Oregon’s defensive line just took a significant hit - and not because of injury or NFL declarations. The Ducks are down to five scholarship bodies on the interior after four reserve defensive tackles hit the transfer portal this week, including two big names: Tionne Gray and Terrance Green.
These weren’t just depth chart fillers. Gray and Green were Oregon’s No. 3 and No. 4 interior linemen in 2025, each logging nearly 18 snaps per game.
While they weren’t starters - those spots remain locked down by A’Mauri Washington and Bear Alexander - they were key rotational pieces in a defensive front that prides itself on physicality and depth. Their roles weren’t expected to change much in 2026, but that didn’t stop them from becoming two of the most sought-after names in the portal.
And that’s not an exaggeration.
According to transfer portal analyst Cooper Petagna, Gray and Green aren’t just solid contributors - they’re elite prospects in this cycle. Petagna has Gray ranked as the No. 3 defensive lineman in the portal, Green at No.
- Overall, Gray sits at No. 18 on the transfer board, Green at No.
- That’s rare air for players who never started a game at Oregon.
“I’ve got a third-round grade on both of them,” Petagna said on the Autzen Audibles podcast. “And honestly, that might be a little low for Tionne.”
That’s the power of projection in today’s college football landscape. Petagna, who specializes in evaluating portal talent, made it clear: this isn’t about what a player has done - it’s about what they can do. And when you break down the tape, even in limited snaps, both players flashed NFL-caliber traits.
“People look at the ranking and think it’s just about what they’ve done in college football,” Petagna explained. “But this is about the portal.
This is free agency. I’m looking at the flashes, the tools, the trajectory.
These guys are built to take the next step.”
Gray, for example, is already off the board - heading to Notre Dame in what Petagna called a “huge deal.” At 6-foot-6 and 360 pounds, Gray isn’t just a space-eater; he’s a rare physical specimen. Petagna compared his frame to the kind of interior linemen we’ve seen dominate in Georgia’s defense under Kirby Smart - massive, disruptive, and NFL-ready.
“These are guys who would start for 98, maybe 99 percent of college football programs,” Petagna said.
So why leave Oregon?
It’s the reality of the modern game. The Ducks are returning two high-level starters in Washington and Alexander - both of whom turned down NFL draft projections to come back in 2026.
That limits upward mobility for guys like Gray and Green, even if they’re next in line. In the portal era, patience isn’t always rewarded.
“Terrance Green has developed, he’s had his time, and now he’s ready,” Petagna said. “It’s about opportunity. It’s about a bigger payday on a shorter timeline as he ramps up for the league.”
And that’s the balancing act for programs like Oregon. Depth is a luxury - but in today’s college football, it can also be a curse. When you stockpile talent, you run the risk of losing your best backups to other programs offering more immediate playing time and NIL incentives.
Can the Ducks replace that kind of talent in the portal? Not easily.
“There’s no replacing those two guys in this market,” Petagna admitted. “Not with what’s currently available.
Maybe something pops up in the next 24 hours, but right now? That level of upside just isn’t out there.”
This is the new normal. Even the top-tier programs - Alabama, Georgia, USC, Oregon - are feeling the squeeze.
The portal has leveled the playing field in ways we haven’t seen before. It’s not just about brand names anymore.
Players are chasing opportunity, development, and financial security - and they’re doing it with more information and leverage than ever.
That’s why the divide between the haves and have-nots in college football is starting to shrink. Petagna believes we’re inching closer to an NFL-style ecosystem, where front office strategy, financial investment, and roster management are just as important as recruiting rankings.
“These are good problems to have,” Petagna said. “But they’re still problems. Even the best teams are feeling the pressure.”
For Oregon, the mission now is clear: reload, adapt, and keep building. Because in the portal era, the only constant is change.