Wednesday War Room: Dog Days of Summer

 

 

Linebacker Recruiting

The Ducks scored a commitment from then woefully underrated prospect Tristan Phillips last December. Since that point Oregon has been in on many top notch linebackers like Talanoa Ili, Tyler Atkinson, and NickAbrams.

The Ducks wanted to take two linebackers this cycle for a reason. Some look at recruiting as ‘Oregon is losing one senior linebacker’ following 2025, so they only need one for the 2026 class – except programs with depth are not attempting to replace departed seniors with true freshmen. The 2026 linebacker group is really looking ahead to who leaves following the 2026 season. For Oregon that is Jerry Mixon and Devon Jackson. So, getting only one is not ideal – especially after landing just one in last year’s class.

I have been saying for some time that I think Oregon would miss on both Atkinson and Abrams. I know there are some that think maybe Oregon will make a stronger offer to Abrams, but the logistics of travel are not going to improve with a stronger overall NIL package.

While it seems unlikely that any of the linebackers currently committed elsewhere are an option, so too did it seem like that a year ago before a late visit and surprise flip from Gavin Nix added a solid linebacker.

Oregon linebacker coach Brian Michalowski has gone on record that he thinks having to go to the portal means he is not doing his job developing; but I think that it is still an option to add necessary depth should the Ducks feel like getting a second linebacker in this class is needed.

There is a lot of faith internally in Brayden Platt, KamarMothudi, and Dylan Williams from the 2024 class will take a major step this season and should be a very good group come 2026; but behind them is just Nix and Phillips and the Ducks need more depth than that on the inside. If they do not get a flip here, look for the Ducks to go searching for someone that is either a plug and play type transfer, or a flappable prospect that they feel would fit their defense. A part of being able to ‘reload’ every year is bringing in talent every cycle and the Ducks cannot afford to go two cycles in a row with a single linebacker.

For the moment, I am not counting on Nasir Wyatt as an inside linebacker. He needs to add some weight just to make his way as an every down player and will likely be a pass rush specialist early until he adds some weight; even then I expect him to be more pf an edge guy than  an every down backer.

Prince Tavizon reclassified from 2027 to 2026 yesterday and – while this was not a surprise at all to the staff – it was also not something that they orchestrated. Max Torres of ScoopDuck had a very good interview with Tavizon following his decision. Given that the interview is premium content, I am not going to repeat it all here, but there is a family reason for his decision and there is a strong feeling from the staff that he is physically ready to make the move. He is already 6-4, 245 pounds and a solid college weight training program will likely have him above 265 by the time he hits the field, and he will be a very good player at that weight.

Tavizon is not shutting down his recruitment and is planning on taking visits. I still think Oregon gets his signature in December and I know he will be at multiple games this season. Given his strong ties to Oregon through his San Diego high school, the Ducks are still going to be the team to beat.

While NIL is going to matter here, I don’t see a lot of teams with needs for an edge int eh 2026 class are going to throw out ridiculous numbers for Tavizon and that the Oregon program will still be the best overall fit.

Bryson Beaver’s big summer pays off

Beaver had a great spring and summer and saw his recruitment take off from the level of the Mt. West to seeing teams like Oregon, Ole Miss, and Alabama among other chase after him following his decommitment.

With the new Rivals300 rankings release, Beaver findshimself not just moving up, but skyrocketing to No 44 overall recruit in thenation and No. 5 QB behind Dia Bell (Texas), Jared Curtis (Georgia), Faizon Brandon (Tennessee) and Bowe Bentley (Oklahoma. Not a bad jump. I am working on something really cool for everyone, but have not gotten a confirmation for when. As soon as I get that for you all I will let you know.

What I will say is Beaver’s rise was not luck and it was one of those things that folks watching him knew was going to happen – and when it did, it was hardly a surprise to the folks with whom he had been working. It only surprised us because much of his off-season was quiet externally.

Fall Camp

We are two weeks away from the start of fall camp. The staff took some vacation time around the Fourth of July break, but have been working hard on the fellowship aspect ahead of fall camp.

What I can say is that there is a lot of confidence in the rebuilt secondary and the defense as a whole should take another step forward this season.

Offensively one of the reasons to bring in Makhi Huges – other than the reality that he is an elite running back – is that the Ducks should be able to take some pressure off of Dante Moore or Austin Novosad with his ability to make yards after contact. Part of Moore’s problem at UCLA was that he was the offense. His blocking was terrible and there was not much of a run game to support him so a lot of what he did was just a kid trying to adapt on the fly.

I only say “or Novosad’ because the staff are not calling Moore the starter right now and I expect there to be some semblance of a QB competition in camp. While Novosad does not have the arm talent of Moore, he is very good at avoiding mistakes and taking what the defense gives him; but there are throws Moore makes that are next level stuff. If he cleans up some of the mistakes in camp, then it is going to be difficult to beat him out.

I will try to do a weekly practice recap this year, but I am not going to do 25 articles a week during the season. That is all I have for now!