Derrick Harmon Settling in for First Season With Oregon

Oregon’s defense line should be one of the best in college football this season after the Ducks went into the transfer portal to snag two of the most coveted players at the position in Derrick Harmon (Michigan State) and Jamaree Caldwell (Houston).

Harmon met with reporters in Eugene following Monday’s practice to speak on his transition to Oregon and how some of the defensive linemen are performing in fall camp.

Question: How would you describe your first fall camp here so far?

Harmon: “It’s been good. This is my fourth fall camp but it’s different up here. We do a lot of two-spot, not what I’m really used to at (Michigan) State, but we have more bodies here so it makes sense. But it’s going good so far.”

Question: Is it beneficial? Do you see the benefits (of the two-spot)?

Harmon: “Yes sir. Everybody is getting reps. Young guys getting reps, older guys getting reps. Lot of reps to go around. With the bodies it’s good to go two-spot I feel like.”

Question: Tony (Tuioti) was saying you had a couple of strong plays in the scrimmage on Saturday. Talk us through that scrimmage and what he might have been talking about.

Harmon: “Yeah it was just me playing the defense. Still trying to learn the defense also, but just making plays within the defense. That’s all there really is to it.”

Question: How do you feel like you’re picking up the playbook now?

Harmon: “It’s coming. It’s coming. Still got some ways to go, still work to do, but I’m picking up pretty quickly. Still can work and get to know the defense way better than I do. Like the back of my hand like I did at State.”

Question: what excites you most about lining up next to a guy like a Jamaree and just what he brings.

Harmon: “Explosive, big body. He gets off the ball quick. Can stop the run, can rush the passer, so I’m very excited to be next to him. Can’t wait to play—go in the season with him.

Question: You’ve only known him for a little bit, but can you speak to just the impact A’mauri Washington is having in your group? Tony was talking about him being a guy that’s taken a step.

Harmon: “Most definitely. He is a guy that’s going to need to step up this year. You see it in fall camp he’s a ballplayer. That’s a kid that I can see that’s gonna make some plays this year, gonna make a big impact for the front this year, (as) far as stopping the run, getting the sacks out there too. So I feel like he’s going to make a big step this year from last year.”

Question: What is it like to come into a program where it’s like no 40 to 45 maybe that’s good, maybe that’s best?

Harmon: “I was probably taking 75, 78 at State. I was basically on the field the whole defense because we had probably three D-tackles that were rotating in the room. So that sounds good to me 40 snaps. I’m not complaining. I don’t want to get off the field, but we got guys that can rotate. It’s no falloff once the guys come in, so that’s what I like about it.”

Torres’ Take

Harmon was one of Oregon’s last additions in the transfer portal, but he may end up being the most impactful next to quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The Ducks lost a lot of experience and production along the interior of the defensive line after the departures of Casey Rogers, Popo Auamavae and Taki Taimani, so getting someone of Harmon’s caliber to slide in is about as ideal of a situation as you could ask for.

It also sounds like the staff is going to cut his snaps per game nearly in half, which will help keep him fresh for the big moments. What makes his addition even better is that he’s already played multiple years in the Big Ten, so he knows what to expect.

But he hasn’t played on a defensive line that’s this talented, which should create more opportunities for him to be even more effective. The hype around A’mauri Washington continues to build. Washington saw more game action between him and My’Keil Gardner, but it’s sounding more and more likely that we’ll see plenty of the pair in the two-deep this season along with Keyon Ware-Hudson and possibly Aydin Breland, Tionne Gray or Jericho Johnson.