Oregon's offensive line may look like a question mark on the surface. After all, the unit did lose its position coach this offseason with Adrian Klemm going to the NFL and four starting-caliber players from 2022.
But don't tell Will Stein that.
"I think we can roll eight deep. I really do," Oregon's offensive coordinator said Monday.
While he's confident in the depth the Ducks have built at the position, he knows that tests still lie ahead. Tests that will ultimately prove what the team is really made of in the trenches.
"The only way to really get in the shape is to play real football. We can scrimmage all we want, we can practice all we want but until we put the pads on and go in Autzen Stadium and go on the turf, with that type of energy, is when you really know what you're made of up front. But I feel good about our depth. A lot of guys have played and there's been some newcomers come on that we're excited about."
For new coach A'lique Terry, his return to Eugene marks his second stint in Eugene is also his second time leading his own an offensive line room.
During fall camp he's had to strike a balance between building chemistry with his players while maintaining a high level of competition.
"You might have guys who stay on the left side, play with each other on the left side, guys on the right side play with each other on the right side," Terry said last week in fall camp. "But you still gotta have that good competition where you're creating that cohesion, because that's going to be big for us. You want to trust the guy next to you as much as possible. Trying to build that while also keeping the competition level high so no one's ever getting complacent."
As for finding the best five players to start, he expects to gain clarity on that this week, as the team closes in on being ten days away from their first game.
"It kind of happens cohesively," Oregon's offensive line coach said. "You want to have your best five and you want to make sure it's at the position they're comfortable at that lets them play at their best. So you end up with your best five, but your best five is probably going to end up where they're their best at in position wise."
Can the Ducks go eight deep along the offensive line? Time will tell, but history shows that it pays to have numbers at the position.
"If we get in a situation I tell those guys there hasn't been a Joe Moore Award winner where only five linemen have played. At some point in the season you're going to call on somebody's number.
"You may have a rotation of six or seven guys. And if we have to do that, that means that we have quality players that can do so. I have no problem doing so."
After missing most of 2022 with an injury, senior Steven Jones returns as the most experienced offensive lineman in a Duck uniform. He's feeling good not only about the group's depth, but also its health compared to a season ago.
"I think it's good," Jones said of the depth on Monday. "I think this is one of the years that I've been with that we didn't really lose a lot of players going into fall camp. Last season we had a lot of injuries which kind of hindered us going into the season but this year we got a lot of guys who can step up just in case somebody does go down. You gotta have dudes to be able to step in when they need to."
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