Dan Lanning assesses what Derrick Harmon brings to Oregon's defense

Plenty of teams across the country brought in more players to their respective teams this offseason through the transfer portal than the Oregon Ducks. But when it comes to quality versus quantity, it’s hard to deny that Dan Lanning‘s transfer portal class can rival any other team in college football.

From a quarterback of the present and another of the future, Oregon’s 14 new transfer portal additions have the potential to make short-term and long-term impacts for the program in a major way at a variety of positions. Especially on the defensive line with former Michigan State defensive lineman Derrick Harmon joining the Ducks this year.

Harmon was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal in an offseason where interior defensive lineman were placed on a premium. And following Oregon’s first practice of fall camp on Wednesday, Lanning spoke about the impact Harmon can make this season up front.

“Derrick brings great experience, he’s an explosive player,” Lanning said. “I’ve been really impressed with how quickly he’s picked up what we do and how well he’s able to execute that.”

Harmon joins the Ducks with two seasons of eligibility remaining in his college career. A redshirt junior who appeared in 28 games for the Spartans with 15 starts where he racked up  71 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Bringing more than just a physical presence to Oregon’s defensive line at 6-foot-5, 359 pounds.

“He’s been a good veteran presence for that group and having some other guys in there that are veterans,” Lanning said. “Whether it’s Keyon [Ware-Hudson] or some of the other guys. A’Mauri [Washington] is coming back with more experience in year two, My’Keil Gardner, and then combining that with Jamaree [Caldwell]. I think that’s a really good mix of players that can help us.”

There’s no question that the Ducks needed to reload on the defensive line after losing five of their top six players up front from last season like Brandon Dorlus and Popo Aumavae. A unit that played a crucial role in Oregon being the Pac-12’s best scoring defense that held opponents to under 100 yards on the ground per game and a conference-best 222.8 yards through the air.

Strength up front will only become more crucial for the Ducks as they now transition to the Big Ten, as they’ll rely on Harmon and several others to maintain their recent success on the defensive line this upcoming season.