Oregon Football Notebook: Two Spring Practices in the Books for the Ducks

Unloading the notebook with some of the top storylines to emerge from the start of spring practice in Eugene.

Don't look now, but Oregon has already completed two of its 15 allotted spring football practices.

Now the Ducks have a little over two weeks until they resume spring practice on April 4. 

Let's take a look at some of the top headlines we caught from the first two days of spring ball in Eugene.

Managing Bo's Reps

The Ducks need to be cautious with Nix in the spring. He's suffered two ankle injuries in each of the last two seasons and he's the face of the team in 2023.

Their season, or at least their success on offense largely hinges on his production and availability.

Dan Lanning said the team plans to be "conscientious" with reps. He'll lean on the medical staff to help find that sweet spot, but he acknowledged the only way you get better is by getting out there and playing. 

Why take a break now?

It seems a bit odd to hold just two practices and then take a more than two-week break during the spring.

But there are a couple of reasons for that.

It starts with timing. The Ducks want to get in a flow of practicing on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday in spring. They also don't want to have their spring football bleed into May because they want their coaches to be able to get on the road in front of recruits for the spring evaluation period.

Other than that Lanning said he wanted players to be thinking about spring football over the break--adding that it'll take some discipline to stay sharp when they're away.

Position change for Jamal Hill?

On Thursday Lanning was asked if it was possible that safety Jamal Hill could move to inside linebacker.

"I think position versatility for all our guys. I think everybody here knows that we want to try guys at multiple positions. If we can be our best team with Jamal at linebacker we're going to work Jamal at that position. If we think we need him at quarterback we'll move him to quarterback. I'm not really going to give out trade secrets. Wherever we can put guys in positions where they can help the team, that's what we're going to do."

Lanning also highlighted Hill as a player standing out as a leader on day one.

"Jamal Hill is a guy on defense that's really stepped up and has shifted and been in different locations and really showed some maturity there."

Hill has been at Oregon since 2019 and hasn't been able to recreate his breakout performance as a true freshman against USC in the 2019 Pac-12 title game. He's a bigger safety and was listed on the 2022 roster at 6'0" and 211 pounds.

The inside linebacker spot is lacking depth, especially after losing Noah Sewell, so why not give Hill a try at linebacker? Maybe he can share in some of the success Jeffrey Bassa found when he moved down from safety himself before the 2021 season.

Big year two for Josh Conerly Jr.?

Conerly was another player that Lanning was quick to highlight after the first spring practice.

"A guy that really stands out to me going into year two is Josh Conerly. This guy's working his tail off in everything that he absolutely does. The way he stretches. Just the way he approaches everything. His mentality in the classroom as well."

The rising true sophomore appeared in every game during his debut season at Oregon. With so much attrition along the offensive line, A'lique Terry could view him as a prime candidate to take over for T.J. Bass at left tackle--taking on the responsibility of protecting Bo Nix's blindside.

He's the highest-rated offensive lineman the Ducks have ever signed. Maybe he's not Penei Sewell just yet--who started at left tackle as a true freshman--but he looks like he's living up to his hype so far.

More talent on the way

Dan Lanning spoke with the media after Saturday's practice and said he expects more early enrollees to join the Ducks when practice resumes. So far I've been able to confirm at least two of those players--2023 signees Solomon Davis and Jerry Mixon. 

I also think it's pretty safe to say we should expect to see 2023 cornerback signee Daylen Austin and Ole Miss safety transfer Tysheem Johnson join the team next practice as the Ducks work to revamp their secondary, one of the weakest groups on the team in 2022. 

READ MORE: Lanning expects more early enrollees 

Latest on the injury front

Fortunately for the Ducks, they were able to start spring practice with a relatively clean bill of health.

It looks like the main injury that we're tracking early on is Junior Angilau. A projected starter for the Ducks in 2023, the Texas offensive line transfer suffered a season-ending knee injury last August and appears to be working his way back to full health. 

On the other hand, Iowa linebacker transfer Jestin Jacobs is a full-go after a soft-tissue injury required surgery that cut his 2022 season short. He should be a starter for Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi alongside Jeffrey Bassa and Keith Brown at inside linebacker.

READ MORE: Lanning updates injuries

Read more

Oregon Football 2024 Recruiting Spring Stock Check

WATCH: Dan Lanning's takeaways from Oregon's second spring practice

Oregon DT Maceal Afaese medically retires