Editor’s note: In the final 50 days before Chip Kelly and the Ducks return to the field to defend their status as Pac-12 Champions, the Emerald sports desk will take a look back at one Oregon alum each day whose jersey number corresponds to the amount of days left before the season opener against Arkansas State.
A junior college transfer, linebacker Bryson Littlejohn played for the Ducks in 2009 and 2010, seeing action in all 13 Oregon games in his senior season. Littlejohn made 15 solo tackles in his senior season, including two behind the line of scrimmage. He had big days against Tennessee and New Mexico, recording two tackles in each game and adding a pair of forced fumbles in the Ducks merciless 72-0 victory over the Lobos that kicked off the first 12-0 regular season in program history.
Littlejohn demonstrates the combination of speed and strength that make offensive coaches nervous, combining a 4.55 40 time with a 395-pound best in the bench press (which equaled the high mark on the Oregon team in 2010). His speed was groomed in his days playing running back as well as linebacker in high school. As a high school senior Littlejohn was recruited by both of the Ducks archrivals. But rather than sign with Washington, Oregon State or any D-1 school, Littlejohn starred at Sierra Junior College in Rocklin, Calif., where he would become one of the biggest names in JuCo football — first in Northern California and eventually nationally.
In his second and final season at Sierra JC, Littlejohn had 72 tackles, including 14.5 behind the line of scrimmage, to go with three forced fumbles and three interceptions. Littlejohn signed his letter of intent for the Ducks as the 12th-rated JC recruit in the country by Scout.com.