Demetrice Martin Lays out Vision for Oregon Ducks Cornerbacks in 2022

The Ducks' new cornerbacks coach wants his group to be known for its toughness and tenacity.

For much of the last decade, Oregon has boasted elite, budding NFL talent at the cornerback position. Deommodore Lenoir (San Francisco 49ers), Thomas Graham Jr. (Chicago Bears) and Mykael Wright (2022 NFL Draft) are a few names that come to mind.

The cornerback spot seems to always be a strength for the Ducks, but a wave of attrition this offseason adds a layer of uncertainty and intrigue for this young group in the spring.

New Cornerbacks Coach Demetrice Martin spoke with reporters following Tuesday's practice to share how his group is progressing and what his expectations are for the talented unit.

As we've begun to hear from Oregon's new coaches and learn about their outline for their respective groups, one common theme that has appeared is versatility and the desire to cross train players. Martin is no different, emphasizing that he wants corners to be trained at both field and boundary corner.

"I like to try to play them both, especially this early," Martin said. "Try to cross train so guys can play the field and the boundary, and then we let it shake out as it may depending on the opponent that we play against."

Dontae Manning

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

With the amount of inexperienced players that will see an uptick in playing time this season, it's vital, especially for cornerbacks, to be moldable because of the jump in speed and size from high school to college. Playing the boundary in college is far different than high school because wide receivers are much bigger and stronger, and in the boundary, corners are defending them on an island and don't have as much help. 

Furthermore, solid technique is a must, as players can't "out athlete" their competition like they might have at the prep level.

The Ducks have plenty of guys at cornerback that have the size, speed, and talent to be versatile and learn to play in different spots, which is music to Martin's ears.

"That's exactly what you want, guys being able to plug and play anywhere," he said. "As of right now, because of the new terminology and the new scheme and new technique, guys are just solely learning field and boundary corner. Then we'll progress into guys playing the STAR position and maybe playing boundary or free safety."

But Martin is helping ease the growing pains for his unit by instilling some core values he wants them to be known for.

"Toughness. That's first and foremost," Martin said. "Obviously guys that can cover. If you can't cover, you're probably not playing that position in the first place. I'd love for my guys to be known for toughness, tenacity, short memories, and guys that get after it."

Jahlil Florence

Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

The departure of guys like Mykael Wright, DJ James, and Jaylin Davies will require corners without much experience to be thrown into the fire, but Colorado transfer Christian Gonzalez should give the group an immediate boost as someone capable of contributing and likely starting from the jump.

The potential of the room should excite Oregon fans with the amount of star power that has been brought in the past couple of years.

Martin is a proven developer of talent and understands the Pac-12 better than anyone as he has now coached for half of the league's teams. His expertise will be fundamental to the foundation that Oregon is building with its collection of talent in the cornerback room. 

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