Maryland’s coaching change may have cracked open a door Oregon once couldn’t quite walk through.
With the Terps moving on from longtime head coach Mike Locksley on Wednesday morning, the ripple effect could reach straight to Eugene. If the transfer portal starts to churn the way it usually does after a firing, Oregon could get another shot at former five-star edge rusher Zion Elee - a player the Ducks came close to landing during his high school recruitment.
That chase was a serious one. Elee spent a large stretch of his recruitment ranked as the nation’s No. 1 overall player before finishing sixth, and Oregon was viewed as a potential destination for a long time. In the end, Locksley and Maryland kept him home, and the freshman has already shown why he was so coveted.
Elee has 3.5 sacks, 12 tackles and 3 forced fumbles in his first college season. That production stands out even more because Maryland has spent much of the year playing from behind, which has given opposing offenses more chances to throw and more chances for Elee to chase the quarterback.
For Oregon, the timing matters. The Ducks are expected to lose two premier pass rushers to the NFL in Matayo Uiagalelei and Teituim Tuioti. If both are gone, edge help becomes a real offseason priority, and Elee would fit that need cleanly if he enters the portal.
Of course, the first hurdle is obvious: Elee has to transfer. Maryland could move quickly to fill its coaching vacancy before the portal opens and try to keep its key players in place. But if Elee does decide to leave, his market figures to be massive - possibly even bigger than it was the first time around, especially with the kind of start he’s already putting on tape.
Oregon has made a habit of striking in the portal under Dan Lanning, and with so many veterans potentially leaving this offseason, the Ducks could be set up for another busy and fascinating run.
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