Trio of Oregon Ducks land on Bruce Feldman's 'freaks' list

With the start of the 2023 college football season just around the corner, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic released his annual “freaks” list on Tuesday recognizing the top 101 athletes in the sport.

Each year, Feldman sorts submissions from sports information directors, coaches, teammates, parents, NFL scouts, and agents in order to “spotlight the players whose athleticism blew the minds of folks inside their own college football programs.”

For the second year in a row, the Oregon Ducks landed multiple players on Feldman’s list — including one inside the top five.

Last season EDGE D.J. Johnson, cornerback Christian Gonzalez, linebacker Noah Sewell, and linebacker Justin Flowe all cracked Feldman’s list. Johnson, Gonzalez, and Sewell were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, and Flowe has transferred to Arizona.

Here’s a rundown of the three Oregon players who made the cut this year, as well as a few players with previous connections to the UO program.

No. 4 — EDGE Jordan Burch

Months before Feldman’s 2023 list dropped, Oregon’s players were referring to South Carolina transfer Jordan Burch as a “freak” during spring ball.

Burch, who is expected to be the Ducks’ top pass-rusher this season, will likely line up all over the front seven. Last second, he produced the second-most quarterback hurries in the SEC.

Feldman: “The former five-star recruit left South Carolina after a breakout season, making 60 tackles (32 solo), 7.5 tackles for losses (TFLs), 3.5 sacks and deflecting three passes. The 6-6, 295-pound junior follows what has been an impressive run of Duck edge rushers. Even though Burch is almost 300 pounds, he’s hit almost 21 MPH on the GPS, going 20.85 and he’s vertical-jumped 34 inches. Burch also back-squatted 685 pounds and has done a sumo deadlift of 685.”

No. 13 — ILB Devon Jackson

Few players this fall have generated more buzz in Eugene this fall than redshirt freshman linebacker Devon Jackson.

The Ducks boast a pair of world-class sprinters in freshman cornerback Rodrick Pleasant and junior receiver Micah Williams. But several players within the program are still tabbing Jackson as the fastest player on the team.

Feldman: “It’s not often when a Mike linebacker is the fastest guy on a college team, especially when that team is a top-10 caliber squad, but the redshirt freshman from Omaha, Neb., is that big of a Freak. Jackson is now 6-2, 228, 21 pounds up from the 207 he weighed when he arrived last year. He has run 23.55 MPH, edging out sophomore defensive back Khamari Terrell’s 23.47. Jackson vertical-jumped 39 inches this offseason, power-cleaned 335 and back-squatted 605. In 2022, he was on the field for nine snaps on defense and 40 snaps on special teams in five games. Expect him to have a much bigger impact in 2023.

No. 51 — DE Brandon Dorlus

Fifth-year senior Brandon Dorlus will once again be a cornerstone for the Ducks’ defense in 2023.

A two-time all-conference selection, Dorlus produced 40 quarterback hurries last season — the eighth-most in the nation.

Feldman: “The Florida native has been very disruptive since he’s been a Duck but had his best season in 2022, making a career-high 9.5 TFLs. Oregon has a bunch of super-strong dudes in the trenches on this defensive line. Casey Rogers, a Nebraska transfer, bench-presses 505 pounds and did a 365-pound split jerk this offseason and also power-cleaned 375 and back-squatted 765. Dorlus, a 6-3, 290-pounder, has similar power numbers to Burch — a 685-pound back squat, a 685-pound sumo deadlift and a 345-pound power clean. He’s also almost as fast, hitting 20.75 MPH on the GPS.

Other notable players

• No. 1: South Carolina WR Nyckoles Harbor — was heavily linked to Oregon during recruitment before committing to South Carolina.
• No. 3: BYU OL Kingsley Suamataia — played one game for Oregon in 2021 before entering the transfer portal.
• No. 28: Florida State WR Johnny Wilson — was once committed to Oregon before flipping to Arizona State.