mean that the team is without questions.
The biggest question heading into the offseason was over what the Ducks would do to re-tool the offensive line. Emmanuel Pregnon, Isaiah World, and Alex Harkey all departed for the NFL, and the Ducks opted to add just one transfer to the room, opting to instead bank on the players the staff has recruited year over year.
The Summer begins, and the Ducks are still looking to finalize the starting five that will be tasked with protecting Dante Moore. While the staff may have found some answers in the Spring, some of the true freshmen are throwing their hats into the ring for starting roles out of the gate,
Tommy Tofi and Immanuel Iheanacho earn high praise from A'lique Terry
It's always hard for true freshmen to earn starting roles out of the gate given how much of the system they need to learn, and the fact that they often need to continue physically developing. Offensive lineman Tommy Tofi showed up in the Spring, and instantly looked the part, making every fan hopeful of their potential impact. When Summer rolled around, the staff got to see top-10 recruit Immanuel Iheanacho in action, and now the offensive line picture may be becoming clearer.
As the duo of freshmen is beginning to make an impression this Summer, A'lique Terry is praising the duo for doing all the little things the right way.
"Speaking to Manny and Tommy, they’ve come out hitting the ground running. They’re both, like I said earlier in spring, they’re both physically gifted. Manny’s obviously behind a little bit just because he didn’t get here until later, but you can see the physical specimen they are. They love the game. They’re constantly with each other. They’re constantly trying to get more, constantly getting with Coach (Ryan) Walk and the law firm and making sure they get some extra meetings and getting that kind of stuff in now because they know their role could end up being much larger later on down the year. Depending on as much as they put in, it could happen maybe earlier in the year. Who knows? But they’ve done a tremendous job with the amount we’ve thrown at them on purpose, and they’ve done a good job absorbing it, taking it on, asking the whole law firm for questions, and not being afraid to ask questions. I think young guys tend to be afraid to ask questions at times. They’re not in that stage right now."A'lique Terry
The path to playing time for Tommy Tofi out of the gate is much clearer given that he was able to start working with the coaching staff during Spring practices. Tofi could push for a role at either guard position or if the staff thinks he's ready for it, put him in the mix for the starting right tackle role.
Immanuel Iheanacho is clearly a player the coaching staff is high on, and if he can pair the physical tools with nailing the X's and O's, he could create a real battle at right tackle. Transfer Michael Bennett III will be taking a jump up in level of competition as well, which helps open the door for a player like Iheanacho who the staff heavily invested in to make a push.
While the fanbase will be excited if the two can earn starting roles, even if they aren't in the starting 5, the development is incredible for the group as a whole. Offensive line depth is key, and Tofi and Iheanacho being ready to jump into a role in case of injury will only help the Ducks chances of bringing home a National Championship.
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