A supposed weakness for the Duck defense in 2024 is now a strength. In their preseason position ratings, Pro Football Focus ranks the Oregon secondary No. 6 in the country ahead of Penn State and Georgia, just behind defending national champion Ohio State at No. 5.
Last time out Oregon's pass defense got shredded against the Buckeyes, giving up 319 yards and three touchdowns to Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and OSU. It wasn't much better against Penn State in the Big Ten Championship lashed for 226 yards and three TDs by the Nittany Lions.
They've upgraded. PFF analyst Max Chadwick called Purdue transfer Dillon Thieneman, "the best defensive back in the portal." He's the website's No. 3 safety in the country with an 89.4 PFF grade.
Northwestern transfer Theran Johnson earned All-Big-Ten second team honors in each of the last two seasons, while slot corner Jadon Canady started 11 games at Ole Miss last season, tied for fifth in the SEC with 12 passes defended.
The Ducks added two five-star recruits to the secondary in Na'eem Offord and Trey McNutt.
Co-host Dalton Wasserman said, "Dan Lanning is going to figure it out. He came up under Kirby Smart. He's a defensive mastermind. He's going to figure out who needs to play."
With Thieneman as the backbone, Wasserman believes, "Oregon will be really, really good on the back end."
Duck fans saw glimpses of the new look at the Spring Game, with several of this new group making one-on-one plays on the ball in coverage.