With Andy Avalos’ departure to Boise State for a head coaching gig, Oregon hired new defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter from its Pac-12 North foe California.
This move not only showed Mario Cristobal’s ability to identify top coordinator talents –– as demonstrated by both the Avalos and Joe Moorhead hires –– but also the program’s ability to get new personnel in the door and hit the ground running.

Avalos’ replacement of Jim Leavitt in 2018 took the team from No. 81 to No. 48 in opponent points per game, while DeRuyter led a Cal defense that held the Ducks to 17 points in both of their last two meetings.

DeRuyter specializes in developing star linebackers, as he’s done with Von Miller at Texas A&M and Evan Weaver at Cal. He puts a heavy emphasis on turnovers, using a diverse array of attacks to confuse opposing quarterbacks.
“When you have guys that can run, you can job swap,” DeRuyter said. “We have outside linebackers that can drop into coverage or pressure. We have defensive linemen that can drop into coverage. We’ve got safeties that can blitz… that can make it difficult on an offense.”

As is the trend throughout the top levels of college football, expect the Ducks to use plentiful nickel (fifth defensive back) packages to cover more spread offenses.

Defensive Line

DeRuyter’s defenses historically feature less down linemen and more edge rushers standing at the line of scrimmage. This is where you’ll find Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has already been projected to be the No. 1 pick in the next NFL Draft.

Thibodeaux took the starting edge spot in the spring game, with Mase Funa starting on the weak side.

“We have [Thibodeaux and Funa] where they can be interchangeable,” DeRuyter said. “When we get into our odd [front] stuff, we can have either one of ‘em playing to the field,” while the other “may be in the rush, may be in the drop.”

Junior Brandon Dorlus and fifth year senior Popo Aumavae seem to have claimed the starting down linemen spots. Dorlus and Kristian Williams may be poised for breakout seasons after solid spells last year, while sophomores Keyon Ware-Hudson and Jayson Jones may also factor in.

Linebackers

Fourth year junior Adrian Jackson and sophomores Bradyn Swinson and Jake Shipley might also factor in on the edge. Jabrill McNeil, Terrell Tilmon and Brandon Buckner all join from the record-setting 2021 recruiting class as outside linebackers.

At inside linebacker, former starter Isaac Slade-Matautia transferred to SMU over the offseason, opening up room for a new crop of youngsters.

Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year Noah Sewell headlines a star-studded inside linebacker corps for the Ducks in 2021. He’s joined by fellow five-star Justin Flowe –– who missed most of 2020 with a torn meniscus.
Four-star freshman and Oregon native Keith Brown and senior Dru Mathis will also get snaps on the inside.

Secondary

Perhaps the biggest concerns surrounding this Ducks defense lie at cornerback and nickelback. While junior Mykael Wright has a firm grip on one starting corner spot, two starting openings remain.

Corner DJ James and nickel Jamal Hill were the most likely candidates to fill the roles after promising flashes in 2020, but the pair face indefinite suspensions for off-the-field misconduct, meaning Dontae Manning and Bennett Williams will likely start.

Williams has been working alongside Jordan Happle and Jeffrey Bassa in practice, presumably as the reformed nickel group. Freshmen Daymon “Scoop” David and Trikweze Bridges have also been impressive.

The biggest cornerstone of the defensive back room is safety Verone McKinley III, who is “most definitely” stepping into a leadership role.

“Me, KT, Noah Sewell, Mykael and big Dorlus,” McKinley III said. “Those are probably the main guys that are really the big leaders of this defense.”

McKinley and Co. will have their hands full in a week two matchup against Ohio State as they face potentially the best receiving corps in the country, but this is a defense that should dominate in Pac-12 play.

While the defense’s most important question of secondary depth is yet to be answered, Cristobal is confident.

“We don’t hand out a single thing that has any type of ranking,” Cristobal said. “The entire focus is on our process… Over here, we stack the reps more than we stack the days.”