Breakout Candidates for the Oregon Defense in 2021

The Ducks’ defense is ready to rebound from a down year in 2021. These players will fuel the turnaround and have their best seasons yet.

Despite losing a number of players to the NFL draft, Oregon will still have one of the most talented defenses in the country. There are some golden opportunities especially in the secondary and at defensive tackle for the next batch of stars to break out.

Here are my top five players that will take over the defense in 2021.

Read more: Players set to break out in Oregon's offense

Justin Flowe | Inside Linebacker | 6’2”, 246 pounds | Freshman

Justin Flowe looks to make a major impact following a season-ending injury in 2020 / Justin Flowe on Instagram (@f1owe)

Justin Flowe was a superstar coming out of high school. The 5-star prospect was the best inside linebacker in the 2020 class and was named to the 2019 SI All-American Defensive Team. 

Flowe only played one game in his freshman season due to injury and mostly saw the field on special teams. This season, he is healthy and ready to explode onto the national scene.

He was one of the superstars of the spring game, filling up the stat sheet (5 total tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup). He took reps with the starters alongside fellow 2020 5-star recruit Noah Sewell, and could form one of the most fearsome linebacker tandems in college football.

Flowe is one of the strongest linebackers you will ever see. He went viral on social media in high school for frequently tossing ball carriers like dirty laundry.

He wreaks havoc once he gets into the backfield, blowing up plays before they develop. He plays as hard as anybody on the field and brings plenty of energy on defense. 

If he can stay healthy this season, look out.

DJ James | Cornerback | 6’0”, 185 pounds | Sophomore

DJ James reaches for the ball against Iowa State wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson in the 2021 Playstation Fiesta Bowl.  / © Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon’s secondary will have many new faces in 2021 with Deommodore Lenoir and Nick Pickett off to the NFL. One player primed to step into a starting role at cornerback is DJ James.

James will start alongside Mykael Wright, who started all seven games last year at corner. James also played every game last season but sat behind Lenoir on the depth chart and learned from him in the process.

The Mobile, Alabama, native will get an opportunity to show off what he has learned from guys like Lenoir and Thomas Graham Jr., who opted out before last season. He will be tested early in the season against Ohio State, as he will be tasked with defending the deepest wide receiver room in the country that features name like Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, two of the best in the country.

If James can hold his own against those guys, he can defend anyone in college football. He plays with enough speed and physicality to cover the best of the best, but the test against Olave and Wilson should prove to be valuable for the young corner.

Keyon Ware-Hudson | Defensive Tackle | 6’3”, 298 pounds | Redshirt Freshman

Oregon defensive tackle Keyon Ware Hudson at the 2021 Playstation Fiesta Bowl against Iowa State / © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This one was tough. Due to the departures of Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu, the starting defensive tackle spots are open. Popo Aumavae and Brandon Dorlus are the presumed starters, but Keyon Ware-Hudson has had the potential to start in the middle for the Ducks for a long time.

Ware-Hudson started at nose tackle alongside Aumavae in the spring game with Dorlus and Kristian Williams sliding in off the bench. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ware-Hudson and Aumavae were the starting duo by the end of the season, but Dorlus and Williams are both capable of disrupting offenses as well.

It certainly is a good problem for new defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter to have.

Ware-Hudson was effective in his limited snaps last season, putting up 8 total tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in 7 games. Defensive tackle numbers don’t jump off the box score, but he flashed his strength, bulldozing through offensive lines and getting in the backfield.

Jamal Hill | Safety | 6’1”, 200 pounds | Sophomore

Jamal Hill celebrates an interception against USC in the 2020 Pac-12 Championship Game / © Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Few players made more game-changing plays in the Ducks' Pac-12 Championship Game victory over USC than Jamal Hill. Hill had two huge interceptions of Trojans quarterback Kedon Slovis that proved to be monumental.

The first pick set up a touchdown pass from Tyler Shough to Hunter Kampmoyer to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and the second was a miraculous interception along the sideline that halted the Trojans’ drive with less than three minutes left in a seven-point game.

Hill was recognized as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, and Kayvon Thibodeaux, who won the Pac-12 Championship Game MVP award, said he would have given the nod to Hill.

If Hill can continue to make big-time plays in big-time moments like that, he will be a staple at safety for years to come. Hill can start at nickel, or he can play deep as a free safety.

Hill can fly all over the field and run from sideline-to-sideline in a blink. The Ducks have several playmakers at safety in Jordan Happle, Steve Stephens IV and Bennett Williams, but Hill’s play late in the season should earn him a starting role next fall.

Dontae Manning | Cornerback | 6’0”, 192 pounds | Freshman

Dontae Manning intercepts a wide receiver reverse pass from Mycah Pittman in Oregon's 2021 spring football game / © Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Dontae Manning is the highest-rated defensive back to ever sign with Oregon. He was a 5-star star prospect (0.9841 per 247Sports Composite) coming out of Kansas City with elite man-to-man coverage skills, speed, and athleticism.

Manning didn’t play much in his freshman season due to injury, but he will battle DJ James for the starting CB2 spot in year two. He had a superb performance in the spring game, recording four tackles and an interception.

Similar to James, Manning will be tested if he gets snaps against Ohio State. Talk about a way to be welcomed to the college level. The expectations are very high for him, but he has the talent and skills to be the next great cornerback for Oregon.

More from Ducks Digest

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[Recruiting]: Oregon adds 2021 specialist

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