EUGENE, Ore. — Following the departures of fixtures Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers, and Popo Aumavae, Oregon's defensive line room will have a new look for the 2024 season.
While there will still be impactful veterans like Jordan Burch, Keyon Ware-Hudson, and Houston transfer, Jamaree Caldwell, the ceiling of this group will be decided by the growth and contributions that they receive from their young defenders.
Across the board, the Ducks' front seven is an extremely young group. Overall, 11 of Oregon's 15 defensive linemen and all seven of their outside linebackers will be either freshmen or sophomores this season.
During Tuesday's post-practice press conference, defensive line coach, Tony Tuioti discussed what he's seen from the team's youth this spring.
"The young guys have been doing really, really good in terms of just wanting to be better," Tuioti said. "You gotta have to want to. They're coming in and they're asking a lot of really good questions."
Tuioti — who starred on the defensive line for Hawaii before going into coaching — has done an excellent job at recruiting since joining the Ducks in late 2021 as a member of Dan Lanning's inaugural coaching staff.
In 2023 and 2024 — the classes that make up this deep group of young talent — Oregon signed 15 defensive linemen who are now on the spring roster. This group includes one five-star, 10 four-stars, and four three-star recruits.
"These guys just graduated in December, and they're here in January," Tuioti said of the 2024 recruiting class. "So, guys like Aydin Breland, Xadavien Sims, Tionne Gray, and Jericho Johnson… They're working really hard to try to close the gap. It's a big gap. But, I'm pretty pleased in terms of their want to learn and they're doing a really good job leaning on the older guys."
One young guy who has already made some big contributions is edge rusher, Matayo Uiagalelei. As a true freshman last year, the former four-star recruit recorded two sacks and three tackles for loss while playing over 300 snaps across 13 games.
"It sounds cliche, but everything," Uiagalelei said when asked what part of his game he worked on this off-season. "I'm always trying to get better at pass rush and the run game. Probably to be more physical. We've all just been working on the same things, just to try and be our best."
Another young edge rusher who was able to contribute last year was coach Tuioti's son, Teitum Tuioti. He played over 250 snaps across 13 games, recording two sacks and four tackles for loss.
"It's truly a blessing, honestly," Tuioti said of having the opportunity to play for his dad. "I love my dad, I love having him around, I love seeing him around too. Growing up, obviously, I didn't really see him as much as I could, but just having him around is amazing. I think it helped me transition into college, helped me on the field… It truly helps. It helps me get the plays down. Last year, a big part of why I was playing was because I knew my plays, and he's one of the reasons why."
The feeling is undoubtedly mutual.
"Just proud of him and just in terms of how much he's really been able to take advantage of the resources here," the elder Tuioti said of his son. "Just seeing him, year two now in the system, being able to understand the big picture of the defense and being able to execute it and be able to go out there and make some plays. I'm just proud of him and just in terms of how he's been able to handle all that like a pro."
In addition to Burch, Caldwell, and Ware-Hudson, Tuioti mentioned the names of three second-year players who have stood out so far in camp: My'Keil Gardner, Blake Purchase, and A'Mauri Washington.
Gardner, a former three-star prospect from Arizona, opted to redshirt last season, playing 18 snaps over the course of three games.
"I've really been really impressed with My'keil Gardner," Tuioti said on Tuesday. "He's been having a really, really good spring, both in the run and the pass game. I think he's somebody if he continues to do what he does, he's gonna be able to contribute a lot for us this year. Really excited about that."
Purchase made more of a contribution last year, playing in all 14 of Oregon's games. Rated as a four-star prospect and Colorado's best player in the 2023 high school class, Purchase played over 175 snaps last season, totaling 10 quarterback pressures, one sack, and two tackles for loss.
"Blake Purchase has been growing a lot," said Tuioti. "Just expanding his game from being just a third-down pass rusher to being an all-down type of player."
Washington, a four-star prospect also from Arizona, appeared in eight games for the Ducks last year, recording two tackles while playing a total of 73 snaps.
"A'Mauri Washington is somebody that's grown a lot," Tuoiti said. "Super powerful. He's probably one of the most powerful guys that I've seen throughout my career, just in terms of being able to knock people back. But once he can get his fundamental technique consistent, he's gonna be tough to block."
The Ducks will be without players who contributed a total of 19 sacks last season, a lot of production to replace, but Tuioti is excited about what his group can do this year.
"Obviously, there's some guys that played a lot, but we got some young guys that can really go get after the quarterback, and they've been able to show that this spring. So our goal is to beat that. And so that's the standard that we have and we got the guys that can go rush and go make it happen."