Every offseason, Cover 3 Podcast host Bud Elliot sits down with writers covering Power 4 teams in college football to preview the upcoming season. He calls the series Summer School. Elliot started up the previews earlier this month, and the first USC opponent featured was the Oregon Ducks. Elliot interviewed DuckTerritory writer Matt Prehm for the segment.
Here’s everything USC fans need to know about Oregon heading into the season.
Game details: USC at Oregon – Saturday, Nov. 22
Prehm on the vibe around Oregon’s program: “Things are really, really good. I think this is a year in which all of the high school recruiting and the success there, Dan Lanning is really leaning into that to carry this version of the Oregon football program to another successful season. If Oregon goes 10-2, which of course isn’t as good as last year’s 13-1 record, that would still be a successful season. And I also don’t rule out 12-0 again because the schedule sets up well.”
Analysis: All three of the high school recruiting classes Lanning has signed at Oregon have ranked in the top 10 nationally. The Ducks have signed top five classes in each of the last two years. Recruiting at such a high clip has Oregon fans excited for the upcoming season despite losing a program record 10 NFL Draft picks. Even though the Ducks will have to replace a lot of talent from last year’s team, the expectation for Oregon in 2025 is that the team will reload rather than rebuild.
Prehm on Oregon being unproven at quarterback: “Dante Moore is probably the guy. When I watched the spring game back, Moore didn’t do anything that led me to say he shouldn’t be the starting quarterback. He’s the most likely candidate to win the job. I think he showed a lot. I think he showed improvement and better command. I walked away from the game thinking that Austin Novosad and Luke Moga have gotten better significantly too…I think Oregon’s quarterback room is a lot better than I anticipated it being going into spring football.”
Analysis: Nationally, there are questions surrounding the quarterback position at Oregon, but Prehm is clearly higher on the room than other pundits. Moore transferred to Oregon from UCLA last season after struggling with the Bruins as a true freshman. Moore backed up starter Dillon Gabriel in 2024. The Detroit native was a five-star prospect in the 2023 class who was initially committed to Oregon out of high school before signing with UCLA. Oregon projects to have a strong defense and good running game in 2025. If Moore has a good season too, the Ducks will be very dangerous.
Prehm on the Oregon offensive player he’s most confident in: “Tulane running back transfer Makhi Hughes is a different breed of player. He’s massive. He looks like an athletic defensive end. I think Makhi Hughes is going to be a dude.”
Analysis: Hughes spent the last two seasons at Tulane and rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both campaigns. As a sophomore, Hughes rushed for 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns in 14 games. He has the potential to be one of the Big Ten’s top running backs.
Prehm on a true freshman offensive player to watch: “Wide receiver Dakorien Moore is an ultimate playmaker. Every single peer or player on the team has just gushed about his playmaking ability.”
Analysis: Outside of returner Evan Stewart, Oregon doesn’t have much proven depth at wide receiver. Moore, a five-star true freshman, will be relied on in Year 1.
Prehm on Oregon’s offensive line: “Oregon loves Nevada transfer left tackle Isaiah World. I don’t know if he’ll be a first-round pick though, like some draft projections have him listed at right now. But the Oregon staff loves him. He’s massive and he can move. Oregon added another guy from Texas State in Alex Harkey. He’s going to start at right tackle. Oregon’s staff is very high on him too. There will be four new starters on the offensive line. They’re old and they’re talented, but there are questions with four new starters. O-line coach A’lique Terry has done a good job with new-look offensive lines in the past. He’s going to have to get this figured out.”
Analysis: As USC fans can attest, building an offensive line from the transfer portal can be challenging. With three transfer starters in 2023, the Trojan offensive line struggled. Oregon has some solid pieces, including former USC guard Emmanuel Pregnon, but time will tell if the Ducks’ offensive line will be good enough to put the team in a position to compete for a Big Ten championship again.
Prehm on the area of Oregon’s defense he’s most confident in: “Even though they lose four NFL Draft picks up front, the feeling from the staff is that the defensive line won’t have to rebuild, they’ll reload. The names are going to change, but the production is not. A’Mauri Washington is next in line in the middle. He’s the dude to know. He projects to be a star. And then there’s Bear Alexander. Apparently during the recruiting process, the Oregon staff sat him down and said ‘we’re going to coach you hard. We think really highly of you, but we’re not going to let things slide.’ He signed up for that, and through the spring, things have been good with him. The Oregon staff is leaning on him in a big way to be a dude. And then on the edges, Oregon feels really good with returners Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti and Blake Purchase. And then after that, it’s a bunch of young guys, who they love. The Oregon staff made it very clear that they didn’t hit the portal hard at these positions because they feel good about where they’re at.”
Analysis: Outside of Uiagalelei and Tuioti, Oregon doesn’t have a lot of experience on its defensive line heading into 2025. If the team’s top-ranked recruits live up to they’re billing, then the unit will be very good again. But like a lot of position groups with the Ducks, that’s not a sure thing.
Prehm on Oregon’s secondary: “Every single starter is gone in the secondary from last season. Jahlil Florence is slated to start at one of the cornerback spots. He has started nine games in his career. So he has some experience, but he didn’t play at all last season due to injury. Safety Dillon Thieneman from Purdue is going to be the leader in the secondary. He projects as a high NFL Draft pick. The whole team loves him. From there, they added two portal guys in Theran Johnson from Northwestern and Jadon Canady from Ole Miss to compete at corner along with some freshmen. The team has guys who are either highly rated, young recruits or guys who have a lot of college experience, but not at Oregon.”
Analysis: The Oregon secondary is by far the most inexperienced unit on the team outside of quarterback. The room is similar to the team’s defensive line room in the sense that there are some very talented players in the secondary, there just isn’t a lot of experience. At inside linebacker, the Ducks return two impact players in starter Bryce Boettcher and reserve Devon Jackson.
How USC matches up against Oregon
The Ducks should have a strong running game and tough defensive front. While it’s too early to say that Oregon will compete for a College Football Playoff berth again, the Ducks will be a tough matchup on the road. USC has the more proven quarterback and pass catchers, which is a huge boost. There’s a world where the Trojans can outscore the Ducks if the USC offensive line holds up well. Oregon feels like the better team right now, but USC will certainly have a chance. The Ducks will almost certainly take a step back from last season and USC should be better.
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