Season In Review: Secondary
01/18/18 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks were 48th nationally in passing efficiency defense for 2017, a massive improvement after finishing No. 103 for 2016.
Reviewing Oregon's 2017 season and looking ahead to spring drills
DEPTH CHART
CB: Arrion Springs, Sr.; Ty Griffin,Sr.; Dexter Myers, RFr.; Jihree Stewart, So.
CB: Thomas Graham Jr., Fr.; Deommodore Lenoir, Fr.; Charles Sudduth, So.
S: Ugochukwu Amadi, Jr.; Nick Pickett, Fr.; Billy Gibson, Fr.; Juwaan Williams, RSr.
S: Tyree Robinson, RSr.; Brady Breeze, RFr.; Mattrell McGraw, Jr.; Sean Killpatrick, So.; Khalil Oliver, Jr.
Starters: Tenth in the Pac-12 in pass efficiency defense in 2016, allowing a rating of 143.15, Oregon cut that to 122.85 and jumped to fifth in the conference in 2017. The consistent regulars were senior corner Arrion Springs, senior safety Tyree Robinson and freshman corner Thomas Graham Jr., all of who started all but one game each. Springs continued his steady year-over-year improvement of the last four years, and ended up with 18 pass breakups on the season, five more than any other player in the Pac-12. He added his second career interception, a spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone during the Las Vegas Bowl. Robinson got to stay home at safety after two years moving between safety and corner, and played with a more physical presence. Graham parlayed his breakout 2017 spring into a starting job as a true freshman; given his youth and the presence of the veteran Springs on the other side of the field, opposing offenses predictably tested Graham throughout the season. He gave up some plays, but also gained invaluable experience for the coming years. The other safety spot was shared early in the fall by Khalil Oliver — who left the team during the season — along with freshman Nick Pickett and veteran Mattrell McGraw. A leg injury derailed Pickett's promising debut season, and opened the door for converted corner Ugochukwu Amadi to find a new home as a starting safety for the latter half of the fall.
Reserves: The Ducks leaned heavily on the starters at corner, with only true freshman Deommodore Lenoir garnering much playing time. Like Graham, he was tested early, but Lenoir proved himself to be a resilient, physical corner meriting the reputation he had as a recruit. At safety, Brady Breeze also provided a physical presence, although it led to some bumps and bruises that had him in and out of the lineup all season. Billy Gibson was yet another true freshman pressed into action in the secondary, as a reserve safety. The rest of the depth chart contributed primarily as practice players on the scout team; given Oregon's limited depth there, guys like Juwaan Williams and Sean Killpatrick were needed not only at safety but also corner and even linebacker at times in practice, and they handled those assignments with maturity.
Redshirts: Charles Sudduth joined the team early in the fall as a transfer from Lane Community College, and played on the scout team. The walk-on ran track at LCC, and showed off his speed on a couple of impressive interception returns over the course of the season in practice.
SPRING PROJECTION
CB: Deommodore Lenoir, So.; Verone McKinley III, Fr.; Dexter Myers, So.; Jihree Stewart, Jr.
CB: Thomas Graham Jr., So.; Haki Woods, Jr.; Charles Sudduth, RSo.;
S: Ugochukwu Amadi, Sr.; Nick Pickett, So.; Billy Gibson, So.
S: Brady Breeze, So.; Mattrell McGraw, Sr.; Steve Stephens, Fr.; Sean Killpatrick, Jr.
What to watch: The arrival of three newcomers who enrolled for the start of winter quarter will garner deserved attention come April. The loss of several seniors opens up the depth chart, and the Ducks added some highly regarded talent in freshman corner Verone McKinley III, freshman safety Steve Stephens and JC corner Haki Woods. The other guy to watch could be Amadi; other than him, the Ducks have good numbers but not a ton of experience at either corner or safety, and so perhaps there's a decision to be made about where Amadi best could be deployed as a senior. Lenoir's late season surge and Graham's season as a starter provide some credibility for them at the corner spots, while Pickett and Breeze showed flashes of potential at safety when healthy in 2017. All in all, there's a lot to sort through for the defensive coaching staff, and a lot of talent to compete for the jobs.
