Observations from Oregon's first spring practice

Football is offically back in Eugene.

The Oregon Ducks kicked off spring ball Thursday at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex outdoor fields in helmets, jerseys, and shorts, marking the first of 15 spring practices.

On Thursday, the opening 15 minutes of practice were open to reporters and photographers. During that time, the Ducks went through stretching and warmups, special teams drills, and positional work.

Here are a few observations and takeaways from that period.

Injuries and absences

There were just a handful of absences and players whose participation was limited on Thursday.

Neither defensive lineman Maceal Afaese nor kicker Alex Bales are listed on Oregon’s spring roster, and neither was seen at practice. Afaese missed the entire 2022 season due to injury.

Junior Angilau, a former starting offensive lineman for Texas who missed last season with an injury, was present on Wednesday but was limited during drills. Freshman offensive lineman freshman Gernorris Wilson was at practice but was not in uniform.

Practice observations

As has been the case since Lanning took over the program, Oregon opened practice with a series of detail-oriented special teams drills.

A group of players fielded punts from punters Ross James and Luke Dunne, and kicks from Cam Lewis and Grant Meadors. Running back coach Carlos Locklyn closely monitored the Ducks’ running backs who participated in return drills. The group of returners included:

Kickoff return

• Bucky Irving
• Noah Whittington
• Jordan James
• Jayden Limar

Punt return

• Tez Johnson
• Troy Franklin
• Kris Hutson
• Cole Martin

During that period, Dunne’s play stood out. The freshman punter from Victoria, Australia, made waves in December when he announced that he had committed to Oregon and would be on a full scholarship. At the time, Dunne was flying under the radar of all major recruiting services.

But after just a few minutes of Oregon’s first spring practice, it was immediately apparent why Lanning and special teams coach Joe Lorig opted to add Dunne.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound freshman boomed punts throughout the entire special team’s portion of practice. The distance and hangtime on his kicks were markedly better than the results that Oregon’s punters produced during similar drills last season.

For a program that ranked 117th nationally in net punting last season, it’s already looking like the addition of Dunne could be a significant one.

Next, a group of Oregon players went through a stumble bum drill to work on ball security. Meanwhile, the Ducks’ offensive linemen went through non-contact drills.

Other observations

• Freshman quarterback Austin Novosad had some noticeable zip on his passes during the brief portion of practice that we were able to see quarterbacks throw. Novesad, Bo Nix, Ty Thompson, and walk-on Marcus Sanders worked with newly-hired offensive coordinator Will Stein during the portion of practice that was open to reporters.
• The size and physicality of highly-touted freshman defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei stood out, even during the relatively uneventful portions of practice. Ditto for South Carolina EDGE transfer Jordan Burch, who is wearing No. 1 for the Ducks this season.

Practice is set to conclude at approximately 11:30 a.m. PT. Afterward, Lanning will meet with reporters for a brief media availability.