Oregon got a glimpse of the future last season when freshmen outside linebackers/edge rushers Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti and Blake Purchase made major contributions as first-year players.
Those three combined for 52 total tackles and 5.0 sacks in 2023 .
Now it’s time for them to take the next step.
“Constant climb, you know?” defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi said. “No one here on this defense has arrived. No one here on this defense is talking about the accomplishments of last season. It’s all about moving forward.”
All three certainly look ready to make a jump.
Uiagalelei, who had 18 tackles, 2.0 sacks and two pass breakups last season, showed up camp at 6-foot-5, 270 pounds and has been earning rave reviews from teammates during the first two weeks of fall camp.
“I think everybody’s excited in the room,” Uiagalelei said. “Everybody’s got big goals and big aspirations. We gotta make sure we don’t let outside noises dictate or influence us the wrong way. But I feel like we’re gonna do good.”
Tuioti had 30 tackles and 2.0 sacks in 2023. He was also a menace in the Ducks’ spring game in April when he had five tackles and 2.5 sacks.
The Sheldon High grad put on 15 pounds in the offseason and is now listed at 6-3, 255.
“I think it really improved my game, not only pass rush-wise, but setting edges,” he said. “I think that was an improvement I needed to make from last year.”
Purchase was the only one of the three to play in all 14 games last season. He finished with 5.0 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup.
Like Tuioti, Purchase added weight in the offseason — 10 pounds he said — and is now listed at 6-3, 255.
“I think us being young together allowed our chemistry to really connect,” Tuioti said. “We were all trying to figure it out together. Our room is still really connected. We do a lot of things together and we enjoy time with each other.”
Oregon newcomer to watch
Just like the three sophomores ahead of him, Elijah Rushing has a chance to be an immediate contributor in his first season as a Duck.
The 6-6, 255-pound freshman from Tuscon, Arizona, was a 5-star recruit when he signed his letter of intent in December and joined the team at the Fiesta Bowl in Scottsdale.
“I think he can definitely do things to try and make an impact this season,” Purchase said. “He’s a really hard worker. Elijah, he’s not going to talk a lot but he’s going to put in the work every day.”
Who else to keep an eye on
Often lost in the attention given to the other three sophomore outside linebackers is Emar’rion Winston, a redshirt sophomore who played in all 14 games in 2023 and started the season-opener against Portland State.
The 6-4, 255-pounder from Portland’s Central Catholic High School made 19 tackles last season.
Winston acknowledged snaps could be hard to come by for the players in his position group, but it’s a good problem to have.
“ When you’re in a room full of dogs it can be very easy to be competitive and then take it to a level it shouldn’t go,” Winston said. “But I think our room does a very good job at maintaining a level head in the game because sometimes you’re like, ‘I’m a guy too.’ But we’re all guys and we all understand that and we’re all just cheering each other on.”
Number to know
34.0 — That’s how many sacks the Ducks had in 2023. It was their most since recording 41 in 2019. The 285 yards opponents lost on those sacks was the most since the defense in 2014 had 37 sacks for a loss of 292 yards.
Players that accounted for 19 sacks last season are gone, making it even more imperative this group of young outside linebackers develop into a disruptive pass rush unit.
“Anyone who’s giving us a one-on-one opportunity we need to be able to win,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “So, creating those one-on-ones, and when we do get them, being able to make sure we impact the quarterback. That doesn’t always mean sack. You can impact the quarterback by moving him off his spot, by disrupting the throws. We want to be able to see that from that group.”
Follow Chris Hansen on X @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com . For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon football's young edge rushers have already flashed potential and promise
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