Where Oregon’s 2023 transfers rank among the nation’s top 150
Do you remember back to the end of the 2022 calendar year when the transfer portal window opened up and Oregon Duck fans started to feel a bit uneasy?
It’s understandable why, as a number of players on the current roster — like Byron Cardwell, Dont’e Thornton, Justin Flowe, and so on — announced they would be entering the transfer portal. Some thought that it showed players didn’t want to play at Oregon, while others realized that the Ducks were simply making way for a crop of players better suited to Dan Lanning’s system to come to Eugene.
It appears now that the latter half of thinkers were correct, with a birds-eye-view showing us that the talent level on Oregon’s roster has vastly improved this offseason.
The best way to see this is by looking at the latest transfer portal rankings from 247Sports. Of the 10 transfers that the Ducks added this offseason, 6 ranked inside the top 150. Contrarily, of the 22 players who transferred out of Eugene, only 2 ranked inside the top 150.
It’s not hard to do the math and see that Oregon got better.
So where did all of the Oregon players, both outgoing and incoming, rank among the 247Sports top 150? Let’s take a look.
No. 9 — EDGE Jordan Burch
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Transfer: South Carolina to Oregon
Not hard to see how big of an addition Jordan Burch is for Oregon’s defense. If he reaches his ceiling in Eugene, he could completely turn around the Ducks’ defense by helping establish a consistent pass rush.
No. 37 — OT Ajani Cornelius
Transfer: Rhode Island to Oregon
With the Ducks looking to remake much of their starting offensive line after losing 4 players to graduation this past offseason, Ajani Cornelius, one of the top-rated OTs in the portal, comes to Eugene with a great chance to take over as a starter.
No. 56 — WR Dont'e Thornton
Transfer: Oregon to Tennessee
The highest-rated player that Oregon lost this offseason, WR Dont’e Thornton is a significant loss for the Ducks. While he didn’t quite have the production to match his talent in Eugene, you could see that he was close to finding his ceiling when the opportunity arose. He will have a solid chance to break out in Tennessee.
No. 57 — S Evan Williams
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Transfer: Fresno State to Oregon
As the younger brother of Bennett Williams, a former fan favorite at Oregon, Evan comes to the Ducks’ defense with hopes of earning a starting spot and being a massive contributor in the secondary, where Oregon could stand to improve.
No. 78 — WR Traeshon Holden
Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Transfer: Alabama to Oregon
Traeshon Holden is a great answer for the Ducks when it comes to filling the hole left by Dont’e Thornton’s transfer and Chase Cota’s graduation. He comes to Eugene with some nice production down in SEC country and likely will slot into a starting spot at the Z position.
No. 88 — LB Justin Flowe
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Transfer: Oregon to Arizona
The news of Justin Flowe transferring from Oregon to Arizona was probably a bigger deal than the actual loss of Justin Flowe in Eugene. Flowe was the second-highest-rated recruit to ever sign with the Ducks, but the 5-star never realized his potential in Eugene after an injury-plagued first couple of seasons knocked things off-course.
No. 119 — LB Jestin Jacobs
Transfer: Iowa to Oregon
Much like Traeshon Holden came to Eugene to level up the Dont’e Thornton spot, it feels like Jestin Jacobs transferred to Oregon in order to level up the Justin Flowe spot. Jacobs is a proven Big Ten linebacker who found success at Iowa, but missed last season due to a knee injury. If fully healthy, his ceiling could really level up the Ducks’ defense.
No. 127 — OG Junior Angilau
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Transfer: Texas to Oregon
As the Ducks work to rebuild their offensive line, there are a number of spots up for grabs with several talented players working to earn the starting role. Junior Angilau has experience anchoring an offensive line down in Texas, and he will likely see a lot of playing time, whether it’s in a starting role or not.
