Oregon Ducks position competitions close to wrapping up

As fall camp winds down, the Oregon Ducks are close to having a set two-deep at most every position heading into the season.

Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal told the media on Monday he has an idea of who won most of the position battles that ensued over the spring and fall.

“Oh, we’ve got an idea now,” Cristobal said. “We just never come out and formally announce it. We believe in being able to sit with players and making sure that they hear from their coaches first and not read it on a blog or a post or something.”

Cristobal added that the conversations with the players will happen over the next couple days, but there will be some battles that will continue to play out.

“Quite frankly, there might be a one or two competitions that go on a bit farther because guys are playing well, and the counterpunches to them playing well are really good as well,” Cristobal said. “So we want to respect that. We have plenty of periods against each other all of next week. We do all year long because that’s the only way to keep developing as a football team. Because we have those periods, we can continue to evaluate and assess. They’ll have that opportunity.”

Of the position battles happening in Eugene, perhaps the most important is the backup quarterback battle. Anthony Brown Jr has locked up the starting position for the near future, but Ty Thompson, Robby Ashford and Jay Butterfield have been battling for the backup spot. All three fighting were heralded recruits coming out of high school. If Brown struggles, whoever wins the backup spot could be thrust into the spotlight, as Oregon looks to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff this season. Ashford notably had a big spring game, scoring the game-winning two-point conversion. He also stars at center field for the Oregon baseball team.

Another key battle ensuing for Oregon is the starting cornerback position, with the loss of DJ James to indefinite suspension. Dontae Manning and Trikweze Bridges are battling for the spot. Manning, notably was a five-star prospect from Missouri.

At tight end, freshmen Terrance Ferguson and Moliki Matavao have been pushing for playing time and could find their way on the two-deep come Week 1.