Freshman Cornerback Dakoda Fields Expected to Miss Time With Injury
The injury bug has bitten Oregon once again heading into week 1 of the 2024 season.
True freshman cornerback Dakoda Fields will miss some time after suffering a knee injury in fall camp.
“Dakoda’s gonna be down for a little bit. Had a knee injury,” Dan Lanning told reporters Wednesday. “We’re gonna have to work to get him back. Don’t want to put a timeline on it but it’ll be a while.”
Fields, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback, signed with the Ducks as a four-star recruit in the 2024 class out of Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra High School. He was at one point committed to the hometown USC Trojans, but went on to flip his commitment to Oregon following the Ducks’ move to the Big Ten Conference.
He’s one of two former Serra Cavaliers on this year’s Oregon team, as he joined sophomore cornerback Rodrick Pleasant in Eugene, who also chose the Ducks over the Trojans.
Fields drew immediate attention upon enrolling at Oregon, picking off a pass from Austin Novosad that was intended for Jurrion Dickey during the Ducks’ annual spring game.
Oregon hasn’t been known to start many young cornerbacks. In fact, the Ducks haven’t started a true freshman at corner since Thomas Graham Jr. did just that in 2017 under head coach Willie Taggart.
Maybe Fields wasn’t in line to start, but sources close to the Oregon program told ScoopDuck that the young defensive back was generating some buzz this offseason, even intercepting former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix in practice leading up the Fiesta Bowl against Liberty.
Even so, his path to the field may be a difficult one, as the Ducks boast arguably their deepest cornerback room in years. Chris Hampton and Rashad Wadood have assembled an experienced group headlined by All-Conference selection Jabbar Muhammad, UTSA transfer Kam Alexander, Nikko Reed, veteran Dontae Manning and Jahlil Florence. The Ducks also signed Under Armour All-American selection Ify Obidwgwu and coveted junior college star Sione Laulea in the 2024 class.
There’s no timeline for a return for Fields, who has shown plenty of promise since arriving in Eugene.
