Numbers game: Oregon's new jerseys honor the past, foretell the future

The great John Madden used to talk about this all the time, one of his many entertaining rants. In football certain numbers have a personality, a legacy, and by choosing that number a player sets a kind of course for himself.

After he puts it on for the first time, he has to live up to it. It becomes a crucial part of his identity as an athlete. Think of the great quarterbacks at Oregon who have worn number 10, or Dillon Gabriel choosing to wear Marcus Mariota's old number 8. The number has power. It foretells the way a player intends to carry himself.

No. 77: The road grader and protector

For example No. 77 should only be worn by a big left tackle. On running plays he comes around the edge ahead of the smaller, speedy back, mowing down defenders like dandelions in the side yard. On a pass play he sets up like a human wall. Those twin 7s form a picket fence on the blind side, giving Dante Moore, Dylan Raiola or Akili Smith security, time to throw and confidence in his protection.

Oregon's new number 77 is Tommy Tofi, the 6-6, 340 left tackle from Bishop Riordan High School in San Francisco. A warrior and a huge man, he's also a strong, nimble athlete who played basketball in high school with good hands and feet.

He blocked the snot of elite competition at the Polynesian Bowl, named Offensive Lineman MVP of Polynesian Bowl Week-- the fact that he CHOSE No. 77 indicates his goal is to develop into a left tackle rather than move inside to guard. Guards wear 64, 65, 66.

No. 11: The Legacy

Another cool development at Oregon is Akili Smith Jr. moving to No. 11 in his second year in the program as a redshirt freshman quarterback. No. 11 was his dad's old number, a two-year starter as a Duck who piloted an offense that lit up the PAC-10 for 39.1 points a game in 1997 and 1998 in the pre-spread era. Smith threw for 4605 yards and 42 touchdowns over two seasons.

The fact that KJ has openly embraced the legacy of his father suggests he's committed to his long-term development and he's made peace with the inevitable comparisons and pressure, expressing pride in those accomplishments rather than feeling it as a burden. He could have left in the portal after the Ducks added Dylan Raiola, but instead he doubled down on competing. Duck fans have to like what that says about him.

Interesting thing: His father played at 6-3, 220. Smith Jr. has grown to 6-6, 231 while hitting the weight room. He's not just sitting and waiting his turn; he's seizing it, maturing, taking his reps to compete.

No. 18: The Freak Athlete

Sometimes one athlete at a program can create a tradition for a number, an identity. Kenyon Sadiq was the guy at tight end for the Ducks. The team has had a long run of great tight ends, but the athletic wonder Sadiq with his circus catches, devastating blocking, 6-3, 245 with 23 mph speed on the GPS, took tight end play to a wondrous level.

In 2026 he set an Oregon record for receptions by a tight end with 51, for 560 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns.

If Sadiq is the blueprint, Harrison is Version 2.0, another freak athlete, 6-6, 250, a two-time state champion in basketball who averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds a night while playing both ways on a Rams football squad that won also won two state titles.

Harrison is loud, brash and gifted, as promising and dynamic as a young athlete can be. With huge hands and a powerful body, he might smash all the records and highlights Sadiq claimed while playing his way into the first round of the NFL draft.

Other number changes:

Jerry Mixon from 54 to 6
Devon Jackson from 26 to 9
Jeremiah McClellan from 11 to 3
Tradarian Ball the new No. 4

Dylan Raiola No. 15 (Bart Starr, Patrick Mahomes)

Mixon and Jackson going to single digits as No. 6 and No. 9 stands as something of a declaration. That makes them a tandem, and linebackers in single digit numbers have to be studs and playmakers. If the two blossom that way as seniors, look out for the Oregon defense.

Chris Hampton already has the makings of a pin-your-ears-back pass rush and a sticky secondary. If Mixon and Jackson live up to the implied hype as 6 and 9 linebackers, it's lights out, third down nightmares for opposing quarterbacks. You don't wear a number like that unless you mean business.

All they need now is a neck roll and a few chips on the paint above the face mask.