Oregon’s three most important post-spring defensive position battles

While spring ball has come to a close in Eugene, the Oregon Ducks still have a handful of significant roles up for grabs on both sides of the ball.

The ScoopDuck staff is breaking down Oregon’s three most important defensive position battles ahead of fall camp.

Both cornerback spots

Oregon’s cornerback room appears to be in a much better place than it was when the 2022 season came to an end.

But it’s still unclear dary who will ultimately be the program’s starting field and boundary corners next fall.

Trikweze Bridges is back after starting at boundary cornerback for the Ducks last year. From a sheer experience standpoint, he would seem to be the most natural fit to replace Christian Gonzalez as Oregon’s starting field corner.

But Bridges spent the spring repping at safety, too, and his skill set could be better suited to stick at boundary corner, where he performed well in 2022.

Former 5-star signee Dontae Manning is entering his fourth season with the program and could be poised to step into a starting life after a strong showing during spring ball. He could be in the mix to start at either corner spot. Jahlil Florence was Oregon’s most impactful defensive freshman last season and will also be in the mix to start.

It’s possible that the Ducks’ No. 1 option at field corner could be Alabama transfer Khyree Jackson.

Inside linebacker

With Noah Sewell, Justin Flowe, Jackson LaDuke, and Keith Brown all gone from last year’s roster, Oregon is in the midst of overhauling its inside linebacker room.

It’s safe to say that junior Jeffrey Bassa will likely lock down one of the starting jobs in the middle of the Ducks’ defense. He was second on the team in tackles last season and could be poised to take a big step forward in his second season as a starter.

At this point, Iowa transfer Jestin Jacobs seems to be the most likely candidate to start alongside Bassa.

But Arizona State transfer Connor Soelle and converted safety Jamal Hill are both going to see plenty of playing time next fall, too.

Nickel

As was the case last season, Oregon features a couple of intriguing, versatile options at nickel.

Bennett Williams excelled in the role last season and also played plenty at box safety. In order to replace the standout senior, Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi added Ole Miss transfer Tysheem Johnson via the transfer portal during the offseason.

Like Williams, Johnson is capable of occupying a few different roles. Last season, he played 230 snaps at box safety, 217 at nickel, and 142 at free safety.

During spring ball, fourth-year sophomore JJ Greenfield made a compelling case for playing time. A former 3-star signee who left the program during the 2021 season, Greenfield re-joined the Ducks in spring 2022 as a walk-on and could prove to be a valuable piece of Oregon’s secondary next fall.

The X-factor for Oregon at nickel could be true freshman Cole Martin. A 4-star signee who was the No. 215 overall prospect in the ’23 class, Martin stole the show during the Ducks’ April 29 spring game.

While Oregon features no shortage of veteran options in the secondary, Martin may prove too valuable to keep of the field next season.

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