Four Oregon defensive players whose stock rose during fall camp

With five defensive starters back from last year’s team — and one from 2021 — Oregon is loaded with top-end talent.

But after rebuilding their defense through the transfer portal, the Ducks had a few key roles up for grabs when fall camp began at the start of August. Throughout the last four weeks, several less-heralded players delivered strong performances that have put them in contention to crack the two-deep for the Sept. 2 season-opener against Portland State in Eugene.

Here are four Oregon defensive players whose stock rose during fall camp.

ILB Devon Jackson

Oregon features four veterans — Jeffrey Bassa, Jestin Jacobs, Jamal Hill, and Connor Soelle — who are projected to crack the two-deep at the two inside linebacker spots.

And yet, it might prove difficult for the Ducks’ coaching staff to keep redshirt freshman Devon Jackson on the sideline this season.

Jackson has always been an exceptional athlete. But since arriving in Eugene in 2022, he has developed into one of the top athletes in all of college football. At 6-foot-2, 228 pounds, he is one of the fastest players on Oregon’s team, regardless of position, and is the ideal fit for Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi’s scheme.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen in my entire life someone that big move that fast,” Soelle said during Oregon’s media day last month. “That was my first impression — coming here and seeing him outrun defensive backs, it’s just kind of amazing.”

DL Ben Roberts

More than any defensive player on Oregon’s roster, sophomore defensive lineman Ben Roberts has benefited immensely from having a year under his belt in the Ducks’ scheme.

As head coach Dan Lanning described it, Roberts has a much better understanding of what his job is on a play-to-play basis than he did at this time last year.

“Ben Roberts is one that definitely taken a big step from coming in as a young guy,” Oregon defensive line coach Tony Tuioti said. “He’s taking some, some really good reps even against the ones and he’s showing up. So he’s a lot more stout in the run game and he’s been able to push and collapse the pocket in the pass game.”

With Popo Aumavae and Taki Taimani in the fold, regular game time won’t exactly be easy to come by for Roberts in 2023. But his emergence this fall is a positive sign for the Ducks nonetheless.

DB Tysheem Johnson

When former Ole Miss standout Tysheem Johnson joined Oregon back in January, it was clear that he was going to fill a big role in the secondary.

Until recently, that was expected to be at the nickel position.

But over the past few weeks, Johnson seems to have leapfrogged Bryan Addison and taken hold of the Ducks’ starting field safety job. He could still feature at nickel, too — more on that later.

Johnson and projected starting boundary safety Evan Williams have forged a strong connection ahead of their respective first seasons at Oregon. Their additions to the Ducks’ defense could add the type of physicality that was missing for much of last season.

DB Dontae Manning

This is going to be a make-or-break season for Dontae Manning.

In three seasons at Oregon, the former 5-star signee has not played more than 258 defensive snaps in a single year. Prior to fall camp, it seemed as though he might be buried behind Khyree Jackson, Trikweze Birdges, Nikko Reed, and Jahlil Florence at cornerback.

However, due to some shifting roles throughout the Ducks’ secondary, Manning’s path to playing time now looks much more clear.

As previously mentioned, Johnson looks like the frontrunner to start at field safety. Meanwhile, Reed and Florence both said this fall that they have been repping primarily at nickel. With that in mind, Jackson, Bridges, and Manning would seem to be Oregon’s three primary options at the outside cornerback spots.

The majority of the Ducks’ defensive backs are cross-trained at multiple positions, and it’s possible Florence and Reed could still figure at the outside cornerback spots. But for now, Manning appears to still be in contention for a prominent role.

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