Portal toll rises as Ducks lose 12 players ahead of Peach Bowl

After one day 12 Oregon players have entered the Transfer Portal or announced plans to enter it, a sad reality of poor planning and mismanagement by the NCAA.

The Ducks are preparing for the Peach Bowl, a rematch against Indiana in the College Football Playoff semifinal in Atlanta, Thursday January 9 at 4:30 p.m. PT, yet they will be missing a dozen players from their roster with possibly more to come:

QB Austin Novosad

RB Jay Harris

WR Kyler Kasper

WR Justius Lowe

OL Lipe Moala

CB Sione Laulea

CB Jahlil Florence

CB Dakoda Fields

Nickel Daylen Austin

Nickel Solomon Davis

SAF Kingston Lopa

TE Kade Caton

Of these, Austin and Lopa were in the two-deep in the secondary, Lopa 20th on the team in tackles with 12, one pass breakup and one sack. Austin, a sophomore from Long Beach, California, posted 10 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups. Both were four-star recruits.

While the players' individual decisions to leave the program are understandable in terms of their futures, it creates a depth concern with the team two games away from a potential national championship. There will be reshuffling, particularly in the secondary where six portal entries dent the depth chart.

Ducks face a numbers crunch as they compete for the ultimate prize

It's absurd that college football does this, the only sport where free agency begins smack dab in the middle of the playoffs. While Oregon will probably be okay, the timing of the portal leaves them with three healthy, experienced safeties and only Jadon Canaday at the star position.

Secondary coach and new defensive coordinator Chris Hampton will have to rely on cross-training and a little bit of injury luck in the final two games. Five-star freshman Trey McNutt is nearing a return from a fall camp injury while reserves Dorian Brew, Na'eem Offord and Theran Johnson are versatile players. After that it gets sketchy.

Starters Dillon Thieneman, Brandon Finney, Aaron Flowers, Peyton Woodyard, Jadon Canaday and Ify Obidegwu have played so far above the line that it may not matter. Finney was defensive MVP of the Orange Bowl with two interceptions, six tackles and a fumble recovery. Canaday made a key stop on 4th and 2.