Joe opens up about his medical emergency. Dye, Jones, Forsythe, AB...

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The biggest takeaway from today was that the Ducks are going to be thin at DL. Popo Aumavae was not there but no word on why not. Keyon Ware-Hudson is out with a knee, and Jayson Jones is gone via transfer.

So, today Jackson Powers Johnson was practicing at DT. He played a lot of DL in high school and I actually think he can be effective in there against the Sooners. We shall see.

Bennett Williams was full-go, or at least was not one of the red jersey crew today.

By all appearances, Anthony Brown will be the starter. He was the only QB with the ones today. Maybe a big fake out during the only open minutes of practice?!?!!? Not a chance.

No word on who the No. 2 QB will be, either Thompson or Butterfield. I don't think it will matter though.

Mrs. Grayduck and I wish you all Merry Christmas and happy holiday season.

Amazing the former Oregon, now USC coach would send me and my wife a personal Merry Christmas message today. I'm very impressed.

Good morning all, a day off so thought I would check in and post this... one thing to note, over the past five seasons I have had a lot of conversations with Mario Cristobal, I kept that mostly a secret because I did not feel the need to talk about the conversations specifically. I never even really tried to insinuate anything regarding the conversations. A couple of people knew that I talked to him, but I never leveraged those conversations for clicks.

In today's Flock Talk, there is a bit at the end about a conversation I had with him after his departure.

Enjoy your holiday everyone!

Hope all have enjoyed a great Eve, and will have a most wonderful day.

I guess we'll just have to consider Tosh as CDC a rumor with some legs at this point, but the group so far is really solid. Some of the position coaches make up for perceived lack of experience at the top pf the food chain.

Will Oklahoma be more prepared than Oregon?
Will they be distracted?
They are going through the same things Oregon team is? HC leaving, Coaching changes, losing recruits, early departures and sitting out, portal entries.

The discussion about ESD and coaching hires has taken center stage but we are days away from our bowl game. Any intel the guys in the know can share?

This is going to be very strange year indeed.

I think the addition of Bo Nix via transfer will have two effects; the Ducks probably won't sign a QB this cycle, and the probability somebody leaves is much higher.

In terms of signing somebody, they probably weren't going to anyway with Tanner Bailey flipping away. But Nix transferring in almost makes it like they already signed somebody for this class, at least in the minds of recruits. They could still sign a guy but I'm not exactly sure who is left that would make it a good move this year.

I also think it makes it much more likely one or more of the existing QB's transfers. I don't think any position is more sensitive to the depth chart than QB's, particularly if coaches show they only play one and don't give others playing time. QB's may have transferred anyway since the guys that recruited them are gone, but Nix adds to that for sure.

So I will give DSA odds on transfers.

Ty Thompson: He is a guy who really loved Oregon as a recruit and that probably is still the case. But there is no way he had a great football experience this year. He could stick it out and it will be great if he does. DSA transfer odds: 35.31429%

Jay Butterfield: I think Butterfield might have been thinking of transfer if Thompson won the start in spring. But with Nix probably ahead of him on the chart now, and Thompson too, it might be too much for him. DSA transfer odds: 45.93097%

Robby Ashford: Robby has some things to look at besides football with his baseball ability. Ashford was third or fourth string QB this season, and would have been second or third before Nix heading into spring. I think if he is No. 4 after spring he might seriously look around, or go back into baseball here or somewhere else. DSA transfer odds: 39.10113%

The over/under for QB transfers from those three = 1.0

Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning announced the hiring of Demetrice Martin on Thursday as the Ducks’ new cornerbacks coach and passing game coordinator.

Martin joins offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham and co-defensive coordinator Matt Powledge as the first additions to Lanning’s initial coaching staff at Oregon.

“I am so excited to welcome Demetrice Martin to our football staff here at Oregon,” Lanning said. “He is better known to players and coaches as ‘Coach Meat.’ He brings a plethora of coaching experience on the West Coast and in the Pac-12, and he has developed a strong reputation as an elite recruiter out west over the last several years.

“The two characteristics I look for most in my search for coaches is relationships and development. Coach Martin definitely checks both those boxes. Demetrice has proven over time to be a great teacher and developer of men on and off the field. His journey as a coach has been just as impressive, growing from a high school coach at Monrovia High School to a Junior College coach at Mt. San Antonio to now at the University of Oregon. Please join me in welcoming Coach Martin and his children Cole, Cassius, Kori, and Quincee to Duck Nation.”

Martin brings 15 years of experience coaching in the Pac-12 to Eugene, spending the last two seasons as cornerbacks coach at Colorado. He has also made stops at Arizona (2018-19), UCLA (2012-17), Washington (2009-11), and USC (2006-07).

“I am super stoked for the opportunity to work at the University of Oregon, a premier university in one of the top conferences in the world.” Martin said. “Combine this with the energy, enthusiasm, experience, and expertise of the staff that Coach Lanning is putting together, and I know we have the perfect storm brewing. Then you add in the top fan base in the Pac-12! It’s on and Quack’n! Go Ducks!”

Martin has coached 15 defensive backs to Pac-12 all-conference honors throughout his career, while helping his teams reach 10 bowl games. In 2021, Martin mentored freshman Christian Gonzalez to an all-Pac-12 honorable mention selection.

Martin helped guide the Buffaloes to an appearance in the Valero Alamo Bowl in 2020. Colorado boasted one of the Pac-12’s stingiest pass defenses, holding opponents to a league-best 55.6 completion percentage.

At Arizona, Martin coached Lorenzo Burns to all-conference honorable mention recognition in 2019, with the sophomore ranking third in the Pac-12 with four interceptions. Burns ranked sixth in the conference with 11 pass breakups, a year after leading the Wildcats with 11 PBUs as a freshman.

Martin enjoyed a tremendous six-year run at UCLA, spending two seasons as defensive backs coach before being elevated to assistant head coach. Martin mentored 11 all-conference defensive backs in Westwood and helped the Bruins land six consecutive top-20 recruiting classes. UCLA went 47-31 during Martin’s tenure while qualifying for five bowl games in six seasons.

In 2016, the Bruins’ secondary ranked seventh in the nation in pass defense efficiency (105.8) and 22nd nationally in interceptions (15). UCLA led the Pac-12 with just 12 touchdown passes allowed, and Randall Goforth was 31st nationally with four interceptions.

Martin helped UCLA lead the Pac-12 in passing defense in 2015, allowing just 203.2 passing yards per game with a league-best 5.8 yards per passing attempt. The Bruins also led the conference in pass defense efficiency (111.5) while ranking 18th nationally in that category.

Martin mentored four defensive backs to Pac-12 all-conference accolades in 2014, with Ishmael Adams and Anthony Jefferson each earning first-team honors. That unit ranked fourth in the Pac-12 with 250.6 passing yards allowed per game.

As the defensive backs coach for a Washington team that went 0-12 the year before he arrived, Martin helped the Huskies reach two bowl games during his three seasons in Seattle. He played a big role in UW landing back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes in 2010 and 2011.

Was recruited by Bouknight then flipped to ASU

Omar White is one of the top recruits in the 2024 class already with a 4-star ranking. White announced his offer from the Ducks this evening on Twitter.
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To Florida State....wow, hope this works different than the writing on the wall. Very volatile place to choose...my bet he’ll be in the portal again. For his sake hope not...

I had wondered what happened, but since nobody was talking about it, I didn't ask.
Diverticulitis, abscessed and ruptured colon. Removed a foot of colon. sounds veryy serious. Pretty amazing he kept coaching this season but he's ok. Sounds like it could have killed him. Good luck to Joe!

Strange times. The way this is spreading, who knows. UM is boosting it's players, Bama in full CV protocols...

Does not have enough COVID free members to field a team.

Good for him, getting a full time gig with Wilson at Nevada

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