Oregon
Ducks countdown to kickoff: At No. 49, an all-time sack master
The Oregon Ducks start the 2024 season Aug. 31 at home against Idaho. The Oregonian/OregonLive will count down the days with mini-profiles of prominent former and current Ducks whose jersey numbers correspond with the days remaining until the opening kickoff.
Today, No. 49: Defensive end Nick Reed.
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Bio: The Ducks recruited Reed out of Mission Viejo High School (California). During his time at Oregon, Reed earned First-Team All-Pac-10 twice (2007, 2008), was named a First-Team All-American (2008), and was the recipient of the Morris Trophy (2008).
Key statistics: Reed accumulated a long list of impressive statistical accomplishments at Oregon.
- Reed’s 13 sacks in 2008 are tied for first in Oregon history. His 12 sacks in 2007 rank tied for third.
- Twice, Reed had 3 1/2 sacks in a game. That mark ranks tied for second.
- His 29 1/2 career sacks are tops in program history.
- Reed’s 51 1/2 career tackles for loss rank second.
- Reed’s 22 1/2 tackles for loss in 2007 rank second. His 20 tackles for loss in 2008 rank tied for fourth.
- Reed twice had five tackles for loss in a game, a performance that ranks tied for second all-time.
Reed was inducted into the Oregon Hall of Fame in 2020.
University of Oregon Ducks vs Arizona Sun Devils 1st quarter action by Bruce Ely/The Oregonian Nick Reed sacks Rudy Carpenter LC- THE OREGONIANLC- THE OREGONIAN
NFL: The Seattle Seahawks selected Reed in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. He spent one season with the Seahawks and split his second season between the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Reed played in 26 NFL games.
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PRIOR COUNTDOWN POSTS
No. 50: Defensive tackle Popo Aumavae
No. 51: Offensive lineman Jeff Kendall.
No. 52: Linebacker Tom Graham.
No. 53: Defensive lineman Igor Olshansky.
No. 54: Three champion linemen.
No. 55: Centers Hroniss Grasu and Jake Hanson, plus linebacker Casey Matthews.
No. 56: Offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman.
No. 57: Offensive lineman George Dames and the 1957 Rose Bowl team.
No. 58: Defensive end Kenny Rowe and center Jackson Powers-Johnson.
No. 59: Offensive lineman Ian Reynoso.
No. 60: Center Max Unger.
No. 61: Lineman Steve Barnett.
No. 62: Offensive lineman Matt Pierson.
No. 63: Defensive lineman Vince Goldsmith.
No. 64: Lineman Dave Wilcox.
No. 65: Offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius
No. 66: Defensive lineman Taylor Hart.
No. 67: Offensive lineman Jack Patera.
No. 68: Offensive lineman Shane Lemieux.
No. 69: Offensive lineman Bo Thran.
No. 70: Fullback Bob Sanders.
No. 71: Offensive linemen Mark Lewis and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu.
No. 72: Offensive lineman Adam Snyder.
No. 73: Offensive lineman Tyrell Crosby.
No. 74: Offensive linemen Kyle Long and Tom Drougas.
No. 75: Offensive tackle Jake Fisher.
No. 76: Offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr.
No. 77: Offensive lineman Carson York.
No. 78: Offensive linemen Alex Forsyth and Cameron Hunt.
No. 79: Mark Asper, offensive line
No. 80: Wide receivers Lavasier Tuinei, Greg Moser and Ray Palm
No. 81: Wide receiver Bob Newland
No. 82: Wide receiver Lew Barnes and tight end Blake Spence
No. 83: Tight end Ed Dickson and wide receiver Patrick Johnson
No. 84: Tight end Justin Peelle, linebacker Anthony Trucks, and Cam McCormick
No. 85: Pharaoh Brown, Tim Day and Matt Evensen.
No. 86: Wide receiver Paul Burleson.
No. 87: Wide receiver Greg Specht
No. 88: Wide receiver Dwayne Stanford and defensive lineman Brandon Bair
No. 89: This team ended a 25-year drought
No. 90: Tight end Josh Wilcox and defensive lineman Drayton Carlberg
The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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