Phil Steele projects Oregon's offensive line to be among nation's best
The expectations are sky-high for Oregon’s veteran-heavy offensive line in 2022.
After injuries hindered many of the Ducks’ top linemen last fall, starters Alex Forsyth, T.J. Bass, Steven Jones and Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu all could have opted to forgo the 2022 campaign and enter the NFL Draft.
None of them did, though.
As Forsyth sees it, that group, along with senior guard Ryan Walk, has unfinished business. They wanted to play a fully healthy season together and prove to the nation what they are capable of when firing on all cylinders. So now, first-year head coach Dan Lanning and offensive line coach Adrian Klemm are inheriting a senior-led OL that features some top-end talent and is one of the more experienced groups in the Pac-12.
This week, Phil Steele released the 2022 iteration of his annual magazine and recognized Oregon’s offensive line as one of the best in the country.
Steele tabbed the Ducks as the No. 5 O-line group behind only Michigan, Georgia, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.
“They just missed winning (the Joe Moore Award) in ’19,” Steele wrote of the Ducks. “In ’20 they lost all five starters but were solid. In ’21 they had just 36 career starts but were semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award. This year they lose just one starter and the career starts rise to 86 with just 19 VHT’s. Coach Lanning told me he felt they were the best O-line in the Pac-12.”
While the Ducks technically did lose a starter in tackle George Moore, Aumavae-Laulu was essentially a sixth starter for the Ducks at right tackle when Walk and Forsyth missed time due to injury, and the offensive line was shuffled to accommodate.
According to PFF, these are the snap numbers Oregon’s five returning starters played in 2021.
- T.J. Bass: 856
- Steven Jones: 706
- Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu: 635
- Ryan Walk: 577
- Alex Forsyth: 572
That’s a wealth of experience that will be immense for Kenny Dillingham’s offense as it implements a new starting quarterback and leans heavily on a young group of skill position players.
Oregon was far from the only Pac-12 team to land high up Steele’s list of best offensive line groups. He tabbed Utah as the No. 6 OL in the nation and selected Oregon State at No. 15.
USC (No. 20), Stanford (43), UCLA (44), and Washington (48) all landed in Steele’s top-50 as well.
