On top of the loss to UCLA, the last several weeks have been difficult on the Oregon Ducks from an injury standpoint. Oregon saw Dante Moore exit the USC game in an ambulance after a disgusting hit that dealt him a severe concussion that has left him sidelined, potentially for the season. While Dante Moore's injury was the most notable from the USC game, Oregon quietly lost safety Aaron Flowers to an injury which also kept him out of last week's game against UCLA.
Last week, Dan Lanning stated that the Ducks weren't sure if Flowers would be back this season, and on Wednesday, he confirmed everyone's worst fears, revealing the safety had season ending surgery.
Dan Lanning says that S Aaron Flowers had surgery and will be out for the rest of the season.
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) October 14, 2026
The injury is a blow to the Oregon defense, which hasn't been much of an issue since the Oklahoma State game. The Ducks now need to find a full-time starter next to Koi Perich, but it may end up being a position the coaching staff experiments with.
Oregon could turn to young duo to replace Aaron Flowers at safety
The simple answer for the Oregon Ducks would be moving veteran safety Peyton Woodyard into the starting role full-time opposite Koi Perich. The duo played together against UCLA, and it may have resulted in the best safety play the Ducks have gotten in any game this season. While playing Woodyard is the simple answer, Oregon may not be able to afford the simple answer.
At 3-2, the Ducks can have their College Football Playoff hopes completely dashed if the team loses another game, and if that happens, the focus has to shift toward next season. Missing the Playoff this season will be a massive failure, and with the main goal in Eugene being winning a National Championship, the staff would have to start focusing on next season.
The future at the safety position appears to be bright, as Dan Lanning and the coaching staff continue to recruit at a high level. The Ducks have two young former 5-star recruits waiting in the wings at safety, and it may be time to find the duo playing time.
In this era, if a player isn't seeing the field early in their career, the Transfer Portal becomes a major concern, and that rings true for Sophomore Trey McNutt. It looked like McNutt could earn a starting role as a freshman, but his leg injury sidelined him for the year, and has buried him on the depth chart this season.
McNutt has been a key contributor on special teams, and it may be time for the staff to start seeing if he can fill a safety position next season. If Oregon doesn't start to play McNutt, they could be in danger of losing him this offseason, and if the potential is there he's a player that would be great to hold onto.
The other young safety that every fan wants to see more of is true freshman and former 5-star recruit Jett Washington. The freshman phenom flashed his potential with a pair of diving interceptions against Portland State and looks like a key piece for the future of this defense.
At this point, the goal remains finding a way to reach the College Football Playoff which will have the staff leaning on the veterans on this team. The moment that goal is put out of reach, Oregon has to start focusing on the future, and in a way the staff could blend a focus on both, bringing key freshmen into the picture.
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