Which Redshirt Freshmen Could Step up for Oregon in 2023?
To redshirt or not to redshirt? That was a key question head coach Dan Lanning had to ask himself for many of his Oregon Ducks 2022 signees when they were true freshmen last season.
While a number of players burned their redshirts right away upon arriving in Eugene, a majority of the 2022 recruiting class had smaller, or in some cases nonexistent roles. With spring football starting later this month, it's an opportunity for those guys to stake their claim for more playing time.
Let's take a look at the redshirt freshmen heading into the 2023 season and break down who could be poised to step up for the Ducks.
READ MORE: Oregon LB Jestin Jacobs 'Has first-round written all over him'
Burned redshirt in 2022
The players listed below played in five or more games as true freshmen and will start the 2023 season as true sophomores.
OT Josh Conerly Jr.-Played in all 13 games
CB Jahlil Florence-Played in 8 of 13 games
RB Jordan James-Played in 9 of 13 games
CB Khamari Terrell-Played in 10 of 13 games
DT Ben Roberts-Played in 5 games
OL Dave Iuli-Played in 5 games
Redshirt Freshman
WR Kyler Kasper
Kasper played in three games as a true freshman. In case you forgot, he reclassified from the 2023 to join the Ducks in 2022, which was no doubt a big transition.
Now he has a full college football season under his belt and perhaps more importantly, he'll have a full offseason. At 6'6", 200 pounds, his combination of size, speed, athleticism and body control give the Oregon offense a look no other receiver can.
I have Kasper as my top redshirt freshman that could step up for the Ducks in 2023.
READ MORE: Will Kyler Kasper be Oregon's breakout receiver in 2023?
WR Justius Lowe
Lowe didn't see any game time as a true freshman. Listed on the 2022 roster at 6'1", 182 pounds, he drew some buzz and praise from coaches and teammates during spring practice.
The room is pretty crowded with players ahead of him that I think are better positioned for snaps, but he's got a good physical frame and brings some good athleticism to the room.
CB Jalil Tucker
Tucker was high school teammates with the aforementioned Florence at San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln High School but only appeared in one game as a true freshman. He was a little slight of frame when he arrived, but maybe this offseason gave him some time to add some weight to his frame to pair with his elite speed. He was an Adidas All-American coming out of high school.
EDGE Anthony Jones
Jones was a late flip from Texas in 2022 and one of Lanning's first commitments at Oregon. The Ducks probably aren't as deep as they'd like to be at edge rusher and he has the size to contribute listed at 6'3", 243 pounds.
EDGE Emar'rion Winston
Winston is the younger brother of Lamar Winston, who was a star linebacker for the Ducks. Emar'rion had good twitch and power to his game coming out of high school and a year at the college level likely gave him some time to refine his technique and be ready for a larger role at 6'4", 245 pounds.
He appeared in three games and logging eight defensive snaps.
DL Sir Mells
Mells appears to be trying out offensive line after appearing in one game and playing four snaps, recording one pass breakup in 2022. I'm hearing that he's looked promising so far and he'll likely need to refine his technique considering he hasn't played the position in quite some time.
If the move to offensive line is permanent maybe he becomes a good depth piece with a lot of key pieces like Steven Jones, Marcus Harper II and Ajani Cornelius already in place.
ILBs Devon Jackson and Harrison Taggart
I kind of lumped these two together because I feel like they have similar play styles. They both bring a lot of speed and agility to the table and I think one of them should be able to help the Ducks out in pass coverage, an area the linebackers really struggled in last season.
They were listed at 6'2", 214 pounds and 6'1", 216 pounds respectively in 2022, so they definitely need to add some weight.
S Trejon Williams
Williams was a hard-hitting All-American safety coming out of Portland (Ore.) Jefferson High School and didn't see game action in 2022. His position is one that's crowded and boasts a lot of veteran experience, but maybe he can emerge this spring as a playmaker.
OL Kawika Rogers
Rogers played in two games as a true freshman but there are a lot of players ahead of him in the rotation. It's a tough path to snaps.
OL Michael Wooten
Wooten played in one game in 2022 but looked to be a developmental kind of player when he signed. It feels like this might be another developmental year for the former Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon standout.
READ MORE: Oregon in a three team race for in-state 2024 OL Devin Brooks
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