Not unlike certain college classes, the three starting spots for Oregon linebackers cannot be occupied without taking prerequisites first.
“In my mind, you need to start on a couple special teams if you’re a starter,” Ducks linebackers coach Don Pellum said. “You’ve got to compete and find a way.”
“If you’re not a starter, you need to be on three or four (teams). If you’re on three or four teams and you’ve proven that you’re really valuable, I’m going to look for the opportunity to give you reps on defense, because you earned it.”
All six spots on the two-deep are up for grabs in some fashion, but those who have paid their dues with Oregon’s special teams are surfacing as impact players.
Junior Michael Clay was Spencer Paysinger’s understudy at the strong-side linebacker position and is playing his way into a starting role.
The San Jose, Calif., native, perhaps best known for his 64-yard rush on a fake punt in the 2010 Civil War, has made strides toward becoming a vocal leader of the linebackers. Paysinger and middle linebacker Casey Matthews filled those roles comfortably last season.
“It’s been a learning process,” Clay said. “I think I can lead by example personally and take on more of a vocal role.”
Senior Josh Kaddu, a special teams playmaker during his true freshman year, returns as the starter at weak-side linebacker. He and sophomore Boseko Lokombo — a terror on quarterbacks and coverage units alike last fall — have worked at that position and at the “drop end” role vacated by former defensive end Kenny Rowe.
“We’re still taking reps at the SAM position and also at the drop position, so we’ll be able to play together at the same time,” Lokombo said. “I trust in the coaches.”
Senior Dewitt Stuckey, a consistent contributor on special teams during his Oregon tenure, is locked in a tight competition with junior Kiko Alonso for Matthews’ old middle linebacker spot.
“Both those guys are performing really well right now,” Pellum said. “They both have some gifts.”
While Alonso — who has not played football since 2009 after sitting out 2010 with a suspension for DUII and a torn anterior cruciate ligament — has a slight edge over Stuckey in first-team repetitions, Stuckey has impressed Pellum in one particular point of emphasis.
“I think, in terms of running around and making plays, we’re doing a great job there, but we need to improve our communication,” said Pellum, a former Oregon linebacker himself. “Not only with the rest of the defense, but the communication among the rest of the linebackers, making sure that we’re seeing the picture the same way.
“(Stuckey has) been tremendous in a lot of categories, but in particular the communication part and the understanding part.”
The linebackers have enjoyed a breakout spring from redshirt freshman Derrick Malone. The Colton, Calif., native was the only scholarship linebacker in Oregon’s 2010 recruiting class and is in line for opportunities early.
Early enrollee Tyson Coleman is among the newest faces on the Ducks, and he is using spring to tackle the learning curve from high school to college. The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Lake Oswego native has received some repetitions with the third-string defense.
“I think Tyson’s just starting to kind of figure out where he is,” Pellum said. “I think Tyson’s very tough. I think he’s very smart and I think he’s very athletic. He’s shown that when he knows what he’s doing and he knows the concept, he does pretty well.”
Coleman’s work may pay off in a hurry. Over the last three weeks of practice, he has been assigned roles on special teams.
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