Jahlil Florence injury update: Dan Lanning says Oregon DB is 'not quite there yet'

The Oregon Ducks are excited to get defensive back Jahlil Florence back from injury. However, as head coach Dan Lanning explained at Oregon’s 2024 Media Day, he’s not quite where he needs to be yet.

Florence suffered a right knee injury last November that ended his season early and has kept him out of practice since then. In an injury update, Lanning shared that while he’s getting closer to being ready to return from that injury, he’s not ready yet and the team will keep its eye on his progress.

“He’s probably not quite there yet,” Dan Lanning said. “He’s a guy that we’ll continue to monitor as we go through Fall Camp, but he’s close.”

Jahlil Florence is someone who Oregon is hopefully will be able to contribute this season. This comes a year after he played in 11 games, earning nine starts as a sophomore. He finishes the season with 27 total tackles, two of which were tackles for a loss and one of which was a sack. He also had an interception and a pass defended on the season.

As a team, the Ducks finished the 2023 season 54th in passing defense. Oregon allowed 215.9 passing yards per game last season. They were also tied for 39th in interceptions on the season, with 12 of them on the year.

There have been high expectations for Jahlil Florence since the time he first got to Oregon. He joined the Ducks as a four-star recruit and the 15th-ranked cornerback overall in the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

When Jahlil Florence was unable to play at the end of 2023 thanks to his injury, he was replaced by Dontae Manning primarily, who is still on the team as a senior.

Dan Lanning offers injury update on three Oregon football players

Along with Jahlil Florence, Dan Lanning also shared an injury update on running back Noah Whittington, kicker Andrew Boyle, and offensive lineman Dave Iuli.

“Yeah, I think we’ll see all of those guys in action,” Lanning said.

Out of the three, Whittington is the most important player for the Ducks to get back healthy, having rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns last season. Boyle and Iuli have played much more sparingly during their time with the Ducks.

The hope for the Oregon Ducks is that the team will be at full strength by the start of the regular season. That kicks off on August 31st when Oregon will host the Idaho Vandals.