Just 19 days before the Oregon Ducks kicked off their 2025 season, news broke that true freshman safety Trey McNutt had broken his leg without any timetable for his return.
The report of McNutt's injury broke on Monday, Aug. 11. The Ducks were scheduled to kick off their season on Saturday, Aug. 30, against the Montana State Bobcats.
McNutt was a five-star prospect in Oregon's class of 2025 recruits, bringing a lot of excitement back to the Ducks' defensive unit after losing stars like linebacker Jeffrey Bassa and defensive end Jordan Burch. He was the No. 2 safety and No. 26 overall recruit in the class.
An Ohio native, McNutt stunned the entire country when he committed to Oregon over its new i-conference rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
A broken leg can take as long as 12 or more weeks to completely heal, which would sideline McNutt until November, when the Ducks would have just four regular-season games remaining.
NEWS: Oregon true freshman DB Trey McNutt has broken his right leg, @PeteNakos_ reports🙏
— On3 (@On3sports) August 11, 2025
McNutt was a five-star in the 2025 class per @Rivals. https://t.co/DkVcgIgDP9 pic.twitter.com/r8LrDiBMfa
Before the news of his injury, there was little doubt that McNutt would contribute considerable minutes for the Ducks this season as a 5-foot-11 and 185-pound true freshman. During his first appearance for the Ducks in Oregon's annual spring game, he contributed a pass breakup for his team.
Don't go into complete panic mode. McNutt wasn't the only star safety that the Oregon head coach Dan Lanning added this offseason. He also poached former Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman from the transfer portal, adding some much-needed experience to the Ducks' secondary.
With McNutt sidelined for at least a couple of months, fans can expect Thieneman to play a much larger role for Oregon this fall.
Oregon and Montana State are scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. PT from Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 30. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.