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On Friday night, the Oregon Ducks received news of a marquee transfer, fifth-year defensive lineman Ja’Maree Caldwell, who is headed to Eugene from the Houston Cougars. It was the second transfer commitment the Ducks have received in the last two days, the other being wide receiver Evan Stewart formerly of Texas A&M.
Picking up Caldwell is a massive win for Dan Lanning and Oregon because interior defensive line has been a position of need. At one point, the Ducks were in the running to land Walter Nolen, the No. 1 overall player in the portal, but he chose Ole Miss over Oregon.
Nolen was the best player in the portal, but Caldwell is still an elite pick-up for Oregon. 247 Sports ranks Caldwell as a 4-star transfer and the No. 2 DL in the portal, behind only Nolen.
Below, are six things to help you better get to know the newest Oregon Duck.
He’s an elite run defender
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Caldwell will bring strong run defense to the Ducks defense next year. In 2023 at Houston, Caldwell had a PFF run defense grade of 82.8. Oregon’s best run defender in 2023 was Taki Taimani, who also had an 82.8 PFF run defense grade. Since the Ducks are losing Brandon Dorlus this offseason, Caldwell’s ability to impact the run game will be tremendous.
He was 2nd team All-Big 12
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
2023 was Caldwell’s second year in FBS, and it was by far the best season of his career. His 8.5 TFLs (tackles for loss) and 6.5 sacks were some of the highest marks on his team, and they led him to 2nd team All-Big 12 honors. Ducks’ star DL Brandon Dorlus was first-team All-Pac-12 in 2023, so hopefully, Caldwell can carry the tradition on next year.
He started in junior college
Michael C. Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
As I mentioned before, 2023 was only Caldwell’s second season in FBS. Before 2022, Caldwell…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/6-things-know-newest-oregon-155742268.html
Author : Ducks Wire
Publish date : 2024-01-13 15:57:42
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