ScoopDuck Roundtable: Breakout Player This Season

This year Oregon has had a number of pleasant surprises. Making this a very interesting roundtable for discussion. Who do you pick?

Well as you can see below, there isn’t a unanimous pick to be had. Check out some of the picks below and tell us who gets your vote for breakout player of the season so far for the Ducks.

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Corpatty: Jackson Powers-Johnson

Finally getting the chance to start at center and play regularly, JPJ has taken advantage of it.  He’s anchored a rebuilt and stout offensive line and made the transition from long-time center Alex Forsyth seamless.  JPJ has flashed in prior years here and there in the limited snaps he was getting.  However he’s taken his game to an entirely different level this season as a starter and has definitely “broken out.”  

Joel Gunderson: Khyree Jackson & Jordan James

Portal Player: Khyree Jackson

The emergence of Jackson has alleviated so many questions and concerns that it’s hard to know where to start. The biggest is how he almost seamlessly replaced Christian Gonzalez, giving the Ducks a lockdown corner for the second straight year.

But beyond that, Jackson’s play has also stood out in other areas. Removing the silly penalties against Texas Tech, his play through five games is defined by tenacious tackling, ball-hawking in single-coverage, and even his ability to blitz, as we saw against Stanford. His health might be the biggest question going into Washington, and before the season, not many would have predicted that.

Non-Portal: Jordan James

You could almost say, “Everyone who was here in 2022 or prior,” and I think the collective response would be, “Absolutely.” To a man, it seems every player has taken their game to another level, but I’m going with James, especially considering the role he will have going forward.

As the third back last season, James flashed immense potential, especially in key runs against teams like BYU and UCLA. But this season, he has taken his game to another level. Now entrenched as the #2 behind Irving, James is more explosive, patient, looks bigger and faster, and is poised for a big second half of the season.

Jarrid Denney: Bryce Boettcher

While Oregon has plenty of players enjoying breakout seasons, it’s hard to pick against a two-sport walk-on who plays with his hair on fire. 

Bryce Boettcher has been tremendous this season and has reinforced the depth at a thin linebacker group. He is tied for second among all Oregon defenders with 21.0 tackles and tied for third with six total quarterback pressures. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t even expected to crack the two deep in 2023. 

Doug Scott: Jordan James

He already looked very good in limited action as the third back in the rotation, but with Noah Whittington out for a sustained period of time, Jordan stepped up and showed why he was a highly coveted receuit in the 2022 class. James leads all Duck backs with an incredible 8.7 yards per carry, and his 7 TDs also is tops on the team, half of them coming in explosive runs up the middle. James has demonstrated that he’s a complete back this season and a future NFL player.

Jhop: Camden Lewis and Ross James

Ok, I won’t argue any of the picks above. I almost went with Evan Williams. I love the JPJ pick. I was on the fence about Khyree being eligible to be picked but he’s having a killer season. But I love what Oregon has on special teams. Camden Lewis has put it all together and Ross James is an absolute weapon the few times Oregon has had to punt. This is the least talked about element of Oregon and a reminder the Ducks are a really solid team in all three phases.