Big Ten Media Days are built for hot takes, and Jake Butt brought one of the loudest ones to Chicago.
The former Michigan tight end, now a college football analyst, said Oregon doesn’t just have the best roster in the Big Ten - he believes the Ducks might have the best roster in the entire sport.
“I think Oregon arguably has the best roster in all of college football. Definitely the best defensive line unit.
They have a ton of young talent. Dante Moore would have been a top-five pick last year,” Butt said on Big Ten Network.
“The coordinator turnover is going to be the biggest question mark, especially on the offensive side of the ball.”
That Oregon defensive front is a big reason why Butt feels that way. The Ducks are bringing back defensive lineman Bear Alexander, outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei, outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti, and defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington. That group gives Oregon a loaded front that will be a problem for opposing offensive lines all season.
The offense still has its centerpiece too. Dante Moore is back after starting all 15 games last season and helping lead Oregon to a 13-2 record and a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Moore finished the year with 3,565 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and he earned third-team All-Big Ten honors. When the season ended, there was real buzz that he might enter the 2026 NFL Draft, where he was projected as a top-five pick. Instead, he chose to return to Eugene for another year, giving himself more time to develop while also chasing a national championship.
The biggest wrinkle for Oregon this season is on the sideline. Will Stein, the Ducks’ offensive coordinator from 2023-2025, left to become head coach at Kentucky. Dan Lanning responded by promoting Drew Mehringer, who has been on Oregon’s staff since 2022 as co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.
There’s been a similar change on defense. Tosh Lupoi served as Oregon’s defensive coordinator since Lanning took over in 2022, but he was hired this offseason to be the next head coach at California.
Lanning again went with an internal move, naming Chris Hampton the new defensive coordinator. Hampton has been with the Ducks since 2023 as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
Even with the staff changes, Oregon is being treated like a legitimate title threat. DraftKings Sportsbook has the Ducks tied with Indiana for the fourth-best national championship odds in the country at +800.
In Other News...
Elite EDGE Battle Just Delivered A Frustrating Blow To The Aggies
The early chase for one of the nations top 2028 defensive end prospects has already taken a sharp turn, and Oregon was in the mix as the race narrowed. Darieon Prescott, a four-star edge rusher from Illinois, has become one of the more coveted young defenders in the country, with Rivals slotting him as the No. 5 defensive end and the top player in his state. For the Ducks, it was another reminder that the battle for elite line talent starts well before signing day.
Notre Dame ended up landing the first blue-chip commitment in its 2028 class, a notable win for a program that has made a habit of staying strong on the defensive line. Prescotts decision also fits the Irishs recent push in the Chicago area and nearby recruiting territory, where they continue to stack momentum with top prospects. For Oregon, the takeaway is simple: when a player this highly regarded comes off the board, the margin for error in these national recruiting fights gets even smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Is In A Recruiting Fight It Cannot Afford To Lose
Dan Lanning and Oregon are still pushing hard for linebacker Landon Miller, the four-star California prospect who has become one of the more important defensive recruiting targets on the board. Miller is set to make an October trip to Eugene, and the Ducks have reason to treat that visit like a major checkpoint as they try to keep building out the future of their linebacker room.
Oregon already has two linebacker commitments in its 2027 class, but the staff is still shopping for more help at the position and Miller sits near the top of that list. The Ducks have held the edge in recent prediction chatter, yet this one is far from settled, and the upcoming visit could go a long way toward showing whether Oregon can turn early momentum into something real. [Read more 🡒]