The Holdovers: Ranking the 5 most valuable returning starters for Oregon football

Oregon sent 23 seniors to Pro Day but the cupboard isn't bare. They've brought in the No. 5 recruiting class for 2025, on top of the No. 6 class in 2024, so there's plenty of up-and-coming talent. But the heart, soul and nucleus of the 2025 team will be the veterans, the leaders and playmakers who define the culture.

It's a formidable list. At FanDuel the national championship odds put the Ducks at +650, tied for the second-best odds to win it all with Texas, trailing only 2024 champion Ohio State at +600. In the preseason rankings at ESPN the Ducks are No. 6, behind OSU, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Georgia. Expectations remain high. The five below are the primary justification for that optimism.

1. Matayo Uiagalelei

Oregon's best pro prospect led the Big Ten in sacks as a sophomore with 10.5, intercepted a pass to seal the Wisconsin game, yet the league's coaches left him off the All-Big-Ten first team (Abdul Carter and JT Tuimoloau passed him in the postseason.)

Uiagalelei, 6-5, 270 from St. John Bosco High in Bellflower, California, was a finalist for Polynesian Player of the Year. He racked up 12.5 tackles for loss in 2024, two forced fumbles, a blocked kick, two pass breakups and the interception, recording a sack in 9 games, two against Idaho and Washington.

A five-star recruit in 2022, Uiagalelei chose the Ducks over USC and Ohio State, the No. 20 prospect in the nation that year. If he follows his breakout 2024 season with another leap in production and technique this season, he could be a first-round NFL draft pick in April 2026.

Uiagalelei put together his marvelous sophomore season despite Jordan Burch missing five games on the side opposite. In 2025 he'll have Teitum Tuioti, Bear Alexander, Elijah Rushing, Amauri Washington and Blake Purchase working with him on the defensive front. They should prove to be a disruptive group, particularly with more speed and length in the secondary.

2. Iapani "Poncho" Laloulu

Laloulu started 12 games last season after appearing in 14 as a true freshman and starting the Fiesta Bowl against Liberty. He's the anchor now, firmly established as the leader and playcaller for the offensive line.

The 6-5, 320 junior from Farrington High School in Honolulu, Hawaii played a team-high 970 snaps last season and did not allow a sack in 498 pass plays, graded by PFF at 80.6 in pass blocking and 71.1 leading running plays. He's mobile and strong, a leader by example, proud of his heritage and in representing island football.

In 2025 he's one of the top returning offensive lineman in the country and a Rimington Award candidate. Poncho has a big challenge in front of him, leading an o-line that's completely rebuilding after sending Josh Conerly, Ajani Cornelius, Marcus Harper II and Nishad Strother to the NFL. He's the heir to a tradition of great offensive line play advanced by Jackson Powers-Johnson and Penei Sewell, both of whom have made bank in the NFL.

3. Bryce Boettcher

It's a young Oregon defense in 2025, particularly on the back end. Boettcher takes over the leadership role from departed senior Jeffrey Bassa, who ran a 4.63 40 at the NFL combine, 4.55 at Oregon Pro Day.

Boettcher led the Ducks last season with a career-high 94 tackles. The former Webfoot baseball centerfielder picked off a pass against UCLA and had two sacks. With a year to concentrate on football he could take his game to another level in 2025. Against Washington in November he let loose for 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a sack. That's how high the ceiling is.

After Boettcher had 11 tackles against Oregon State last September Dan Lanning said, “I love Bryce Boettcher I wish I had a million Bryce Boettchers.”



“This guy, the way he works, what you guys see in the game is what I see every single day in practice. Sometimes he hits one of our own players, and I’ve got to make him go run around the field goal post. It’s good when you’re playing another team because you’ve got that guy on your side.”

4. Teitum Tuioti

Tuioti is versatile and quietly competent, Robin to Uiagalelei's Batman but with fewer gadgets and much snazzier uniforms.

From Sheldon High School in Eugene by way of Laie, Hawaii, the son of Oregon's line coach Tony Tuioti would be an impact player if his name were John Smith. He was a three-star recruit in the class of 2022 but quickly impressed veterans with his advanced technique and nonstop motor in his first fall camp.

Tuioti became a full-time starter in 2024 and responded with 58 tackles, fourth on the team, 5.5 sacks, third. PFF graded him 80.1 in tackling and a 78.3 in pass rush. In 2025, sure of his assignments, firmly entrenched in the starting lineup, a leader and a veteran with 27 games experience and 14 starts. Tuioti's ready to be an all-league candidate and an NFL prospect at 6-3, 255.

5. Evan Stewart

A five-star recruit from Liberty High School in Memphis, Tennessee and the No. 1-rated transfer last season when he came to the Ducks from Texas A&M, Stewart remains a bit of an enigma. He oozes talent and flashes greatness. In the 32-31 win over Ohio State in October he torched the Buckeyes for seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with a 10-catch, 92-yard performance against Wisconsin in November but in the last three games of the year he was strangely quiet, just one catch for four yards against Washington, no catches against Penn State, scratched at the Rose Bowl with a back injury.

Stewart has the hands and route-running skills to be a high NFL draft pick, but he's never put together a full season as a collegian and never realized all of his five-star potential. Part of that has been being featured in the offense, and this year with Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden gone there's a huge production gap to step into. The Ducks need a number one receiver. In Dante Moore they have a quarterback with the arm to throw deep and intermediate routes. Stewart could be a star, the Ducks' number one receiver, provided he's healthy and focused. He made the prudent decision to return to school and improve his draft grade. It will be fascinating to see what he makes of it.

Other valuable returning players: Noah Whittington, Kenyon Sadiq, Dave Iuli, Amauri Washington, Devon Jackson, Jahlil Florence, Justius Lowe, Gary Bryant Jr.

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