Breaking down Oregon's secondary rotations from the 2025 spring game

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon football fans got the first glimpse at their 2025 squad in the Ducks' Spring Game on Saturday, with the Fighting Ducks (White) taking down the Combat Ducks (Black) by a score of 24-20.

With spring practices closed to the media, this was the first chance to catch a glimpse of how next season's roster may shake out, including a secondary that lost five starters (Jabbar Muhammad, Nikko Reed, Brandon Johnson, Kobe Savage, and Tysheem Johnson) from a year ago.

After tracking secondary groupings across the first three quarters of Saturday's game, let's break it down to offer some insight into who could be patrolling the backside of Oregon's defense come fall.

Starting on the outside, Jahlil Florence (3 Tkl, 1 PBU) will be back for the Ducks after missing all of last season with an injury. He is playing through an injury to his left hand right now, but still started five of the Fighting Ducks' first eight series and will have plenty of opportunity to reclaim his starting job from 2023 as Oregon heads into their fall camp.

Alongside Florence at corner, Northwestern transfer Theran Johnson (2 Tkl, 0.5 TFL) should also feature heavily in the rotation, and saw action in five of the first seven series for the Combat Ducks. Former four-star redshirt freshman Ify Obidegwu (3 Tkl, 1 FF) started opposite Florence for the Fighting Ducks, and will have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talent with redshirt junior Sione Lualea currently sidelined with an injury. 

The rest of Oregon's corner rotation was filled out by its trio of talented freshmen, five-stars Brandon Finney (2 Tkl, 0.5 Sk) and Na'eem Offord (1 Tkl, 1 PBU), and four-star Dorian Brew (1 Tkl). Finney rotated with Florence and Obidegwu, seeing action on five of the first seven series, while Offord and Brew rotated alongside Johnson. Offord got the starting nod for the Fighting Ducks, playing four of the first seven series while Brew came off the bench to play five.

"To go against some really good wideouts each day, we talk about iron sharpens iron," Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said of his young defensive backs. "I think we got to see some of that."

In the slot, or as it's called in Oregon's defense, the "star," it looks like it will be a competition between redshirt sophomore Daylen Austin (2 Tkl) and Ole Miss transfer Jadon Canady (2 Tkl, 1 PBU). Austin took the majority of the snaps at nickel for the Combat Ducks, mixing in redshirt junior Zach Grisham (3 Tkl, 1 QBH), while Canady started five of the first six series for the Fighting Ducks. Solomon Davis (2 Tkl) also received some snaps in the slot, but split his time between there and safety.

"Playing fast is my edge in the slot," Canady said. "I've also been busting to be able to cover in the slot pretty well. I think it's just being versatile and knowing how to play the run and the pass."

Purdue transfer and 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Dillon Thieneman (2 Tkl, 1 PBU) will factor heavily at safety, and started four of the first five series for the Combat Ducks. Joining Thienemann on the backside of Oregon's defense should be a trio of second-year players, Aaron Flowers (8 Tkl, 1 Int), Kingston Lopa (3 Tkl), and Peyton Woodyard. Flowers and Lopa played the majority of safety for the Fighting Ducks, while Woodyard rotated with four-star freshman Trey McNutt (3 Tkl, 1 PBU) alongside Thieneman.