There are endless young Oregon Ducks on the roster in 2025 who are poised to step into significant roles. With 10 players from last year’s Big Ten Championship team heading to the NFL, and just four returning starters, Dan Lanning and his staff will rely on young and unproven players to step forward and uphold the standard in Eugene.
But when it comes to second-year players with a chance to break out and become household names, ESPN is focused on one guy in particular.
On Wednesday, Kingston Lopa was named one of 11 players in the nation who ESPN expects to have a breakout season in 2025. While Lopa only registered one tackle in his true freshman season, Lanning and his staff put some paramount trust in him, asking Lopa to lock down Penn State tight end Tyler Warren in the Big Ten Championship game.
“Lopa has one of the best blends of size and range of any back-end defender in the country, and the Ducks have production voids to fill at safety,” ESPN’s Billy Tucker writes. “The No. 13 safety in the 2024 ESPN 300 had limited reps last season, but in the Big Ten championship game against Penn State, he was in third-down packages matching up with All-America tight end Tyler Warren. Lopa is 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, but covers ground fast with his long stride. He will come up inside the box and tackles soundly as well. In high school he played both sides of the ball, tallying four interceptions and 16 receiving touchdowns. Lopa will need to develop as the season progresses with his reads and recognition, but we project he will begin to reach his potential this fall.”
The Ducks have a lot of talent at the safety position, with Purdue transfer Dillon Theineman coming in and leading the way. Oregon also has guys like Peyton Woodyard and Aaron Flowers in the mix for significant roles as well.
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Source link : https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2025/08/13/oregon-ducks-safety-kingston-lopa-among-espns-top-breakout-candidates/85645816007/
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Publish date : 2025-08-13 18:22:00
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