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Oregon Football's Bucky Irving Staying Late For Extra Work: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mini Camp

Former Oregon Duck running back Bucky Irving "can't wait to get the pads on." Irving has been shining so far at Tampa Bay Buccaneers' NFL Mini Camp: learning from veterans and staying late to get extra work on the field.

Bri Amaranthus

Oregon Duck Bucky Irving at Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Mini Camp
Oregon Duck Bucky Irving at Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Mini Camp / Tampa Bay Team Website
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Former Oregon Duck running back Bucky Irving "can't wait to get the pads on." Irving has been shining so far at Tampa Bay Buccaneers' NFL Mini Camp: learning from veterans and staying late to get extra work on the field.

"There is always room for improvement and room to learn so I am just leaning on these older guys and learning from them," said Irving. "Rachaad White and Chase Edmonds have been great leaders for me and have helped me with the playbook and with things that I needed to know. I am pretty much leaning on those guys, and I will fill whatever role the coach needs me to play. I don't necessarily have a role yet; I am just going with the flow until my number is called."

Irving revealed how he is absorbing Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen's system... Every night, Irving plays an audio recording of the installs and then acts them out to help cement implementation in his memory.

Oregon Duck Bucky Irving at Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Mini Camp
Oregon Duck Bucky Irving at Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Mini Camp / Tampa Bay Team Website

Tampa Bay drafted Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and the staff is already impressed with Irving's quick acceleration and ability to make defenders miss. Irving could play a major role in the Bucs offense right away.

"I play with a chip on my shoulder because everyone talks about my size and how small I am," Irving said."When I got the ball in my hands, I'm just not trying to let the first man bring me down and just run hard."

Buccaneers NFL training camp begins in late July in the heat of Ft. Lauderdale. Irving and the team will participate in two-a-days in the suffocating Florida weather to prepare for the NFL season.

Fresh off back-to-back 1,000 yard rushing seasons with the Oregon Ducks, the NFC South contender Bucs are getting "a real one," says Oregon Coach Dan Lanning, who also called Irving 'the heartbeat' on X/Twitter.

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Bri Amaranthus
BRI AMARANTHUS

Bri Amaranthus is an Emmy-winning sports reporter with over 12 years of experience in television, radio, podcasting, and digital sports journalism. She has been with Sports Illustrated for four years, providing breaking news, exclusive interviews, and analysis on the NFL, college sports, and the NBA. Prior to joining SI, Bri hosted NBC Sports Northwest's prime-time television show, where she also served as the Oregon beat reporter and created content covering both the NBA and college sports. Throughout her career, Bri has achieved significant milestones, including covering major events like the NBA Finals, NFL playoffs, College Football Playoff, NCAA Basketball Tournament, NFL Draft, and the NFL Combine. She earned a D1 scholarship to play softball at the University of San Diego and won two state softball titles in high school in Oregon. In addition to her Emmy win for NBC's All-Star Coach special, she has received multiple Emmy nominations, highlighting her dedication and talent in sports journalism.