Jay, here.

A couple of weeks ago, a thread (”DuckD’s In-Depth Pre-Spring Depth Chart”) from one of the eDuck message boards came across my desk here at Duck Sports News and caught my attention.

So, I decided to shoot an email to DuckD to see I could share his analysis with other Duck fans through Duck Sports News. Upon completing his preview, he was more than happy to email his entire entry (Thank you, DuckD).

Instead of publishing the entire entry here, I’ve decided to break it up into more bite-size parts over the course of several days. Here’s a look at the schedule:

Offense
Friday, March 21st: Quarterback
Saturday, March 22nd: Running Back
Sunday, March 23rd: Wide Receiver
Monday, March 24th: Tight End, Half Back
Tuesday, March 25th: Offensive Line

Defense
Wednesday, March 26th: Defensive End
Thursday, March 27th: Defensive Tackle
Friday, March 28th: Linebacker
Saturday, March 29th: Cornerback
Sunday, March 30th: Safety

Before getting to DuckD’s final preview, I just want to take this opportunity to thank him for allowing Duck Sports News to post his previews. I would also like to thank Oregon Duckcast Network and Cameron Resnick for contributing their photography.

Now, let’s take a look at DuckD’s preview at Safety:

DuckD’s Spring Preview: SAFETY

Probable Starter: Patrick Chung sr., Marvin Johnson so.
Depth: Terrell Ward jr., Titus Jackson jr., Todd Doxey fr., Javes Lewis fr.
Incoming: John Boyett fr.

Analysis: Patrick Chung decided to return for his senior year and should help make this one of the best secondaries in the Pac-10, if not the nation. The 2nd team All-American (AP) was Oregon’s top tackler, posting more tackles than any Oregon defensive back in the past 13 years. Pat was 1st team All Pac-10, garnering All Pac-10 honors every year (honorable mention as a freshman and sophomore) he has played for Oregon. He also makes it very difficult to pull him off the field as he is also a special teams mainstay, honored as the Ducks’ outstanding special teams player. Also a talented return man, taking his 1st ever punt return for a TD against the Huskies in ‘06, though he sometimes scares us with his over-his-head catches. Chung had 117 tackles, with 7.5 for loss last year. About the only area he could really improve is at accumulating turnovers. I’d like to see more fumbles caused/recovered and INTs from Pat, but really it’s hard to quibble with the results he’s put on the field over the years. He will go down as one of Oregon’s best DBs and should be 1st team All Pac-10 and push for All-American honors in his final season with the Ducks.

Marvin Johnson saw limited action as Pat Chung’s backup last fall, posting 10 tackles in 12 appearances, but is the front runner for the free safety position heading into spring. Marvin was a terrific asset on kick coverage teams and is a more solid tackler than Matthew Harper last fall FS starter. He will need to show that he can hold up in coverage in order to hold onto the starting spot.

Terrell Ward earned a starting corner position as a freshman before getting injured, allowing Thurmond and Byrd time to get a firm hold on those 2 starting spots. He is solid in coverage and really packs a wallop as a tackler, thus earning him a shot at safety. He will be in the mix for FS and also as Chung’s main backup.

Titus Jackson will need to improve in most aspects of his game in order to hold off the youngsters behind him. He is a junior now and has yet to earn a lot of playing time. I hope he shows that improvement and makes his presence felt this year.

Todd Doxey spent his first fall as a Duck redshirting. He has outstanding potential, but really needs to gain weight to reach his potential. Was scout team player of the week 4 times last fall. Will be in the mix at both safety positions. I am very intrigued to see what Doxey can bring to the table.

Javes Lewis was a late addition to last years’ recruiting class, and not-surprisingly redshirted in his first fall with the Ducks. He has good size, and was originally tried at corner though I believe he has been moved to FS now. Javes will likely be battling for playing time only this year, but he has the talent to be one to watch in the future.

John Boyett is another true freshman who, like Darron Thomas, was able to graduate high school early enough to enroll at Oregon for winter term, thus allowing him to go through winter conditioning and workouts, as well as get a start on his collegiate academics. Boyett displays amazing athletic ability, and if you haven’t seen any of his youtube videos I suggest you check them out. Many have compared him to Jeffrey Maehl, and if those comparisons hold true, we could be seeing a lot of John this coming year. He is a very talented young man as many have said he could be the “jewel” of this recruiting class. There is an opening at FS, and John is here to compete.

THANK YOU, DUCKD, FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO DUCK SPORTS NEWS!

Jay, here.

A couple of weeks ago, a thread (”DuckD’s In-Depth Pre-Spring Depth Chart”) from one of the eDuck message boards came across my desk here at Duck Sports News and caught my attention.

So, I decided to shoot an email to DuckD to see I could share his analysis with other Duck fans through Duck Sports News. Upon completing his preview, he was more than happy to email his entire entry (Thank you, DuckD).

Instead of publishing the entire entry here, I’ve decided to break it up into more bite-size parts over the course of several days. Here’s a look at the schedule:

Offense
Friday, March 21st: Quarterback
Saturday, March 22nd: Running Back
Sunday, March 23rd: Wide Receiver
Monday, March 24th: Tight End, Half Back
Tuesday, March 25th: Offensive Line

Defense
Wednesday, March 26th: Defensive End
Thursday, March 27th: Defensive Tackle
Friday, March 28th: Linebacker
Saturday, March 29th: Cornerback
Sunday, March 30th: Safety

Here’s DuckD’s preview of Cornerbacks:

DuckD’s Spring Preview: CORNERBACK

Photography courtesy of Oregon Duckcast Network & Cameron Resnick

Probable Starter: Walter Thurmond III jr., Jairus Byrd jr.
Depth: Willie Glasper jr., Talmadge Jackson III so., Anthony Gildon so., Chad Peppars so., William Wallace fr.
Incoming: Kenjon Barner fr., Scott Grady fr.

Analysis: Walter Thurmond III has been a great player for Oregon since day 1. He has led us in passes defensed for 2 years running. WT3 is an outstanding tackler for a corner, and is very solid in coverage. Has great ability to break on the ball and break up the pass, and also has terrific hands as evidenced by his 5 INTs last year. Walter if very athletic, and is a good hurdler as well as football player, but the one thing I think will help make him better (and improve his eventual NFL stock) is for him to put on a little more muscle mass. He’s listed as 6′ (which I’m not sold on) and looks much slighter than his listed weight of 185. I think an extra 10lbs of muscle (without losing any speed/quickness) would do wonders for him dealing with bigger receivers. WT3 should push for All-Conference honors with a chance at All-American honors.

Jairus Byrd is flat out a playmaker. Some of his interceptions over the past couple of years have just been amazing! He has led the team in INTs in both of his years of playing with 5 as a freshman and 7 last year as a sophomore, putting him tied for 8th in career INTs. Honorable mention All Pac-10 last year after leading the league in INTs with 7, placing 3rd in the conference in passes defended with 15 (behind WT3), and tying for 7th with 3 fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a 33 yard TD in the Civil War. Jairus is the more physical of our 2 starters, and reminds me a lot of Justin Phinisee in his build and style of play, he even returned punts at the end of the year just as Phin did. Byrd started the year off with a bang, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble in each of the first 2 games, and also closed the year big gathering 7 tackles, 2 INTs, and 4 pass breakups in the Sun Bowl. Byrd, like Thurmond, will push for All-Conference honors, with the potential for All-American honors.

Willie Glasper has so far not lived up to the hype that came with him from high school, but that is partly due to the talents of Byrd and Thurmond which have kept him from seeing as much playing time as I’m sure he’d like. Willie has shown improvement over the past few years, but he needs more playing time to really get the experience that will help him the most. He has all the tools to be a good starter, and if he shows enough this spring there is the chance that Byrd might be slid over to free safety allowing Willie to start in order to get the best 4 on the field.

Talmadge Jackson III has so far made his biggest impact on punt and kickoff coverage teams, but he has all the talent necessary to be a future star corner for the Ducks. He was terrific on punt coverage and will push Willie Glasper for playing time as the first DB off the bench. Played in all 13 games as a true freshman, recording tackles in 7 of them. I also would be a little surprised to NOT see him tried at punt or kick returner this year.

Anthony Gildon had a pass breakup in his first game action at Michigan and recorded his first tackle, which was for a loss, in the Sun Bowl as a true freshman. Like Talmadge, he has a lot of skill and potential but needs more playing time to really gain experience and improve. Gildon has great height at 6′1″ but could use some more bulk from his current weight of 175 in order to handle the more physical receivers he’ll face. I think Talmadge and Anthony will be very good before their Oregon careers are done.

Chad Peppars was expected to be one of the top backups at corner last fall, but the talents of Jackson and Gildon pushed him down the depth chart. He has ability, but will have his work cut out for him to climb his way back up.

William Wallace (Braveheart) redshirted last year as a freshman. Wallace was a high school teammate of Walter Thurmond, and was lightly recruited due to a knee injury his junior year which kept him from attending camps. He has great speed, as evidenced by his best time of 10.9 in the 100 meters and also has good strength, recording a 365lbs squat. Wallace will provide good depth this year and it will be interesting to watch his growth, as the coaching staff felt he was a “diamond-in-the-rough” type of player.

Kenjon Barner was a dynamic offensive player in high school, but the coaches see his future at corner. He will have a chance to see the field this fall as a return man, putting his rushing and receiving skills to good use. Barner has great quicks and good speed, but will need to get bigger and stronger in order to get the most out of his abilities.

Scott Grady was Mr. Everything for his high school (Tigard) last fall. He was a dynamic offensive player with the ball in his hands and terrific on defense, many times ending up with the ball in his hands. Like Barner, his immediate future for Oregon might be as a return man, but they should both make their mark at corner when their time comes. Grady is also an accomplished skateboarder, not your typical football player past-time, but it says a lot about the athleticism and fearlessness that he possesses.

Tomorrow: SAFETY

Jay, here.

A couple of weeks ago, a thread (”DuckD’s In-Depth Pre-Spring Depth Chart”) from one of the eDuck message boards came across my desk here at Duck Sports News and caught my attention.

So, I decided to shoot an email to DuckD to see I could share his analysis with other Duck fans through Duck Sports News. Upon completing his preview, he was more than happy to email his entire entry (Thank you, DuckD).

Instead of publishing the entire entry here, I’ve decided to break it up into more bite-size parts over the course of several days. Here’s a look at the schedule:

Offense
Friday, March 21st: Quarterback
Saturday, March 22nd: Running Back
Sunday, March 23rd: Wide Receiver
Monday, March 24th: Tight End, Half Back
Tuesday, March 25th: Offensive Line

Defense
Wednesday, March 26th: Defensive End
Thursday, March 27th: Defensive Tackle
Friday, March 28th: Linebacker
Saturday, March 29th: Cornerback
Sunday, March 30th: Safety

Here’s DuckD’s preview of the Quarterback position:

DuckD’s Spring Preview: QUARTERBACK

Photography courtesy of Oregon Duckcast Network and Cameron Resnick.

Probable Starter: Nate Costa so.
Depth: Justin Roper so., Cade Cooper jr., Cody Kempt so.
Incoming: Darron Thomas fr., Chris Harper fr.

Analysis: As long as Costa is fully recovered, physically and mentally, from his knee surgery we should be in great shape at QB. He has a terrific grasp of the system and has shown real leadership potential since he’s arrived here, and particularly with the way he has taken Darron Thomas under his wing this winter.

Roper showed in the CW and Sun Bowl that he is definitely capable of running the show. He would make a decent starter and will prove a very good #2. The offense may not be as explosive as it could be with Roper at the helm, but it could still be very good.

Kempt really needs to show marked improvement, in my opinion, to even remain in the discussion for QB. If he doesn’t make some big jumps in the spring, I think he either gets moved, switches to baseball, or looks at transferring.

Cooper is one of the guys we’ll all be watching this spring, and I think he’s kind of been lost in the shuffle with the additions of Thomas and Harper. He was strongly in the running to start for BYU before he got hurt, and it will be interesting to see if he can make things interesting for Costa and Roper.
Thomas has a little head start on his fellow freshman because he’s been here for all of winter workouts and conditioning. He’s got some limited time with Chip Kelly to work on his mechanics, and he’s gotten a good amount of time with the offensive players running Oregon’s plays. Not to mention a lot of 1-on-1 time with Nate Costa, learning the finer points of this offense. I don’t expect him to push for the starting job, but he very well could push to be the #3 guy and travel.

Harper seems to be the least “polished” as a passer right now, and unless he makes some quick improvement under Chip Kelly’s guidance this spring, I think he’s destined to redshirt. Assuming of course that his desire to see action this fall doesn’t lead him to switch positions. If he switches positions, I could see him playing a decent amount this fall. The only question would be: what position? I would guess, in this scenario, WR and RB would be the two most likely spots to see his talents quickly. Either way, I think these 2 freshmen will be watched very closely this spring to see how they develop.

Tomorrow: RUNNING BACK