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'It's nothing new'; Fox Crader Embodies Oregon's Next Man up Mentality

Max Torres Author Profileby: Max Torres5 hours agomtorressports

Oregon’s been battling injuries up and down the roster all year, but in the No. 7 Ducks’ 42-27 win over the No. 15 USC Trojans, A’lique Terry and the Law Firm found themselves down as many as three starting offensive linemen. Redshirt freshman Fox Crader started at left tackle in place of veteran Isaiah World, and Will Stein‘s offense didn’t sputter.

Crader was ready for his number to be called.

“We kind of figured out Zay (Isaiah World) wasn’t gonna be good to go on Sunday,” Crader told reporters in Eugene on Tuesday. “He kind of told me his foot wasn’t too good and I’m gonna have to be ready in case. So I just took it one day at a time, prepared like I was going to be the starter, and it kind of paid off, worked out.”

The Washington product put a little something extra into his preparation last week and embodied the mentality Oregon coaches have worked so hard to instill in their players.

“All of our position coaches always preach next man up mentality. So week one, I was preparing like I was going to play,” Crader reflected. “So it’s nothing new. Obviously, it was a little different process mentally, because I kind of knew I was gonna be the guy. I treated preparation a little harder, just in case and I’ve learned from that, and I’m gonna keep stepping on my preparation and routine and keep that progress moving forward.”

Crader wasn’t the only offensive lineman who had a chance to show what he could do against the Trojans.

Starting center Iapani Laloulu went down with an injury early in the first quarter after getting leg-whipped by a Trojan defender, and starting right tackle Alex Harkey was in and out with an injury of his own. Former walk-on Charlie Pickard took over at center and Kawika Rogers stepped in at right tackle.

“It just goes to show our coaches prepare us every week in and out,” Crader said. “It’s not just me, we’re all prepared for the moment that someone goes down and we’re all ready. We go through stuff in the meetings all day, every day. Whether that’s personnel or game plan and stuff like that.”

Crader was one of four offensive linemen to sign with the Ducks in the. 2024 class. An All-American caliber recruit might be expected to see meaningful snaps from right out of the gate, but after biding his time as a true freshman, the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder looks back on those days with respect and gratitude.

“Rather than hard, I would just say, humbling,” he said of having to wait his turn in the program. “Coming in and having older guys that have been here and done that, it’s really just a learning experience. I don’t feel bad for myself, I don’t pity myself. I try not to take it hard mentally. I just try to take it a day at a time and I finally got my opportunity to show what I could do.”

Whether or not the Ducks see World as well as Harkey and sixth man Gernorris Wilson return to their regular roles against Washington, Crader’s ready for his next opportunity.

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