Dan Lanning addresses the possibility of any portal departures playing in bowl game

None of Oregon‘s outgoing transfers will play in the Holiday Bowl vs. North Carolina, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning confirmed Friday.

As of this writing, 15 of Oregon’s scholarship players have announced their intentions to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez will not play in the bowl game, either after declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Regarding players leaving via the portal, Oregon’s list of transfers is topped by Justin Flowe. A former 5-star recruit who was the No. 1 linebacker in the country in the class of 2020, Flowe is the second-highest-rated recruit in program history behind only Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Players like OL Bram Walden, LB Jabril McNeil, QB Jay Butterfield, RB Byron Cardwell and WR Dont’e Thornton , among others, all have announced their intentions to enter the portal, and will surely get a fresh start and a potential starring role on their new team. Still, it leaves you thinking what could have been for them at Oregon.

It’s not all bad, though. The Ducks are already making moves in the transfer portal. As of Saturday morning, Lanning has added two additions to his 2023 roster already, including former Alabama wideout Traeshon Holden. Holden is a former four-star recruit in the class of 2019 and was Alabama’s fourth-leading receiver in this past season tallying 331 receiving yards and hauled in six touchdowns.

The Ducks have also nabbed a commitment from former Iowa linebacker Jestin Jacobs, who, like Holden, is a former four-star recruit in the class of 2019. Jacobs played in 14 games for the Hawkeyes this season and recorded 53 total tackles and 1 interception.

Add those transfers to the incoming 2023 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 14 in the nation per the On3 Consensus, and Oregon will be just fine, even if they lose more names to the portal and draft in the coming weeks.