Greg McElroy explains Oregon's ranking on Top 10 defenses in college football list

Looking at college football’s top defenses heading into the 2025 season, ESPN’s Greg McElroy placed Oregon at No. 9 overall. Not many programs have recruited like the Ducks in recent years with a ton of credit going to Dan Lanning. McElroy also knows that once talent is on the roster, a good chunk of players are going to see the field too.

“If you look at their group from last year, they lost a lot of production,” McElroy said. “That’s understandable. But if you look at how Dan Lanning has continued to recruit and the amount of players they play on a week-to-week basis — when they have departures, it doesn’t feel as significant as some of the other teams they’re measured up against because of how often they’re playing 25, 26, 28 guys on a week-to-week basis within their rotation.”

One guy’s production Oregon has not lost in Matayo Uiagalelei. One of the best pass rushers in college football, Uiagalelei was highlighted by McElroy when speaking on the EDGE room. It’s the Ducks’ strongest position, in the ESPN analyst’s eyes, heading into the campaign.

Finding plug-and-play guys out of the NCAA transfer portal was another offseason key for Lanning. Two stand out more than others for McElroy, playing at different levels. First is journeyman Bear Alexander, coming to Oregon via USC via Georgia. Next is former Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman, somebody who owns All-American potential.

Recruiting at a high level will always be Oregon’s top priority, wanting to build the roster through the high school ranks. This allows for natural development and provides opportunities to grow within the system. And then adding pieces through the portal allows Oregon to get players they consider a luxury to put themselves over the top.

All things considered, McElroy feels comfortable where the group is entering the summer. By December, he believes Oregon might be ranked higher than No. 9.

“When you look at everything, the presence of the elite rushers, the impact transfer additions, the young defensive line that might be able to take the next step, the secondary talent, and a really, deep, well-recruited roster — I would be surprised, even with some of the new faces, they shouldn’t drop off very significantly,” McElroy said. “I think they’ll be one of the top groups in the Big Ten and should be one of the top groups in college football by season’s end.”