Observations from Oregon's second spring practice

The Oregon Ducks held their second spring football practice Saturday morning under sunny Eugene skies at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex outdoor fields.

As was the case during Thursday’s practice, players were in helmets and shorts and limited to non-contact drills.

“Everybody has juice and energy, a lot of enthusiasm,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said on Thursday. “Practice was well organized — guys were running to the right locations and with a lot of new bodies you hope that’s the expectation. … We don’t really have pads on either. So this is, it’s not real football yet in my mind, but guys are definitely turning in the right direction.”

That same energy was evident on Saturday.

The opening 20 minutes of practice were open to reporters and photographers and featured a stretching and warmup period, special teams work, and non-contact position drills.

Here are a few observations and takeaways from Oregon’s second practice of the spring.

Injuries and absences

After a healthy start to the spring, there were a few more Oregon players who were held out of Saturday’s practice.

Fifth-year junior receiver Josh Delgado, junior safety Daymon David, true freshman offensive lineman Genorris Wilson, and true freshman outside linebacker Jaeden Moore were all sidelined on Saturday.

After being sidelined during Thursday’s practice, senior offensive line Junior Angilau was limited once again on Saturday.

Practice observations

Oregon opened practice with special teams work that featured a group of kick returners fielding kicks from Cam Lewis and Grant Meadors, and a group of returners fielding punts from Luke Dunne and Ross James.

Those return groups were identical to Thursday’s groups.

Kickoff return

• Bucky Irving
• Noah Whittington
• Jordan James
• Jayden Limar

Punt return

• Tez Johnson
• Troy Franklin
• Kris Hutson
• Cole Martin

Dunne uncorked a couple of impressive punts early in the period, while James’ first punt of the day sailed wide to the left and drew a noticeable critique from special teams coach Joe Lorig.

Later in the period, though, James bounced back with the best punt of the day — a booming kick that had plenty of hang time.

Oregon’s offensive linemen worked on a pull-blocking technique drill early in the day while first-year offensive line coach A’Lique Terry and first-year assistant Mike Cavanaugh watched closely.

During the third period of the day, skill-position players and defenders went head-to-head in a non-contact version of “mod bracket” that featured quarterbacks Bo Nix, Ty Thompson, and Austin Novosad throwing swing passes to a pass-catcher, who then worked to beat a defensive back and a linebacker in a one-on-one matchup along the sideline.

It’s worth noting that junior linebacker Jestin Jacobs, who transferred from Iowa during the offseason, was an active participant in this drill.

Jacobs, who will be in the mix for a starting job at inside linebacker this season, suffered a major leg injury after just two games with the Hawkeyes in 2022 and missed the remainder of the season.

On Saturday, Jacobs appeared to be full-go and was matched up against running back Bucky Irving during the final rep of the period.

Meanwhile, Oregon walk-on quarterback Marcus Sanders worked with a group of offensive linemen and ball carriers on a read option drill at the other end of the practice field.

What’s next

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is scheduled to meet with reporters at approximately 12:30 p.m. this afternoon in the HDC courtyard.

Following Saturday’s practice, the Ducks will take a 17-day break for the end of winter term and spring break before reconvening in Eugene for their third spring practice on April 4.