Oregon

‘Their time is now;’ Oregon looking for young LBs to step up in spring

Published

1 month ago

March 12, 2026

‘Their time is now;’ Oregon looking for young LBs to step up in spring

After putting together one of the best defenses in the country and coming up just short of a spot in the national championship game, the Oregon Ducks have had a shuffle this offseason. While some key contributors are headed to the pros, a decent chunk of depth skipped town through the transfer portal, making for some new faces on the roster going into spring ball.

Perhaps the biggest departure was linebacker Bryce Boettcher, a Eugene native and former walk-on who led the Ducks with 136 tackles last season and became the heartbeat of the defense. Now, after being promoted to defensive coordinator, a big goal for Chris Hampton this spring will be to find out who can step up in Boettcher’s place.

Senior linebacker Jerry Mixon will take the torch after a breakout fall, posting 65 tackles, five for a loss, and two interceptions in 2025. He could be the linebacker to call plays this season, but the biggest question will be who will stand next to him in the middle of the Oregon defense.

The Ducks haven’t had any issues recruiting talent at linebacker, but it’s all about seeing who is ready to step up and take the open spot. Senior Devon Jackson has been slowly climbing the depth chart and saw the most action of his career last season. There’s also a trio of youngsters to consider, which includes sophomores Dylan Williams, Brayden Platt and Gavin Nix.

Last season, several low-profile players and true freshmen thrived in regular roles. For Hampton, it’s all about being patient and seeing who wants it more.

“I think it’s their time now to take that next step,” Hampton said in an exclusive interview with the Bleav in Oregon Podcast. “Last season, we looked at the secondary, and no one knew Brandon Finney was. No one knew who Aaron Flowers was. He had never played. No one knew who Ify Obidegwu was, and they became three starters for us. I think we’ve recruited really good players. They’ve all got a lot of talent in the linebacker room. Now it’s just time for them to go out there and play and take ownership and understand that their time is now. I think they have, and I like the look in their eyes in the offseason, for sure.”

Jackson made 41 tackles a season ago and was often used in pass coverage because of his speed. That could give him a leg up on the competition, but his production will surely need to scale up this season.

Williams, Platt, and Nix haven’t seen the field much on defense yet, but the Ducks do think highly of them. Platt even converted to running back for the Peach Bowl against Indiana when the Ducks were short at the position. That should say something about how the coaching staff views him as an athlete. All three are former four-star recruits and stand a chance to take a big role in Hampton’s defensive plans this season by putting together a big spring.

“I think they know it’s time for them now to play this,” Hampton said. “There’s no Bryce, you know. So it’s now if someone has to step up, and I think that we’ll have a few guys do that.”

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Oregon

Baseball Rainbows fall in opener at No. 6 Oregon State | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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10 hours ago

April 25, 2026

Press Room

Baseball Rainbows fall in opener at No. 6 Oregon State | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

The sixth-ranked Oregon State baseball team powered its way to a 12-4 victory over Hawaii today at Goss Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.

Dax Whitney, a Freshman All-American last year, allowed a season-high four runs in 6 2/3 innings. Whitney appeared to be in discomfort when he exited after throwing a 3-1 pitch to Noah Rodriguez. Whitney returned to the dugout in the ninth inning, but there was no immediate update on his health.

The Rainbow Warriors scored on their first at-bat when center fielder Kamana Nahaku smacked a leadoff homer, his second of the season.

The Beavers responded with three runs in the first inning and another in the second. The ’Bows closed to 4-3 on Tate Shimao’s two-run homer in the third. After the Beavers extended their lead to 6-3, the ’Bows answered with Ben Zeigler-Namoa’s run-scoring groundout in the fifth.

The ’Bows “kept coming back,” UH coach Rich Hill said. “We punched them in the jaw. We couldn’t contain it.”

A single and ensuing error scored two OSU runs in the fifth inning. Shortstop Tyler Inge’s run-scoring single made it 9-4 in the bottom of the fifth. Adam Haight’s three-run blast in the eighth was the proverbial dagger.

Hill indicated there was no moral victory in fighting the good fight.

“All I know is when you line up against somebody, you’re trying to beat ‘em,” Hill said. “I don’t care where they’re ranked or if this pitcher is good. Our guys are just as good as anybody in the country. I don’t really buy into it.”

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Oregon

HAPPENING TODAY: Prescribed burns around Central Oregon

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22 hours ago

April 24, 2026

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HAPPENING TODAY: Prescribed burns around Central Oregon

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Happening today, three prescribed burns are set to take place around Central Oregon. -10 a.m. 4/24 on 100 acres 3 miles NW of Sisters, W of Hwy 20 along FSR 1012. -10 a.m. 4/24 on 363 acres 11 miles south of Bend and 4 miles east of Lava Butte -11 a.m.

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Oregon

Jets Select Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq with 16th Overall Pick in 2026 NFL Draft

Published

1 day ago

April 24, 2026

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Jets Select Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq with 16th Overall Pick in 2026 NFL Draft

The Jets, with their 16th pick of Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft, might have been tempted to move up to grab one of the set of hands that appealed to them in this draft class. But the Green & White remained patient and stayed put at 16 and were rewarded by being able to select Kenyon Sadiq, the draft’s top tight end out of Oregon.

“It’s unreal, man. Need to be the Jets. It’s special,” said Sadiq of being selected 16th overall and by the Green & White. “My sister currently lives in New York, so I’m happy to get down there. But great interactions with all the staff, in meetings and everything. So I’m beyond excited, super grateful.

“David Bailey said it already,” Sadiq added about Bailey, the Texas Tech edge taken second overall. “This organization is trending in the right direction. And I’m just a piece that can help and I’m ready to help. Whatever the team needs me to do, I’m going to do it.”

Sadiq, known by some as “Sadiq the Freak,” put his athleticism and receiving skills on full display last season with an Oregon single-season tight ends record of 51 catches for 560 yards and 8 receiving touchdowns, which led all FBS tight ends. He was named a second-team All-American and the Big Ten TE of the Year and was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation’s top tight.

After the season’s end, Sadiq went to the NFL Combine in February and demonstrated some of that freakishness in dominating his position. He turned in a 4.39-second 40, best among TEs not only this year but for the past 14 Combines. He also notched a 43.5-inch vertical leap, an 11-1 broad jump and 26 reps in the bench press, all second at his position.

“I’ve got all the attributes,” he told the Jets media Thursday. “I mean, the Combine showed that.”

Sadiq joins a tight ends room that is now brimming with talent. Mason Taylor, last year’s second-rounder (42nd overall) out of LSU and Jeremy Ruckert, their 2022 third-rounder (101st) are already there and the group will be helpful not only to new/old veteran starting QB Geno Smith but also the Breece Hall-lead running game.

What exactly will Sadiq add to the room, the offense and the ’26 Green & White?

“I think it’s versatility, speed and toughness, bro, seriously,” he said. “I think I can help in the running and passing game on top of that. I’m sure I’m on special teams as well. That’s what I did at Oregon, and that’s what I’ll continue to do. I can create separation, but I can also go hit someone. Obviously, the NFL is different. I’m going to have to clean some things up. But, man, I’m going to go hit somebody. I’m not going to be scared.”

Sadiq is only the fourth Oregon player to be drafted by the Jets and the first in 20 years, since QB Kellen Clemens came to the Green & White in 2006 in Round 2. Other Ducks to become Jets through the draft were DB Reggie Grant in Round 9 of the 1978 draft and TE Blake Spence in the fifth round in 1998.

And the choice may well extend the Green & White’s track record of taking good to very good TEs in Round 1. Johnny Mitchell got the ball rolling in 1992 and was followed by Kyle Brady in 1996, Anthony Becht in 2000 and Dustin Keller in 2008.

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