kirklandduck

Either Kansas paid him an obscene amount of money or there's been trouble with him behind the scenes...

We're probably seeing why DL wasn't really pushing to sign this guy.

This was exactly what I was thinking and have mentioned it on other threads as well. DB starters overall were undersized to begin with and it showed against teams like Ohio State. DL and coach Hampton have been addressing this over the last couple recruiting classes so help is coming but it takes time to develop.

The more I think about it, the more I believe this will be the most important pick up for next season. OBD interior oline always felt thin this past season and if Bedford gets his medical exception granted, I'm not confident he'll stay healthy all season. Pregnon and Iuli will both be very important in 2025.

Beck confirmed going to Miami. Carson Beck's portal time short-lived as QB commits to Miami - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM Carson Beck has committed to Miami, just 24 hours after the former Georgia quarterback hit the transfer portal.

🤦‍♂️what a waste of youth and talent. I hope he gets some serious counseling or something before his life goes completely off the rails.

With Makhi Hughes coming in and presumably becoming RB1, I wonder if Noah will transfer out at some point.

That's exactly what I'd like to see him improve on going into next season is his ability to drop back and cover when necessary.

I'm not sure about massive, given Riley's record of recruiting and developing in the trenches (which has always been poor). But that combination of size and experience can at least add to the 2-deep. Oregon's interior oline depth has felt dangerously shallow this past season.

Oh I absolutely agree. I just don't have faith that the CFP committee is going to change anything quickly so I expect DL, Kirby, and other perennial contenders to switch to this mindset. A 2 loss B10 or SEC team will generally get in so I can see them using that cushion strategically late in the season.

Should be interesting to see him next season and whether he takes over WR1. Logically he should be much more comfortable playing in the same system for a 2nd year.

I think after what happened this season, the B1G Championship has become less important IMO (especially since the CFP is unlikely to change anything next season). I'd rather have the 5 seed and have an easier road to the semifinals like Penn St than the path Oregon was rewarded with for their effort.

WR Malik Benson, intrigued by QB Dante Moore, commits to Oregon - ESPN WWW.ESPN.COM Wide receiver Malik Benson commits to Oregon. He had some pretty subpar stats at FSU last season which most are saying is because of bad QB play. Should be interesting to see how this shakes out.

This mindset will start changing after what happened to all of the top 4 seeded CFP teams. I wouldn't be surprised if DL might start pulling starters the last game of the season next year if their seat on the CFP is confirmed. Look at Kansas City, they basically pulled most of theirs because they were already 15-1 heading into the matchup with Denver this past weekend. The big loss on the surface isn't a good look but in context made perfect sense.

Transfer WR Malik Benson joins Oregon for 2025 football season WWW.SI.COM Transfer wide receiver Malik Benson has committed to Oregon out of the portal for the 2025 college football season, the player announced. Benson played last sea

I like listening to Josh Pate because he always offers very nuanced opinions backed up with facts and common sense. I think he's spot on with where DL is in his career and how that aligns with Oregon's trajectory. Most fair weather fans I see online are quick to dump on him and Oregon for losing a game (albeit in the playoff) with complete disregard on how much he's accomplished in his 3 years as a HC. I also think we should keep in mind that Will Stein is also very young and has only been an OC for 3 seasons as well. Putting that into context, I like where the program is headed.

After Bo got injured in year 1 I think it was a deliberate decision by DL to ask WS (or potentially any incoming OC) to greatly minimize QB runs which I can completely understand. I do think they dialed it back a bit too much through. Some games Bo and DG didn't run at all and I feel like just 3 or 4 designed QB runs per game would be just enough to keep opposing defenses honest.

Bo is a very high IQ player who, combined with several years experience, really excelled in Oregon's offense. DG shares many of those traits which is why he had similar success here. Watching Bo perform in the NFL this year probably made a lot of teams wish they had taken him earlier!

I hope Steward and Bryant Jr. return next season. Then you only need to worry about the other two WR slots which would provide opportunities for the younger recruits to show how much they've developed over the last 2-3 years.

Next season is a transition year because of the turnover in so many position groups, mostly importantly at QB. The real test will be how well the HS recruits have been developed since DL's 2023/2024 recruiting classes will be in their 2nd and 3rd years in the program. If things have gone as well as I hope, there's no reason OBD couldn't have a 2 loss season and make it into the CFP for a 2nd straight year.

Kind of wish he took Dante's time at UCLA as a cautionary tale.

Well that's the thing, it would require the offense (and defense) to be extremely aggressive to blow out a team by halftime. Based on what I've seen this past season, DL and WS look like they're deliberately slowing down play overall to last what could be a 16 game run (not to mention hiding a large amount of the playbook until later in the season).

I get the feeling that we'll see fewer blowouts in the coming years due to the lengthening of the season by the CFP. Coaches will be more inclined to dial things back and also reveal less of their playbooks in the interest of succeeding beyond the regular season.

All valid questions and we'll probably see some answers next season. I surmise that the younger underclassman were out performed in practice by the transfers which makes sense since those older kids just know their positions more due to experience (plus DL has shown that he finds solid talent in the portal). It's a catch-22 though since you're importing experienced above average talent at the detriment of on field time for the high school recruits. But in this area I think DL is a little stuck because there's just so much pressure to keep winning that there's less patience to let the younger kids develop on the field because of the risk of losing. But perhaps after experiencing this season there may be more tolerance for getting some of those youngsters on the field more, particularly against the lower end competition like Purdue or Maryland.