Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Gives Trey McNutt Injury Update

“But Trey's handling that unbelievably, kind of a freak deal. That being said, he's working his ass off to get back,” Lanning continued. “He's staying engaged in the playbook. He's preparing himself. He was having a really good fall camp. You always hate to see that happen, but it is part of football, and I think Trey's handled it really well.”

The 6-0 defensive back was listed as a five-star recruit in the 2025 recruiting class by 247Sports and Rivals and was a consensus top-five safety. McNutt led Shaker Heights with 61 tackles as a junior and recorded 12 pass breakups, three tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles.

McNutt brought speed to the Ducks’ defensive back room. Also running track in high school, the safety clocked in a time of 10.82 in the 100 meters in 2023.

Who Steps Up In McNutt’s Absence

McNutt was part of a 2025 recruiting class that ranked fourth in the nation, according to Rivals. He was among the highly touted Oregon freshmen set to earn meaningful playing time this fall.

His injury leaves the Ducks with few choices at the safety position.

“Nothing changes. When you lose a player, it's always about next man up,” Lanning said. “But you don't say, hey, now we got to work harder. Like, no, you should be working hard regardless of the situation. And we have a group of guys that are doing that. Luckily, we have talent on this team. And like I said, you hate that for Trey because he's worked so hard. But it’s part of football. It happens at times.”

Lanning secured a massive transfer portal pickup this offseason in former Purdue Boilermaker safety Dillon Thieneman. Thieneman was already prepared to play a key role on Oregon’s defense this season. With McNutt’s injury, Thieneman’s role might be even greater.

“Since being a guy down, it's like a lot more guys get a lot more reps. There’s not as many people rotating,” Thieneman said. “So, there's been the competition there to get more reps and keep executing. But then there's also the battle with getting tired, getting exhausted. We keep pushing each other there just to keep going.”

While Thieneman is the projected starter, the Ducks have a few other options remaining at safety. Sophomore Peyton Woodyard played 58 snaps on defense last season, and Aaron Flowers saw action in two games. Kingston Lopa is also anticipated to have a larger role coming off his redshirt season.