Oregon's Popo Aumavae opts out of Fiesta Bowl
Popo Aumavae has officially played his last game as an Oregon Duck.
Aumavae, a seventh-year senior and two-year starter for the Ducks, announced on Friday that he will opt out of the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl to begin preparing for the NFL Draft.
Aumavae was a first-team all-conference selection in 2021 and was one of the top pass-rushing nose tackles in all of college football. But he suffered a season-ending injury prior to the start of the 2022 season.
Aumavae bounced back in 2023 and played in all 13 games. He played 346 snaps, third-most among Oregon’s defensive linemen. His 16 pressures this season were tied for fourth-most among the Ducks’ defensive players.
Throughout his college career, Aumave racked up 86 total tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks in 43 games.
With Aumavae opting out of the bowl game, senior Taki Taimani is expected to start at nose tackle for the Ducks. True freshman A’Mauri Washington and sophomore Ben Roberts could also see significant playing time.
More on Oregon’s bowl season outlook
Few programs in all of college football experienced a greater amount of transfer portal activity than Oregon did during the 2023 cycle.
A total of 30 Oregon scholarship players entered the portal during the previous two transfer windows — 21 in the winter and nine in the spring. Meanwhile, the Ducks added 14 scholarship players during that same period.
Many of their portal additions — including receiver Tez Johnson, cornerback Khyree Jackson, safety Evan Williams, and right tackle Ajani Cornelius — locked down starting jobs and played key roles during the 2023 season.
This offseason, Oregon will once again look for opportunities to improve its roster by way of the portal.
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While speaking with reporters during a Fiesta Bowl media availability on Dec. 3, Oregon coach Dan Lanning was asked which players he expects to enter the portal during the offseason.
“There will certainly be some announcements. I think that’s going to exist on every single team,” Lanning said. “I’ve talked to those guys individually. On the same note, that’s their opportunity to be able to announce that. So I think you’ll see some guys that aren’t with us anymore. And they’ve been phenomenal here for the Ducks, and wishing them nothing but the best. But out of respect for them, I’m going to give them the opportunity to make that announcement.”
Track transfer portal activity
While the NCAA transfer portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement.
If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to the On3 Transfer Portal.
The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Industry recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).
The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
