Jeffrey Bassa Pulls Back the Curtain on His Development at Oregon

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker and former Oregon Ducks star Jeffrey Bassa was back in Autzen Stadium for Oregon's spring game on Saturday as one of many program alumni on the sidelines, including fellow former Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher after he was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts.

Jeffrey Bassa on Oregon's NFL Development

The presence of former Ducks in the NFL at Oregon's spring game wasy easy to notice, and Bassa opened up about his development under Oregon coach Dan Lanning and how the Ducks prepared him for the Kansas City Chiefs defense under coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

oregon ducks jeffrey bassa kansas city chiefs nfl draft linebacker spring game bryce boettcher jerry mixon devon jackson — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I think it prepared me tremendously, especially playing in Coach Lanning’s defense. That's a defense that not a lot of people are running nowadays. And I feel like that defense really prepared me, especially for me going from here to the Chiefs, you know, with Coach Spags (Steve Spagnuolo) and the Chiefs running a complex defense. I feel like I was really prepared when it came to the metal aspect of the game," Bassa said in an interview with Big Ten Network's Chris Clayton.

During his rookie year in Kansas City, Bassa was primarily a special teams contributor while playing some snaps on defense. Selected in the fifth round by the Chiefs in the 2025 NFL Draft, Bassa proved himself as a difference maker at linebacker during his time at Oregon.

In four seasons with the Ducks, Bassa totaled 236 combined tackles (125 solo), with 4.5 sacks, three interceptions, and four pass breakups. One of the main leaders of Lanning's early defenses at Oregon, Bassa's maturity stood out in college.

Jeffrey Bassa on Oregon's Spring Game

Bassa reflected on being back in town as a former Duck

"Yeah, coming back is amazing, man," Bassa told Clayton. "Just you know, seeing the crowd, seeing the the stadium packed out, but then also, you know, running into a lot of other alumni and a lot of other coaches as well. . . . It's always great to come back and show love and support for these boys that have been grinding so hard."

With the torch officially passed from Bassa and Boettcher to the next group of Ducks linebackers, Bassa revealed his confidence in key Oregon defenders like Jerry Mixon and Devon Jackson.

"Those are my guys, those are my savages, and they'll know when they watch this, but yeah, no, guys like Jerry Mixon, Gavin Nix, who came in right after I left, and then Devon Jackson. And then, Will Straton, also a young guy that not a lot of people know him, but a guy who's gonna be flying around for the Ducks defense. I know those guys grind hard led by coach B Mike (Brian Michalowski), who, you know, that's my man," said Bassa on the Big Ten Network.

Mixon boosted his production in 2025, ending the year with 65 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Jackson has logged two consecutive seasons with over 40 tackles in the Ducks defense entering his redshirt senior season.

Mixon and Jackson are expected to start for linebackers coach Brian Michalowski, but the development of younger linebackers like Nix, Dylan Williams, and Brayden Platt will be key to Oregon's success in 2026.

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