Oregon Ducks' Iapani Laloulu: Top-Graded Center In College Football?

After the Oregon Ducks' first ever Big Ten conference win over the UCLA Bruins, starting center Iapani Laloulu has earned national acclaim and one of the highest honors for his standout performance.

Oregon offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu snaps the ball to Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel during warm ups as the Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks proved too much to handle for the downtrodden UCLA Bruins as they controlled the game end to end en route to a 34-13 victory. Center Iapani Laloulu and the offensive line returning to the form of the past two seasons has been a catalyst for the Ducks’ recent success. For his stellar play, Laloulu, also known as “Poncho”, has raked in some national honors.

After the UCLA win, Laloulu was graded as the best center in the country for Week 5 by Pro Football Focus: The 86.1 grade is one of the highest for an offensive lineman this year regardless of position. PFF’s algorithm is one that specifically focuses on the respective players' impact on the game on a snap-to-snap basis.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning talks to Oregon offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu ahead of the game as the Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Laloulu has rotated from guard to center to guard and now back to center to start his career as a Duck. After a freshman all-American season as a guard last season, Laloulu has found a home as the starting center. 

“Wherever the coach needs me to play I’ll play. Whether it’s the three interior, the right guard, center, or left guard I can play wherever the team needs me to best perform or to help the team I’ll play.” said Laloulu when describing his willingness to help the group be successful.

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After a less-than-stellar start to the 2024 season along the offensive line, Laloulu and the Oregon big men have not allowed a sack in the last two games combined against Oregon State and UCLA. The steadiness along the front coincides with Laloulu’s full-time move to the center spot and, subsequently, the offense’s best two games of the season in terms of consistency. 

Aug 31, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning leads the team into the stadium before the game against the Idaho Vandals at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

"Obviously, we've changed up the lineups there at times, and we're trying to find the right group that we can go to battle with. I think we have more than just some capable of playing. But we were able to move them up front tonight, and because of that, we were able to have some success." Coach Dan Lanning said heading into the bye-week.

The tune was similar after the UCLA contest,

"I think anytime that you can protect the quarterback and run the ball effectively, that's usually a good night." was the message from Coach Dan Lanning.

Laloulu and the Ducks' offensive line will be put to the test once again this Friday as they host the Michigan State Spartans in Autzen Stadium. The Big Ten matchup will be televised through Fox and kickoff begins at 6 pm Pacific. 

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