Phil Steele tabs three Oregon Ducks as preseason All-Americans
The preseason honors continue to roll in for the Oregon Ducks.
Over the weekend, college football analyst Phil Steele released his 2022 preview magazine and with it, his preseason All-American teams. Dan Lanning’s Oregon program was well-represented among Steele’s four offensive, defensive and special teams groups.
Steele has tabbed Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell as a first-team defensive All-American, long-snapper Karsten Battles as a second-team special teams All-American, and defensive end Brandon Dorlus as a fourth-team defensive All-American.
In 2021, Sewell was a first-team all-conference selection while racking up a team-high 106 tackles. He was also second among Oregon players with 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He is the program’s top 2023 NFL Draft prospect, and many scouts and analysts believe he could be the best inside linebacker in the draft.
Sewell is one of just two Pac-12 players Steele projects to receive first-team All-American honors, along with USC receiver Jordan Addison.
Battles, a four-year starter for the Ducks at long-snapper, has been one of the most consistent players in the program since 2018.
Dorlus was one of Oregon’s breakout stars in 2021 and received first-team all-conference honors after a stellar campaign. The junior tallied 25 tackles, including 14 solo stops, seven tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.
During the spring, Dorlus was sidelined with an injury but is expected to be healthy for the start of fall camp.
In 2021, both Kayvon Thibodeaux and Verone McKinley III received All-American honors for the Ducks. Thibodeaux was a unanimous All-American, while McKinley III was a consensus All-American.
Oregon’s season is set to begin Sept. 3 against defending national champions Georgia at the Chik-Fil-A Kickoff game at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
In total, five Bulldogs were selected as preseason All-Americans by Steele, with tight end Brock Bowers and defensive tackle Jalen Carter receiving first-team honors.
