Three key Oregon EDGE storylines ahead of fall camp 2023
Fall camp is just around the corner for the Oregon Ducks ahead of Dan Lanning’s second season at the helm of the program.
After a 10-3 finish in 2022, Lanning and his staff went to work this offseason overhauling the Ducks’ roster to fit their vision. Oregon will welcome a 30-player signing class that ranked eighth nationally, and it has also added 14 players by way of the transfer portal.
It goes without saying that the 2023 version of Lanning’s Ducks will look vastly different than the 2022 iteration.
As we inch closer to August, the ScoopDuck staff has identified three prominent storylines regarding each of Oregon’s position groups.
Next up, the edge defenders.
The pairing of Burch and Dorlus
In Brandon Dorlus and Jordan Burch, the Ducks possess arguably the best two-man pass-rushing combination of any team in the Pac-12.
Dorlus, a two-time all-conference selection with the Ducks, likely would have been selected in the NFL Draft last spring. But he opted to return for one last ride in Eugene and will have an opportunity to add another quality season to what has been a sensational college career.
Burch is a former 5-star signee in the 2020 class who will join Oregon after three seasons at South Carolina. In his first season as a full-time starter last fall, he racked up 60 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and three pass deflections.
The Dorlus and Burch tandem is going to cause nightmares for opposing offensive coordinators. While neither produced the numbers of sacks they would have lacked last season, both were among the best in their respective conferences at pressuring quarterbacks.
Dorlus ranked seventh nationally last season with 40 quarterback hurries. Burch’s 29 hurries were the 33rd most in the nation and second in the SEC behind only Will Anderson.
Oregon’s coaching staff will have the luxury of rotating both at multiple positions in order to exploit matchup advantages.
“(Burch) — just like Dorlus — can play a (five-technique), can play a six, can play a nine,” Ducks’ defensive line coach Tony Tuioti said in April. “Dorlus, he’s got the position fix to slide in and be a three-technique and take advantage of less athletic guards. So we have the ability to do that.”
The Matayo Uiagalelei hype train
Throughout the spring, Oregon’s players and coaches — often unprompted — mentioned how impressed they were with 4-star signee Matayo Uiagalelei.
“Young Matayo — he’s gonna be a dude, man,” Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. said after the spring game. “Whether people believe it or not, he’s gonna be a dude. … His ability to bend, he can give you power, he can give you speed moves. He’s got it all in his bag.
“You can put him outside, you can put him inside, you can put him at tight end. Whatever. He’s going to be a dude.”
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound true freshman got reps at multiple positions along the front seven during spring ball. During the spring game, he even got a few snaps at tight end.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Uiagalelei plays a big role from the get-go for Oregon, in part because…
The depth is still a bit concerning
In Dorlus, Burch, Uiagalelei, and senior Mase Funa, the Ducks have a strong group of first-unit EDGE defenders. But the lack of proven depth further down the depth chart could prove to be an issue if one of those players is unavailable for any reason.
Jake Shipley is the Ducks’ only other EDGE player who has played meaningful snaps at the college level. But he was injured during spring ball.
Emar’rion Winston had a nice spring after redshirting in 2022 and could see significant playing time. In addition to Uiagalelei, ’23 signee Teitum Tuioti generated a lot of excitement among the Ducks’ players and coaches in April.
Oregon has no shortage of exciting EDGE talent from the ’22 and ’23 signing classes. But they’re going to need a few of those prospects to hit the ground running this fall.
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