‘I feel air under my wings;’ Kobe Savage is at home in Oregon Ducks secondary

For the second year in a row, the Oregon Ducks went to the transfer portal in order to try and find someone at the safety position who can provide an extensive impact in the secondary.

Last year it was Fresno State’s Evan Williams, who went on to lead the team in tackles before getting drafted by the Green Bay Packers. This year, it’s Kansas State’s Kobe Savage who is being tabbed as the newcomer tasked with lifting up the secondary.

The expectations are certainly high for the fifth-year senior. After starting his career at the junior college level, Savage racked up 115 tackles and 6 interceptions in two seasons with the Wildcats. Before those expectations can be reached, though, Savage has to master the defensive scheme that head coach Dan Lanning is throwing at him.

“I feel like I made a big leap from spring ball coming in this fall,” Savage said on Friday. “I know I was a vet, but just trying out this different scheme, trying to figure out all the different terminologies that Coach Tosh and Coach Hampton are using.”

So far, that transition has been going well for the veteran. While he was knocked out of the spring game in the first quarter with a concussion, Savage has felt inspired by the wave of competition in Eugene, and motivated by those around him.

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“I feel like I’ve got a lot of air under my wings going into fall camp,” Savage said. “I feel like it’s been a pretty productive camp.”

Outside of camp, though, is where Savage has noticed the biggest difference from what he’s used to. It’s the connection at Oregon that has stood out, with players and coaches getting close on a personal level, and not just interacting as teammates.

This connection — a pillar of Lanning’s program — has been a breath of fresh air for the transfer.

“Just hanging out outside the facilities,” Savage said. “Coach Lanning and Coach Tosh do a good job bringing us all together to do extracurricular activities at their house. We all have a lot in common, we’ve got one goal, and that’s to win a national championship at Oregon.”

But August is rolling into September, and the time for bonding and team building is coming to a close. Now it’s time for competition, and a hopeful College Football Playoff run for the Ducks.

Fortunately, Savage has connected with his brothers well enough to know that they’re all on the same page going into the season.

“I feel like we all know what’s at stake, and what we need to do.”

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