In April, the Oregon athletic department declared that Duck football practices would be open to the media, which meant good news for local reporters.
However, the newfound availability also came with a catch: UO also simultaneously stated that Oregon freshman would not be available for interviews throughout the year. Now, reporters and fans are left to analyze and evaluate the members of Oregon’s No. 17-ranked recruiting class through the brief glimpses at the beginning of each practice.
Although Oregon’s freshmen are unable to talk directly to reporters, their teammates have done plenty of talking for them.
On the last day of spring practice Wednesday morning, several Oregon upperclassmen raved about the performances of the Ducks’ newcomers.
Among those who have earned positive words from teammates are defensive linemen Jordan Scott, cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. and quarterback Braxton Burmeister. Graham in particular has seemed to play himself into the discussion of a potential starting spot after a standout performance at Oregon’s open practice at Jesuit High School on April 16.
“Thomas Graham has just set himself apart from everyone else so far,” Oregon senior defensive back Tyree Robinson said. “He’s just a competitor from day one. He hasn’t backed down from nobody. We just love that toughness. That brings something different from our defense that we haven’t had in a long time; just coming with that swag.”
Graham, a 4-star corner out Rancho Cucamonga, California, has gone toe-to-toe with wideout Darren Carrington all spring and gotten the better of him in many instances. With a deep group of veteran corners set to return, they may find themselves playing catchup to Graham by the time August rolls around.
“He reminds me of Ugo (Amadi) when he played as a true freshman,” Robinson said. “But he has a lot of help. Coach (Charles) Clark definitely does a great job in making him feel comfortable and not putting him in bad situations.
Along with Graham, Scott, a massive interior linemen who coaches have called “a fire hydrant” this year due to his short stature and inability to be moved off the line of scrimmage, has wowed teammates. Oregon struggled along the defensive front last season due to injury, legal troubles and overall inexperience. Scott may provide the stopgap in the middle — even for brief periods of games — that Oregon sorely lacked last season.
“Just his size and athleticism are a huge upside,” Oregon offensive linemen Jake Hanson said. “He plays with great pad level and he’s just a load; just really hard to move. I love going against him in practice because he makes me a better player. He forces me to play with with power and great pad level, because if I don’t, you can’t move the dude. He’s huge.”
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney
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