Jordan Burch Praises Young Oregon Defensive Linemen in Fall Camp

One of Dan Lanning’s biggest wins of the offseason was getting veteran defensive lineman Jordan Burch to return for the 2024 season. The former 5-star talent found his footing and elevated his game in his one year with the Ducks, and now he’s back hungry for more.

The 6-foot-6 linemen is the face of the defensive line in Eugene, but he’s seeing a lot from the younger players in his room that should keep Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi’s defense scary for years to come.

“They teach me a lot too,” Burch told reporters following Tuesday’s practice. “People have different mindsets, different pass rush moves, so I learn a lot from them too. Just being around them, great group of guys, always making jokes.”

A trio of players were able to break through as true freshman a season ago, with Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti and Blake Purchase all playing significant roles and burning their redshirts.

“They had a pretty good bag last year,” Burch said of the young edge rushers. “I was taking notes from them too, but this year they’ve been stepping up and we’ve been going over different moves and how to prepare for the O-line.”

There’s clearly no shortage of talent for Lupoi to work with, but two players look like they’ve been the most creative, boasting the best pass-rushing moves in Burch’s eyes.

“I would go with Matayo. He’s pretty crafty. And Teitum (Tuioti), Teitum’s like that too.”

Former Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe Catholic edge rusher Elijah Rushing arrived in Eugene with just about as much praise and hype as any pass rusher in recent years, and he appears to be taking strides in fall camp.

“Early spring, his pass rush was a little shaky,” Burch reflected. “Now I think he has it down pat. He’s using different moves, using his arms, using his hands. His growth has been tremendous.”

Former Mater Dei standout Aydin Breland, one of the top defensive linemen on the West Coast in the 2024 class, has also caught his attention as he adjusts to the college game.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth from Aydin,” he said. “When he first came in there was a lot of stuff we had to fix, work on like pass rush, stuff like that, stopping the run, but throughout the whole camp and in the spring he’s been doing pretty good figuring it out and asking questions.”

Torres’ Take

If there’s one position you can never have enough good players at, it’s probably defensive line. Hearing what Burch had to say about Rushing and Breland should get fans excited, especially when you look at their backgrounds as recruits.

I didn’t get to cover Rushing as a recruit, but he seems like an athletic freak. From my experience it also seems like Arizona high schools players can be a bit hit and miss in terms of being significant contributors at high level programs. That said, there have of course been plenty of studs that have turned out to be great, and Burch likes what he sees from the state’s top player a cycle ago.

I’ll also add this, I did get to see Breland a lot during his high school career. For as big and as athletic as he was, I was surprised he didn’t dominate offensive lines on a more consistent basis. Basically, I think there was some meat left on the bone in high school, and the high-level coaching at Oregon leads me to believe that they’ll be able to unlock his next level. Whether that happens this season or later on down the road remains to be seen.