Season in Review: OL
01/25/23 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon returned a veteran offensive line in 2022, and that experience was the foundation for one of the best units in the country.
Reviewing Oregon's 2022 season and looking ahead to spring drills.
2022 ROSTER
LT: T.J. Bass, Sr.; Josh Conerly Jr., Fr.; Michael Wooten, Fr.; Bailey Jaramillo, RFr.
LG: Ryan Walk, Sr.; Faaope Laloulu, So.; Dave Iuli, Fr.; Charlie Pickard, RFr.
C: Alex Forsyth, Sr.; Jackson Powers-Johnson, So.; Kanen Rossi, RFr.
RG: : Steven Jones, Jr.; Marcus Harper II, So.; Kawika Rogers, Fr.; Holden Whipple, RFr.
RT: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Sr.; Dawson Jaramillo, Jr.; Bram Walden, Fr.; Cole Young, So.
Starters: The Ducks returned an enviable amount of experience for the 2022 season, and boy, did it show. Oregon led the nation with just five sacks allowed this past fall, tied for 10th in the country by averaging four tackles for loss allowed per game, and was sixth in the FBS in rushing with 5.52 yards per carry. The five sacks were the fewest allowed by an FBS team that doesn't run a triple-option offense since 2015. All of that success contributed to the Ducks being a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, presented annually to the nation's most outstanding offensive line.
Oregon's bookends on the line were seniors T.J. Bass and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, and each started all 13 games at tackle in the 2022 season. Bass was a first-team all-Pac-12 selection by conference coaches, and "Sala" received honorable mention. The man in the middle was another first-team all-conference guy in the eyes of coaches, Alex Forsyth. The native Oregonian battled through a shoulder issue late in the year that finally sidelined him against Utah, but he returned for the final two games of the year.
Another in-state success story, Ryan Walk, opened the year as a starter, was injured in the opener but returned after missing one game to start all season at guard, with the exception of one start at center in place of Forsyth – when Walk played despite missing practice all week due to an injury of his own. Steven Jones missed a large chunk of the season due to injury but returned late in the year, while Marcus Harper II emerged as a steady presence after entering the lineup when Walk was hurt against Georgia.
Reserves: Oregon's highest graded offensive lineman in 2022 according to the analytics web site Pro Football Focus was actually the team's sixth man on the line, Jackson Powers-Johnson. He had the highest grade on the team in both run blocking and pass blocking, and he handled a starting assignment against Utah when Walk moved inside to spell Forsyth. The other most prominent rotation player was true freshman Josh Conerly Jr., a mainstay in the Ducks' "14J" short-yardage formation that yielded a touchdown reception for the big man at Colorado. Dawson Jaramillo and Faaope Laloulu played in 12 of 13 games, starting the PAT/FG unit.
Developmental squad: Young guys got valuable seasoning in practices last fall, among them Michael Wooten, Dave Iuli and Kawika Rogers. Kanen Rossi was primarily a "look team" member but some of the injuries on the interior line thrust him into the practice order with the travel team at times. Charlie Pickard, Holden Whipple, Bailey Jaramillo and Cole Young also were mainstays with the scout offense.
2023 SPRING PREVIEW
Veterans: Steven Jones, Jr.; Jackson Powers-Johnson, So.; Marcus Harper II, So.; Josh Conerly Jr., Fr.; Faaope Laloulu, So.; Dave Iuli, Fr.; Kawika Rogers, Fr.; Michael Wooten, Fr.; Cole Young, So.; Kanen Rossi, RFr.; Charlie Pickard, RFr.; Holden Whipple, RFr.; Bailey Jaramillo, RFr.
Newcomers: Junior Angilau, Sr.; Ajani Cornelius, Jr.; Iapani Laloulu, Fr.; George Silva, Fr.; Gernorris Wilson, Fr.
What to Watch: The offensive line will have a new look in 2023, but the Ducks won't be lacking for talent. Jones and Harper both have a wealth of starting experience at this point, Powers-Johnson has been a regular in the rotation the last two years and Conerly is ready to take the next step after a promising freshman year. Younger guys like Laloulu, Iuli, Rogers and Wooten have the chance to state their case for bigger roles this spring, but the coaching staff bolstered the competition along the line with a couple additions through the transfer portal, Junior Angilau and Ajani Cornelius. As much as anything, spring practice will be about identifying roles and then jelling as a group; the chemistry the 2022 offensive line displayed was forged through countless reps together in practice and games, and new bonds need to be formed this offseason.
Players Mentioned
