Veteran OL Matthew Bedford 'Back in the saddle' Ahead of Seventh Season

The start of Oregon fall cap on Wednesday will mark season No. 7 for offensive lineman Matthew Bedford. But his journey has been anything but linear.

After committing to Oregon on December 18, 2023, the former Indiana lineman logged just two snaps for the Ducks during their Big Ten championship season in 2024.

But now he’s back to feeling like himself and ready to contribute in a big way for A’lique Terry and the rest of the Law Firm.

“I feel like I’m 100. I feel like I’m 100 man,” Bedford told reporters at Oregon Football Media Day Monday. “I feel like I’m back in the saddle.”

It sounds like his teammates in the trenches would be the first ones to confirm that he’s back to his old ways.

“Come on now, everybody’s rallying behind me,” he said. “I got something to prove this season.”

Any athlete would testify that not being able to play the game you love is a difficult hand to be dealt. But he’s made the best of a bad situation, remaining present and going through each day, knowing it all lead to this moment.

“I’m excited to be able to do what I’ve been wanting to do. It’s been a year since I’ve been off the horse,” Bedford said. “I’ve just been around. Walking around, being around the guys, being around coach, being in my book. Just waiting and waiting and training and training for the moment and the moment’s here, so I’m ready to attack it.”

Spending another year at Oregon wasn’t in the cards originally, but he’s taken everything in stride on his journey.

“Originally, we were just okay yeah we’re gonna do one year at Oregon and be out. And the way God set it up was okay you’re gonna need to do two,” he said. “You just pivot. It’s not something that everything’s set in stone. This game isn’t set in stone.”

That decision to pivot from his original plan wasn’t a tough one to make, speaking on the program’s ability to retain players and why he opted to return for one last ride.

“I mean, we’re successful. We’re successful in what we do every year. You see the trend. And then on top of that you got guys that are bought in. Bought into you and bought into your process. And I’ve only felt that since I walked through the door. From Terry to (Dan) Lanning, to everybody in the training room. Everybody wants to see you succeed here. And I mean it’s really hard to say ‘okay I don’t really want to be here. ‘There’s always a reason for you to be here. There’s an upside to things.”

The towering 6-foot-6 Memphis native is one of four returning offensive linemen (Iapani Laloulu, Dave Iuli, Kawika Rogers) that should be featured in Oregon’s rotation this year. The Ducks have been building their chemistry and camaraderie all offseason as they prepare to field an almost entirely new starting five. The veteran has been keeping a watchful eye out for those opportunities.

“Any chance we get, guys trying to play cards, guys trying to play (EA Sports) college football,” he said. “Guys are chatting about back home and what we’re trying to do this season. We do a lot of visualization as a team. Especially in the O-line room, one thing we talked about before we went on this past break was visualizing the success that we’re gonna have this season.”

The former All-Big Ten honorable mention is no stranger to success and he’s using his past experience in the conference to fuel his mindset this season.

“I’ve been there over and over again,” Bedford said. “Going into year seven, definitely been in those moments. I’ve played Ohio State. I’ve played Penn State, over and over again. So I know what those moments feel like and I visualize the success that I’ve had in those moments.”

We’ll see what kind of role Bedford ultimately carves out for the Ducks this season. Whatever that role looks like, he’ll be ready when his number’s called.