Oregon has a rich and long college football history, rooted in the fact that the University of Oregon and Oregon State have anchored its relevance in the sports for over a hundred years. These two schools’ long-standing rivalry and nationwide brand recognition have sustained an area that is not always known for its sports prowess, especially in the professional realm. For most of their history together, these programs have jockeyed back and forth in terms of competitiveness, with one school holding the edge for some time but things constantly switching back.
However, in the last decade, with the massive infusion of funds and other resources from Nike and UO alum Phil Knight, Oregon has seen an unprecedented rise into the ranks of true college football powerhouses. Top recruits and transfers that, in the past, would first look at programs in the South or possibly the Midwest are eschewing those traditional viewpoints and flocking to the new pedigree of Oregon and Dan Lanning. For most of this era, Oregon State has lagged, boasting pitiful records of 1-11 in 2017 and 2-10 in 2018. Still, with the addition of Jonathan Smith after the 2017 season, OSU’s program has taken massive strides in competitiveness.
This equaling of the playing field has been most represented in the last couple of years. In the final 2022 College Football rankings, Oregon was listed at #15, while Oregon State could be found just two spots lower at #17. In this year’s final 2023 ranking, both schools were again represented, with Oregon clocking in at #18 while OSU stayed consistent at #19. A lot of this can be attributed to a (slightly) more balanced talent pool at each school, although the acquisition of said talent still remains an area of differentiation. With their imminent arrival in the Big Ten and decade of Pac-12 dominance, Oregon can rely on their big ticket status to obtain an almost unending number of 4 and 5-star recruits. While OSU has improved its ability to entice higher-ranked players, its strength is still finding diamonds in the rough out of JUCO or lower division schools and turning them into Power 5 players.
A total of 11 players from both schools were invited to the recent NFL combine, with seven coming from UO and the remaining four from OSU. Being invited to the combine is a good barometer of where a player’s stock is for the upcoming draft, with those not invited facing a much steeper path to appearing on an NFL team in the future. Not all players accept the said invitation, especially if they do not believe their performance in the combine will enhance their draft stock. Still, for the most part, it is the best opportunity to showcase one’s skills and physical ability.
The headliner from either school, at least on popularity if not necessarily on talent, is former Oregon QB Bo Nix. An up-and-down three-year starter at Auburn before joining Oregon in 2022, Nix turned his collegiate career around under Lanning and led an absolutely electrifying offense for the Ducks over the past two years. Accuracy stands out as his most reliable trait, setting an NCAA record this past season in terms of completion percentage at a mind-boggling 77.4%. He also set personal bests in categories such as passing yards, passing touchdowns, and quarterback rating. Simply put, he found an offensive system perfect for his skillset and exceeded all expectations, almost bringing Oregon to the playoff but just falling short. As he enters the draft, concerns about his age (24) and limited athleticism will likely prevent him from being a first-round pick, but Tankathan.com has him projected right at the beginning of the second round, and he could easily jump up if a QB needy, team evaluates him a bit higher.
In terms of who out of the state can break into that first round, the focus will be on two on the offensive line: UO center Jackson Powers-Johnson and OSU offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga. Johnson began as a backup offensive lineman in 2021, returned in that role in 2022 with one start, and took over as the full-time center in 2023. After that transition, the talent was unmissable, as he went on to win the Rimington Trophy after the 2023 season as the best center in college football. At a massive 6 ‘3.5 ” and 328 lbs, he will undoubtedly be in high demand for any NFL team needing a young, athletic, rock-solid IOL in front of their franchise QB. Fuaga took a similar path at Oregon State, playing 14 games as a backup in 2020 and 2021 before becoming a starter in 2022 and ascending as an All-American in his final 2023 season. Even bigger than Johnson at 6’6” and 334 lbs, Fuaga is an absolute monster on the line, allowing 0 sacks in over 700 offensive snaps last season, and played an incredibly important role in an Oregon State OL that gained national attention. Either of these players dropping past the first round would be a shocker, as teams always need youth and high-level talent, such as this one on the offensive side of the ball.
Outside of that upper echelon, there is still an impressive list of draftable players from these schools, all of whom will likely hear their names on at least one of the days of the draft. On Tankathon.com, WR Troy Franklin, CB Kyree Jackson, DL Brandon Dorlus, and RB Bucky Irving from Oregon are all projected to be drafted within the top 100. The remaining combine invitees mentioned above, SAF Evan Williams (UO) and WR Anthony Gould, SAF Kitan Oladipo, and CB Ryan Cooper Jr. (OSU) will all have a leg up after being able to show their skills combine but will probably fall to later rounds. Altogether, it’s a talented group top to bottom, a clear sign that Oregon (the state) is one to watch in terms of developing NFL players. It is a shame that this type of renaissance would happen as the Pac-12 experienced its last year (at least in its current iteration), but for Oregon and Oregon State fans, there will be many possibilities to watch your favorite players as they ascend past college.
