Oregon Piecing Together Elite Defensive Line Class
Dan Lanning comes to Oregon with an SEC background. He just left Georgia and a host of defensive draft picks architecting one of the best college football defenses in history.
Upon arrival most expected Lanning would prioritize recruiting defense. Then he hired Tosh Lupoi and Tony Tuioti which really strengthened that belief. It was clear Lanning was placing a high priority on the defensive line.
Almost immediately, Lanning went to work on said position group. However with it being in the midst of the 2022 recruiting cycle, he attacked through the transfer portal.
Some of his earliest commits on the job were: Sam (Taki) Taimani, Casey Rogers and Jordon Riley — All three were transfers and targeted early on by Lanning.
The second commit in the 2023 class, after a coaches son committed (Cole Martin) was defensive tackle Tevita Pome’e from Utah. Pome’e committed to Oregon in early April seemingly a bit out of left field.
Fast forward to September, and the Ducks are on the verge of one of the best defensive line classes in the country. It’s a blend of power and speed in the trenches for Lanning and his staff.
In fact, five of the last seven commits have been on the defensive line. The latest two being both four-stars in Blake Purchase and A’mauri Washington. There are commits from six different states currently committed.
Oregon’s lowest ranked defensive line commit Jaeden Moore, might be one of my favorites in this class. He’s got all the tools to be big-time player down the road for Oregon.
Cy Woods (Texas) star Terrance Green is another big get in this class on defensive line. The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder has that rare blend of size and length that can be a valuable tool on the defensive line for Oregon.
Landing My’Keil Gardner, Teitum Tuioti and Tevita Pome’e is exactly what you need to do if you are Oregon. Continue taking the body types out West that are harder to find and making it harder for the rest of your conference opponents to build depth at those positions. Gardner and Pome’e have the size to move all around the front line with Tuioti able to roam between linebacker and EDGE for Oregon.
This is easily one of the best and deepest defensive line classes I can recall Oregon signing in quite some time.
