Preseason Camp Preview: ST
07/29/24 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Assessing how things stack up for the UO football program entering the start of preseason camp July 31.
SPECIALISTS
Who's back: One of the better stories — albeit unheralded — of the 2023 season for Oregon was the performance of punter Ross James. Coming off an inconsistent season at the position, the Ducks opened up the job and brought in freshman Luke Dunne a year ago, but James answered the challenge and averaged a school-record 48.4 yards per attempt. Now the position boasts a proven vet in James and an up-and-coming prospect in Dunne, just the kind of pipeline you hope to create.
It's a similar story at long snapper. Luke Basso held down the job in 2023, while Nick Duzansky got some game reps as well as he continues developing. At placekicker, Andrew Boyle is back in the mix following a season lost to injury; he handled kickoffs in 2022. Grant Meadors helped with that task in Boyle's absence last fall.
Who's new: Gone is all-time leading UO scorer Camden Lewis, but the Ducks still will field a proven kicker in 2024 after the offseason addition of Atticus Sappington. The Portland native made 13-of-14 field-goal attempts a year ago before joining Oregon via the transfer portal; he also was 49-of-50 on PATs and handled kickoffs. The Ducks also added a freshman placekicker this offseason, West Linn native Gage Hurych, and another top prospect for that pipeline at punter, Tyler Kinsman.
What to watch: At the specialist positions, this preseason will be all about how much the younger guys like Dunne, Meadors and the rest can push the veterans in front of them — because the Ducks bring back an experienced guy at each of the kicking positions as well as snapper. The health of Boyle will be something to watch as well, after he helped spread the workload for the placekickers in 2022 by handling kickoffs. Sappington has proven he can handle everything himself, but it's good to have depth. And as always, returners will be identified this preseason, after receivers Tez Johnson and Gary Bryant Jr. were the primary options there a year ago. Both return, but there are plenty of other explosive athletes in the mix as well.
Who's back: One of the better stories — albeit unheralded — of the 2023 season for Oregon was the performance of punter Ross James. Coming off an inconsistent season at the position, the Ducks opened up the job and brought in freshman Luke Dunne a year ago, but James answered the challenge and averaged a school-record 48.4 yards per attempt. Now the position boasts a proven vet in James and an up-and-coming prospect in Dunne, just the kind of pipeline you hope to create.
It's a similar story at long snapper. Luke Basso held down the job in 2023, while Nick Duzansky got some game reps as well as he continues developing. At placekicker, Andrew Boyle is back in the mix following a season lost to injury; he handled kickoffs in 2022. Grant Meadors helped with that task in Boyle's absence last fall.
Who's new: Gone is all-time leading UO scorer Camden Lewis, but the Ducks still will field a proven kicker in 2024 after the offseason addition of Atticus Sappington. The Portland native made 13-of-14 field-goal attempts a year ago before joining Oregon via the transfer portal; he also was 49-of-50 on PATs and handled kickoffs. The Ducks also added a freshman placekicker this offseason, West Linn native Gage Hurych, and another top prospect for that pipeline at punter, Tyler Kinsman.
What to watch: At the specialist positions, this preseason will be all about how much the younger guys like Dunne, Meadors and the rest can push the veterans in front of them — because the Ducks bring back an experienced guy at each of the kicking positions as well as snapper. The health of Boyle will be something to watch as well, after he helped spread the workload for the placekickers in 2022 by handling kickoffs. Sappington has proven he can handle everything himself, but it's good to have depth. And as always, returners will be identified this preseason, after receivers Tez Johnson and Gary Bryant Jr. were the primary options there a year ago. Both return, but there are plenty of other explosive athletes in the mix as well.
Players Mentioned
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