The college football calendar is cooked. With the Transfer Portal opening on January 2nd in the middle of the College Football Playoff, players are forced to make a difficult decision between abandoning their team or delaying their future.
Already Oregon has lost three cornerbacks and two safeties to the portal, or more accurately decisions to enter the portal when it opens. According to Max Torres of On3 Sports, a total of six Ducks are leaving the team in search of a new one, unavailable for practice or games for the rest of the season:
CB Sione Laulea
CB Dakoda Fields
CB Jahlil Florence
S Solomon Davis
S Kingston Lopa
WR Justius Lowe
The thing a coach most fears is a run of injuries at one position, or by extension, a run of early portal decisions in one unit. While none of these players were at the top of the depth chart, there's strength in numbers, and these decisions strain Oregon's ability to man the special teams, match up in practice, or deal with the unexpected during a game.
Lopa had one tackle and a pass breakup against James Madison. The others did not play. With their decisions made, Oregon will rely on Dillon Thieneman, Brandon Finney, Ify Obidegwu, Na'Eem Offord, Peyton Woodyard, Jadon Canaday, Aaron Flowers, Trey McNutt and Theran Johnson in the secondary, and pray for health and a disruptive pass rush.
The players are not to blame. In to enroll at a new school in time for winter term or winter semester, they need to find a new team by mid-January, and only the top 50 percent of transfers will find one at the FBS level.