Dan Lanning provides update on status of Oregon defensive lineman Popo Aumavae

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was unwilling to discuss many details from the Ducks’ first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday afternoon. But he did provide one notable injury update.

Popo Aumavae, Oregon’s senior all-conference nose tackle, was able to take part in the scrimmage after he was absent from Friday’s practice.

“Popo was out there a little bit. (Junior defensive linemen Keyon Ware-Hudson) was not,” Lanning said when asked about the status of each player.

That’s significant news for the Ducks and should prompt a collective sigh of relief from the program’s fan base. Aumavae was one of the top interior defensive linemen in the nation in 2021. But he suffered a foot injury last fall that kept him sidelined for the entire 2022 campaign.

Aumavae was full-go to start fall camp and was seen during each open practice until Friday, when he, Ware-Hudson, receiver Justius Lowe, and redshirt freshman offensive linemen were all absent.

“I’m ready to go,” Aumavae said at Oregon’s media day in July. “I’m ready to strike somebody. .. (last season) was definitely frustrating. But I don’t want to focus on the past. We’re here and we’re moving forward. I’m excited about that.”

Aumavae racked up 16 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss for the Ducks and was consistently one of the best run-stoppers in the Pac-12 in 2022. Pro Football Focus issued him an overall grade of 81.3 last season — the second-best among all Pac-12 interior defensive linemen.

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