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Trikweze Bridges, Dontae Manning will continue to compete for Oregon's starting cornerback spot

Jarrid Denneyby:Jarrid Denney•08/27/21•

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Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard via Imagn Content Services, LLC

For the most part, Oregon’s depth chart is set in stone for the season-opener against Fresno State.

But one battle will continue into next week.

Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said Friday that freshman cornerbacks Trikweze Bridges and Dontae Manning are still competing for the starting spot at boundary cornerback as the coaching staff continues to evaluate them.

“They’ve been co-starters the entire camp,” Cristobal said. “They’re doing a good job competing and continue to get better. So we’re going to let that competition continue to roll.”

Both players bring a unique skillset to the position. Manning is a former 5-star recruit and was one of the top cornerbacks in the 2020 class. He stands 5-11, 190, is lightning quick and is solid in man coverage.

Bridges, a converted safety who was a consensus 4-star in the class of 2019. He stands 6-4, 190 with a 7-2 wingspan and has displayed exceptional athleticism and physicality during camp. He has looked much-improved in his technique since making the move to the perimeter.

“Both of them are different players,” Oregon cornerbacks coach Rod Chance said earlier this week. “One of them is long-levered, press coverage guy. You got another guy that’s tightly wound, a lot of twitch, a lot of explosiveness about him.

“Both those guys are battling day in and day out, sometimes by the period.”

When he spoke with reporters on Monday, Cristobal indicated that true freshman Avante Dickerson has had a strong camp, and may also be in the mix. But Cristobal did not mention Dickerson Friday when discussing Bridges and Manning.

“It’s been a great competition.” Cristobal said Monday. “Those guys have been really really good. Right now, if we’re playing today, both those guys are playing.”

Bridges took a redshirt season in 2019 and appeared in all seven of Oregon’s games in 2020. Manning played in one game in 2020.

The longterm outlook of that position shifted a bit Friday when Cristobal said DJ James and Jamal Hill are back practicing with the Ducks after both were suspended indefinitely earlier this month.

Before camp began, James was the favorite to start at boundary corner, with Mykael Wright locking down the starting spot at field corner.

Cristobal has not provided any insight as to when, or if James will play in a game this season.

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