Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly was in rare lighthearted form Thursday morning as he fielded questions from reporters regarding the future of suspended quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.
Several local media outlets reported that Masoli was going to pitch for the Eugene Emeralds minor league baseball team this summer, though it was later discovered that the organization was merely playing an April Fool’s joke on the media.
Kelly, however, was more than ready for some playful April 1 banter.
“You hear anything about Jeremiah playing baseball?” someone asked.
Kelly’s response was swift.
“Yeah, and Tom Izzo’s throwing out the first pitch,” Kelly said without missing a beat.
Laying those rumors to rest, Kelly continued on with the usual interviews.
In its second practice of the spring season, Kelly’s squad featured a handful of new faces that made an impact on both sides of the ball.
Oregon brought in three new defensive backs this spring — Dior Mathis, James Scales and Terrance Mitchell — straight from high school to help fill the void in the secondary left by former cornerback Walter Thurmond III and free safety T.J. Ward.
Mathis, a 5-foot-9-inch cornerback from Detroit, Mich., saw a handful of reps with the first and second units at right cornerback along with Scales. He also worked out as a return specialist and could provide another return man alongside redshirt sophomore Kenjon Barner, who set the school record with 1,020 kickoff return yards last season.
Mitchell also saw action with the first and second teams defensively, rotating in at left cornerback with senior Chad Peppars, as returning starter Talmadge Jackson III has been sidelined due to injury for each of the first two practices.
“I think we forget those three kids were eating hot lunches in high school on Friday,” Kelly said. “And now they’re out here practicing at the college and went to their first classes (on Monday).
“To transition like they did, I was really impressed with all three of those guys.”
On the other side of the ball it was junior college transfer Brandon Williams making a noticeable splash on the second team offense from the tight end position.
With future NFL draft pick Ed Dickson watching from the sidelines, Williams made several good catches during the 7-on-7 drills and in the final 11-on-11. At this point it looks as though he’ll have to compete with junior David Paulson for the starting job come fall.
“I like Brandon,” Kelly said. “The fact that Brandon was here for the winter and got a chance to learn the offense from the other guys is a positive.”
With effectively only one returning captain from last year’s team — senior center Jordan Holmes — Kelly said that leaders have already started to emerge within the different positions. Masoli was a captain last year, but will not be able to play this year. “Squad leaders,” as Kelly called them, were Nate Costa at quarterback, Remene Alston at running back, Jeff Maehl and D.J. Davis at receiver, David Paulson at tight end, Spencer Paysinger at linebacker, Kenny Rowe on the defensive line, and Jackson in the secondary.
Costa said so far this spring feels the same as the first three he’s been through.
“I don’t really feel anything different,” Costa said. “You know, it’s just me out there preparing with my teammates getting ready for the season and getting as good as we can within the 15 practices and the one game in spring.”
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