With spring practice over, The Oregonian/OregonLive is reviewing Oregon’s depth chart position by position. We continue the 25-part series by looking at the nose tackles.
Replacing a four-year starter is never easy and that’s what Popo Aumavae will be asked to do for Oregon.
Fortunately, this wasn’t a plan hatched over a few months or via the transfer portal. The Ducks have loaded up the interior of their defensive line over the years in order to be ready to replace Jordon Scott, Austin Faoliu and others and Aumavae was among the early additions.
He’s had multiple years to play as the No. 2 nose tackle, closing 2019 strong and getting limited action last season.
As important as Aumavae’s readiness for the increased rep count will be at the top of the depth chart, the rotation behind him will be nearly as critical as several players vying to be on the two-deep have little game experience.
“These guys are truly competing,” defensive line coach Joe Salave’a said. “We really have a real high competition going on within our defensive front room but it needs to be for us to grow and get to the level that we know we can be. That’s the only way. Those guys have embraced that and they’re helping each other, they’re challenging each other.”
Post-spring depth chart
Popo Aumavae: 6-foot-3, 290 pounds, redshirt-junior
Sua’ava Poti: 6-foot-2, 279 pounds, redshirt-freshman
Jayson Jones: 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, freshman
Keanu Williams: 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, freshman
Oregon's Popo Aumavae, left, sacks California quarterback Devon Modster during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)AP
Starter
Aumavae had 10 tackles in just five games last season but there’s not as much to make of his play in the short year until the last couple of weeks.
He showed flashes of the kind of impact he can make as a starter during the 2019 season, when he had 15 stops with five for loss, including 3.5 sacks.
A true nose tackle is going to do less glamorous work, plug lanes and rarely top 40-45 tackles in a season. But if Aumavae has bring anything resembling consistent pass rush to the interior it would be a welcome change to a group that sorely lacked in that category that past several years.
“I think Popo’s someone who’s not talked about enough,” right guard Ryan Walk said. “He missed the first couple of games with contact tracing and got lost in the shuffle a little bit. I think Popo and Brandon (Dorlus) on the inside have taken good steps as players. Then Keyon (Ware-Hudson) and Kristin Williams too, all those guys, that 2019 defensive line class, they’ve taken a lot of steps and I think they’re going to contribute a lot this season.”
Backup
Sua’ava Poti redshirted in 2019 and didn’t play last season, but is the most experienced player vying for the backup role.
“He’s another young athlete that’s really developing a good pass rush, but he’s also a technician,” Salave’a said.
Should he be the No. 2 nose tackle, even on paper, Poti can be in a rotation and work his way into a role.
POST-SPRING DEPTH CHART ANALYSIS: QB | RB | X | Y | Z | TE | LT | LG | C | RG | RT | DT | NT | DE | SLB | JOKER | WLB | MLB | FCB | BCB | BS | FS | Nickel | Dime | Specialists
Next wave
For our purposes we’re keeping Brandon Dorlus among the true 2i/3 technique defensive tackles and it appeared Kristian Williams and Keyon Ware-Hudson are placed similarly.
Maceal Afaese and Jaylen Smith are both so early in their development that it’s hard to eliminate them from playing either interior spot.
Jayson Jones and Keanu Williams worked with the No. 3 defensive line during the spring and look to have the body types to play a true 0 or 1 technique.
“Jayson continues to show up and continues to take more steps towards his development and that is great to see because he is truly an athletic big man that’s now starting to grow into his body,” Salave’a said. “His mentality continues to develop. You’re going to see a lot more of Jayson play a big part in our defensive front.”
Afaese, Smith, Jones and Williams, an early enrollee this spring, are all young and inexperienced so this fall should be mostly for working into roles they can execute.
Summer arrivals
Brandon Buckner, Jonathan Flowe, Jabril McNeill and Terrell Tilmon are all expected to be edge players either on the line or outside linebacker.
Quotable
“I think (Aumavae) understands the responsibility of being that presence in the middle now with the amount of reps and I think a renewed sense of health; he’s been nicked up in the last few seasons but so far he’s truly playing up to what we’ve always known all along. He’s a big body that has a good athleticism but man, heavy-hand striker. Looking to build on that and so far the spring camp for Popo has been a positive one. I think immersing himself to play in that physicality world.” - defensive line coach Joe Salave’a