Star Oregon football DL Jordan Burch receives massive praise

It's officially game week and if you're an Oregon football fan, you have to be more excited about the start of the 2024 season than any in recent memory.

Oregon is considered the third-best team in college football heading into the season but experts like Desmond Howard and Kirk Herbstreit actually believe that the Ducks are going to win the national title. The belief in Dan Lanning is through the roof and if there's one team not named Georgia or Ohio State that's going to make some noise this year, it has to be Oregon.

If the Ducks are going to live up to those elevated expectations, there's going to have to be a handful of veterans stepping up and having their best years yet.

Obviously Dillon Gabriel is the first guy that comes to mind when you think of a veteran who needs to have a career year, but The Athletic believes that Jordan Burch might be the most impactful player on the Ducks' 2024 roster.

In fact, The Athletic posted its 10 non-quarterbacks who will have the biggest impact on the playoff race this season and Burch was mentioned, as pointed out by Jared Mack from 247Sports.

It's a fair list and Burch makes sense on it. He could be the most impactful defensive player on the roster and Oregon is a top-three team in the nation. Two years ago, he transferred from South Carolina and was the No. 11 portal player on the market -- along with the No. 1 defensive end. His first year at Oregon was quiet until the end, but the former five-star really turned it on late.

Burch finished with 34 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks last season after compiling 105 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and a pick-six in his three years at South Carolina.

The expectations for the talented defensive end in 2024 are sky-high. Just ask the experts.