Who is A'Lique Terry? Getting to Know Oregon's New Offensive Line Coach

Dan Lanning's latest hire comes back to Eugene with big shoes to fill.

On Tuesday Oregon Football announced the hire of A'lique Terry to coach the offensive line in Eugene. He's the third new on-field hire for Dan Lanning's coaching staff.

Terry is a younger name in the coaching game and today we're taking a look at his background to get you up to speed on the newest addition to the Ducks program. 

1. A familiar face

When Terry touched down at Eugene airport this week it was far from his first time in Oregon. He was on the Ducks coaching staff working with the offensive line as a graduate assistant from 2019 through 2020.

He's been around the program and has connections with current players and those relationships should help him hit the ground running. Terry was slated to join Lanning's staff prior to the 2022 season before he the Minnesota Vikings hired him as an assistant coach on the defensive line. 

He knows the ins and outs of Eugene and what Oregon Football means to the community.

READ MORE: Oregon WR Traeshon Holden dismissed from team following arrest

2. Someone who knows the standard

In 2022 Oregon fielded one of the best offensive lines in the country. The last time Terry was around the offensive line between 2019 and 2020 he helped coach an elite group that featured three all-Americans in Penei Sewell, Shane Lemieux and Calvin Throckmorton. 

In other words, he's seen what it looks like when the offensive line is playing at an elite level. He's gotten to learn from some of the best offensive line coaches in the sport in Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal and I bet added a thing or two from his time working with them in his own coaching philosophy. 

3. A wealth of experience

Terry played four years of college football at Wake Forest, where he also began his coaching career. He knows what these players are going through and the challenges being a student athlete and playing the game present because he experienced it all first-hand. 

Not only did he get some valuable coaching experience at Oregon, but he also had the chance to lead his own offensive line at Hawaii in 2021. Sure Hawaii isn't a powerhouse, but Lanning can hand him the keys to the offensive line knowing that this isn't his first rodeo.

Lastly, his time coaching the defensive line with the Vikings is also immensely valuable. He's been around elite defensive linemen like Danielle Hunter and as such has an intimate knowledge of techniques used to attack the offensive line. 

With that, he also understands how to counter those attacks.

4. Florida Ties

Terry is originally from Miami, Florida. The Sunshine State is one of the most potent recruiting grounds in the country and routinely produces talent featured on national championship teams and in the NFL.

It's a stretch to expect Oregon to dominate the state just because Terry was hired, but he'll help the team continue building off of the work Adrian Klemm and others had been doing in the state before his exit.

Klemm landed offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson from state champion Lakeland High School in 2023 and helped the Ducks earn a commitment from 2025 Tampa (Fla.) Tampa Bay Tech wide receiver Dallas Wilson the day he extended an offer.

Terry's connections in the state will help Oregon continuing taking swings at some of the most talented recruits in the country.

5. Theme emerging for Lanning?

Terry played his last down of college football just six years ago in 2017, which makes him one of the youngest members of Oregon's coaching staff.

His youth could mark a theme for Dan Lanning, who also hired Kenny Dillingham and Will Stein, making them two of the youngest coordinators in college football. Hiring young coaches could be a risky move, but Terry's familiarity with the Oregon program, coupled with his youth should help deliver results both on the field and on the recruiting trail. 

As for Lanning, the hires he's made since becoming head coach have largely paid off, as evidenced by a 10-win season and the Pac-12's top recruiting class in his debut at Oregon.

READ MORE: Could Kyler Kasper be Oregon's breakout wide receiver in 2023?

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