For many athletes, their sports career can take them great lengths. Senior offensive lineman Nishad Strother isn’t a stranger to a journey, whether he’s transferring to the University of Oregon from East Carolina University going into his junior year, or battling an acromioclavicular injury to the shoulder that kept him out from all but five of Oregon’s games during the 2023 season.

Now the lineman, who primarily takes reps at left and right guard, is ready to make the next jump in his journey: starting for Oregon this season.

Nishad’s versatility will be needed as projected right guard Duck starter Matthew Bedford, will be out for a projected significant amount of time this season with a knee injury.

“You hate to see a guy get hurt, especially Matt. He’s been a good guy for our room and all that. Hate to see him go down. It’s next man up mentality, always. So, I hope he comes back soon enough. But you know, next man up for now,” Strother said.

Getting back to the field after such a painful injury can be quite the challenge, as Strother elaborated. He assures that he’s back to one hundred percent as he’s vying for a top roster spot.

“Yeah, I was in a pretty tough spot last year, you know, dealing with the shoulder injury, you know, and kind of regressing a little bit from all the progress that I had made,” Strother said. “I was in a tough spot mentally, honestly, but you know, I had some good guys around me, and, you know, I’m happy to be back and healthy this year. So we’ll see what happens.”

“I do. I feel back to normal,” Strother said. “The rehab was a long process in the beginning. The AC was something I had never dealt with before. Kind of different, you know, grade three, so it was pretty significant. So dealing with that firstly, or like when it first happened, was kind of difficult, but it’s back to normal now for the most part.”

Being out for a long time can especially be taxing for a line position, as keeping a lineman physique can arguably be even more time-consuming and strategic than skill positions. Maintaining that balance of mass and muscle with explosive agility for release from a three point can be almost impossible with an injury. Building back that physicality and preparing to move big bodies can be a daunting task, as Strother explained.

“Honestly, it took me a while to, you know, throw a punch again, because you don’t want to re aggravate it, you know. But you know, you have to put yourself back, back out there at some point. So, you know, just kind of throw yourself back into the fire and help everything. You trust your rehab, trust your trainers, and everything will be alright,” Strother said.

Strother’s transition back to the trenches truly came to fruition during spring training. During his five game appearances last season, Strother saw 55 snaps with 22 coming from Oregon’s contest versus the Arizona State Sun Devils.

“A little bit during spring ball, you know, I was out there throwing my hands around a little bit. Felt like I was getting back to my old self so it was good to feel,” Strother said.

Strother could be a real asset to the big bodies up front. As an all-season starter for ECU, Strother earned a 72.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus and helped clear gaps for the starting quarterback to throw over 3,000 passing yards.

Strother said he’s comfortable with either side of the interior line. A lot of that trust lies within the choice for center, the heartbeat of any trench. To Strother, the versatility in mastering multiple positions in the trenches Duck offensive lineman are known for still stands.

“Charlie Pickard, Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu, Kanen Rossi even. Yeah, I’m comfortable with all those guys [who] are really smart. Know the playbook in and out. So I think we’re solid at center as well,” Strother said.

One of the most tenured groups as far as returning Ducks, the offensive line is set to be fairly strong this year. The biggest departure from last seasons’ 2023 class was center Jackson Powers-Johnson who was drafted second round to the Las Vegas Raiders. According to Strother, that leadership hole has been filled by walk-on Charlie Pickard. The former Sheldon High School lineman walked on to Oregon after being inspired by former Ducks’ center Ryan Walk, who is now an assistant coach with the Ducks.

“I think Charlie’s the leader of our room, honestly,” Strother said. “He’s been here for a long time. He runs a lot of our player-led stuff. I love Charlie to death. I think he’s really the backbone of our room. So Charlie is that guy for me, for sure. He’s a walk on, you know? So, I mean, he deserves everything he’s getting now. the recognition, you know, the rotations, Charlie, deserves it all.”

Focusing more on Oregon’s fall camp, linemen are typically off doing their own thing when it comes to drills. Strother added that the level of talent on the defensive line has added to his own preparation for the season.

“I love going against them. They’re going to make us great,” Strother said. “Yeah, it’s really battles every day, you know, little smack talking here and there. But those are really good players that I think they’re going to be great for us.”

And the addition of two fields for practice, creating two spots, has made far more athletes get much needed reps. Strother claims the line is no exception.

“We got two spot in practice. I think it helps with the conditioning. You know, two groups on each field. So, you know, a lot of the young guys get reps, the older guys get reps. You know, everybody watches each other, you know, conditioning, development, mentally, all that. I think it helps a lot,” Strother said.

Strother said that even the young blood is impressing him in the trenches. But right now, all this group is thinking about is the amount of pancakes they can put up during their introductory season to the Big Ten Conference.

“We’re chomping at the bit,” Strother said. “But, you know, just a few more days, you know, I think it’s 10 now, but yeah, we’ll be out there soon.”

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