Oregon mailbag: The 2023 spring game, the Ducks’ two-deep, and the latest portal departures

With Oregon’s spring game just a few days away, the ScoopDuck staff is firing up the mailbag for the first time since last fall and answering the most pressing questions regarding the Ducks’ football and men’s basketball programs.

For context, some of these questions were submitted early in the week. A few responses have been altered by the Ducks’ flurry of transfer portal departures on Wednesday.

Without further ado, here’s the latest mailbag installment.

Which true freshmen who enrolled early are going to be on the two-deep?

At this point, I think the safest bets would be Kenyon Sadiq and Matayo Uiagalelei.

Cole Martin has had a really, really good spring and it would not be surprising if he’s in the mix when fall camp rolls around. Dante Dowdell has been as impressive as any of the Ducks’ freshmen this spring, and the only thing holding him back might be the talent further up the depth chart.

Which 5 names if you had to guess do you anticipate entering the portal after Saturday?

I know this is the most concerning topic for a lot of Duck fans at the moment, and I appreciate the question. But I don’t think it’s fair to the players for me, or anybody who covers the team, to publicly speculate who might enter the portal.

Since this question was submitted, five Oregon players have entered the portal, putting the program’s scholarship count at 82.

Which position/player do you think Dana Altman has his eye on next? And do you think anyone else might leave the program?

Oregon has to find a way to add a knockdown shooter.

The additions of Kario Oquendo and Devan Cambridge both improved the overall quality of the roster, I think. But Oquendo is a 27% three-point shooter, and Cambridge is a 29% three-point shooter. The only player expected to return in 2023-24 who shot better than 35% from three last season is Keeshawn Barthelemy.

Missing out on Dalton Knecht was a significant blow for the Ducks. I’m not really sure where they turn from here, to be honest.

Which offensive and defensive players do you expect to make the biggest jump from 2022 to 2023?

On the offensive side, I think Josh Conerly is going to have an all-conference-type season. Things really started to click for him last December and he’s got all the talent in the world. Jordan James is near the top of my list, too.

Defensively, I think Jeffrey Bassa is going to take a big step forward. He seems much more comfortable now that he has a year under his belt in Lanning and Lupoi’s defense.

Physically, which players look like they’ve changed their bodies the most?

During the first day of spring ball, I hardly recognized Jeffrey Bassa when he walked through the HDC. While Oregon doesn’t list official weights on its spring roster, Bassa said he added 15 pounds during the offseason, which would put him around 232 pounds.

Jamal Hill said he is playing at 230 pounds, or so, this spring after being listed at 211 last year. Noah Whittington said he added 12 pounds and is around 205.

For those who don’t Mase Funa went semi-viral last fall when he listed his go-to McDonald’s order and said he had sworn off the fast food chain in order to drop weight. It worked — he dropped 10 pounds and played at 255 last year. But he said he felt less effective setting the edge last season and wants to play around 260 next year.

Who are some of the players that other players are mentioning as standing out?

I’ll have a longer story about Jordan Burch dropping at some point next month. But the way Oregon’s players have talked about Burch this spring reminds me of the way Kayvon Thibodeaux’s teammates talked about him ahead of his final season in Eugene.

Should we expect big-time backup minutes from Jamal Hill at linebacker? Any word on Devon Jackson’s progression this spring?

I would be surprised if Jamal Hill doesn’t end up playing 20-plus snaps per game next season. it sounds like his transition to linebacker has been a smooth one, and he fits the mold of what Lanning and Lupoi are looking for with their ‘backers.

The portal departure of linebacker Harrison Taggart leads me to believe that redshirt freshman Devon Jackson is going to be depended on quite a bit in 2023.

Last weekend, Lanning spoke really highly of Jackson.

“There have just been a lot of guys that are able to compete (at inside linebacker) and create great depth. Devon Jackson’s had a really great spring. He’s always been a fast player, and he’s playing faster and faster. So it’s fun to see from him. We feel really good about having a guy like him here.”

Will we have first team vs. second team during the spring game or will they have a draft?

For those who missed it, Oregon’s spring game teams were announced Wednesday evening — long after this question was submitted. I highlighted a few exciting individual matchups here.

Lanning was asked earlier this week how the teams were divided up but didn’t care to elaborate.

For what it’s worth, I think the yellow team has a slight advantage on paper. Bo Nix has two tremendous receivers to work with in Troy Franklin and Traeshon Holden, and the defense has starter-caliber players at every level.

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