Dylan Williams Offers Candid Insight on Decision to Stay at Oregon, Not Transfer

Oregon linebacker Dylan Williams saw limited action during the 2025 season, but he begins his junior year in 2026 as one of the key pieces of the Ducks defense. With leading linebacker Bryce Boettcher no longer on the team, Williams and fellow linebacker Devon Jackson have a chance to step up and replace the production lost by Boettcher.

Jackson has been a consistent presence on the Oregon defense while Williams has had to wait his turn before making an impact for the Ducks. After Tuesday's practice, Williams spoke about why he decided to stay in Eugene instead of transferring elsewhere for more playing time.

"Yeah, because I know what type of player I am, and I know what I bring to the table. I
know my coaches believe in me. It was just like either wait it out or you can leave. But I know
what I bring to the table, and I knew once my time come, I was going to shine," said Williams.

oregon ducks dylan williams linebacker dan lanning brian michalowski transfer portal devon jackson bryce boettcher — Sep 5, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Boise State Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning embrace after a game at Autzen Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Williams finished with two total tackles against Boise State while impressing in pass coverage.

Everything Dylan Williams Said

On His Bigger Role on Oregon's Defense

"Yeah, I was just thankful for the opportunity to be able to go out
there and compete and showcase my talents, you know. Like you said, just staying down, waiting my
turn to get the opportunity."

How Satisfying Saturday Was

"Yeah, I remember at first when everything was going on, like I dealt with injury last year and just
even waiting my turn. My mom used to always tell me, like, just because you're late doesn't mean
you're denied. And when you get your opportunity, you're going to shine. And I feel like here at
the University of Oregon, our linebacker position is a little bit more difficult."

"You have to be able to get everyone aligned and adjusted and really have to understand. the complexity of our defense and everything that's going on. So I feel like I was able to develop as a player from the physical aspect, my body, and then my mental as well, understanding everything."

Focusing as a Team

"Yeah, just little things like just as a defense, we all came together and decided like, We've got to fix up things like tackling. So we've been working on tackling every single week and just like during the game, just having a one-play focus. Whatever happened, happened, okay, on to the next play. What can I do from here on out to stop whatever's going on?

Offseason Process

"Yeah, I'll say number one, mentality. I have the mentality going into it that I'm going to outwork anyone. I'm not going to let anyone outwork me. And whether I get to play or not, it is what it is. And just be able to help my team out as much as possible. But for myself personally, one of my main goals was to get bigger, faster, and stronger.

"So just working with Coach Bolt (Kyle Boulton) with speed, had a few one-on-one sessions with him, and then being in the weight room with Coach Love (Wilson Love) and Coach Kincy (Anthony Kincy), developing my body. And then the last part, obviously football, just meeting with B-Mike (linebacker coach Brian Michalowski) like once or twice a week, just going over the playbooks and everything dialed in. And then we'll have summer walkthroughs and everything will just start clicking from there."

Handling Emotions Before 2026 Debut

"For myself, I was just trying to keep myself calm, knowing that, again, it's just another game of football. Obviously, it's with an electrifying crowd out there at Autzen. It was going to be a little bit different, but just keeping to my basic, staying on myself, you know, like just doing my basics: alignment, assignment, and just getting everyone aligned and adjusted and going from there. Not forcing any plays and letting plays come to me. And once it's there, just go make your play."

On Zaire Addison

"So, yeah, speaking on Zaire, man, Zaire, he's a dog, man. I knew it since last year, you know. I used to go against Zaire, Zaire was one of the guys on scout. Obviously, with me being like a third-string backer last year, I would go against Zaire on scout. Zaire was a dog, bringing it every single day. So, to see him get to go out there and get his opportunity to start and play for us, man, like, no, I don't think anyone deserves it more than him. He worked his butt off, and I'm so happy for my guy, man. He got the opportunity, and he went out there and shined."

Oklahoma State's Pass-Happy Offense

"Yeah, I feel like that just comes down to doing my job, making sure my eyes are on point, I'm aligned, looking at my keys, and just doing my job. So, yeah."

What Stands Out on Oklahoma State's Running Backs

"Yeah, respectable running back for sure. You know, he's a bigger body. So like I said, coming from corrections from last game, our defense feel like we really need to fix up tackling. So we've been working on that every single week just to make sure we're nitpicking our tackling."

How the Team Reacted to Boise State Win

"Yeah, it was definitely humbling for our team just to know that just because the media is perceiving us as like a top team, we're ranked high, that doesn't matter. We still have to go out there and play football. So I feel like our team just knows what we need to fix, and we're getting that done right now."

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