Defensive Line Coach Tony Tuioti Breaks Down Oregon Ducks Draft Decisions

EUGENE — One position group that the Oregon Ducks bring back experienced players in 2026 is the defensive line. Oregon defensive line coach Tony Tuioti returns his entire starting unit from a season ago.

Tuioti got candid when discussing what conversations with his defensive linemen looked like in the offseason. The coach talked about the thought process behind NFL Draft decisons during his recent spring media availability.

Everything Oregon Ducks Defensive Line Coach Tony Tuioti Said

oregon ducks tony tuioti defensive line nfl draft teitum matayo uiagalelei amauri washington bear alexander dan lanning — Oregon defensive line coach Tony Tuioti walks into the hotel as the Oregon Ducks arrive in Los Angeles ahead of the Rose Bowl Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Conversations With Players Making NFL Decisions in the Offseason:

“A lot of it is just trying to figure out what they wanted to do. Obviously, one of them was Teitum. That was my son there. (Matayo Uiagalelei) with A’Mauri (Washington) and Bear (Alexander) too as well. Bear announcing early that was helpful because a lot of these guys want to play together. And I think the way the season finished, as well, put certain tastes in their mouth to the point where there's still some things that they want to achieve.”

“Obviously, the culture has to look a certain way. The building's got to look a certain way for somebody to forgo the opportunity go to the NFL and come back. I mean, it's not just them. You look at somebody like Dante Moore, why would somebody come back to college football? There's got to be some trust, there's got to be some connection. There's got to be a place where they feel that they can develop.”

“And those guys went through the same process, too. So, I'm glad they're back. There's a lot of things for a young guy to be able to learn from through their experience. The conversation was basically that. What do you want to achieve? What do you want in your goal? And they felt like they still had things that they wanted to get better at before you go to the NFL, because the NFL is not a developmental league.”

“So those guys made their decisions come back, and I'm just glad that they felt right in their own decision. And coach Lanning has been great with the process, with everybody not forcing them or tricking them to come back, like these are the reasons for you to come back. This is how we can help your game develop, to put you in a better situation next year.”

Shifting Between Father And Coach During His NFL Decision Conversations With Teitum Tuioti:

“It was pretty much the same process. A lot of these guys are kind of like sons to me, spending a lot of time with them. But obviously, with Teitum, it’s just trying to figure out for him, what do you want to do? Do you feel like there's room for you to improve? He obviously wants to enter the NFL at the highest pick that he can get.”

“And he's somebody that he's a team-first guy. He wants to leave here in the right place, trying to set a legacy for himself. So that played a lot into it. And at the end of the day, I think him just being along with Matayo to have another season again, having a chance to play again with more again. These guys have been together since they were freshmen, and you don't have those opportunities too often to be able to start your career together and finish together. And I think that was a big piece of that.”

On Defensive Line Additions D’Antre Robinson And Jerome Simmons:

“D’Antre has been a really good addition to us. He's a big body that's athletic. He can run. He's been to a few programs before he came here. It's just like a lot of the other guys that have come here. We got to be able to delete some of the things that were bad habits that they created, and try to download some good ones for them that they can use to help them, put them in a situation where they can win.”

“You look at Jerome Simmons, another big body type for us, it's hard to find big bodies, especially in the situation we were by the time we're done with the season, looking at some guys to fill up our roster. He adds that to our depth, so really good with him.”

Traits That D’Antre Robinson And Jerome Robinson Add to the Defensive Line:

“You want to have guys that can play the run and be stout, especially in this conference. You can't have enough big bodies in the run game. A lot of teams that are playing deep in the playoffs, like depth is so important, and the biggest thing for us is, how can we find guys that have certain traits?”

“Want to find guys that can be physical at the point of attack, but also be able to rush the passer, and we've had those kind of guys in the past, and they fit those similar traits in body type. So D’Antre does a really good job of being able to play with his hands and striking blocks and playing combination blocks. Going back and just watching his tape, and then he's also athletic enough to be able to win and push the pocket inside.”

“So those two guys, along with what we have – I mean, Matt Johnson has grown so much. A lot of people haven't seen him play a lot, but Matt Johnson redshirted, and then he played pretty much every game in the playoffs. So, you talk about the amount of development that he's made from redshirting after his fourth game and then playing every game in the playoffs.”

“I’m really, really excited about his development and growth. Other guys, like Aydin Breland, that haven't seen much the last couple of years. He's another guy that's grown tremendously this spring. He's basically a young man that can play all the positions. He can play a five, you can play a nine, he can play a three, he can play a zero.”

“So, he adds position flex to us. So really excited about the young guys. Right now, the biggest thing for us in our room is how can we close the gap between the guys that are returning, that are possibly professional draft pick guys, and the younger guys, and so we can do that. As we get late to the end of the season, we'll feel good about where we're at.”

The Balance Between Picking Up Where They Left Off And Wanting A Fresh Start:

“I think just having Teitum, Matyo, A’Mauri and Bear coming back, they know the standard, and we also know that there's a lot of room for us to get better at and improve. So, we got to push harder. Nothing's promised, nothing's guaranteed that we're going to get back to where we were last year. And every single day, we got to continue to push that.”

“So, we talk about having a standard and living up to that standard that each and every day, and it requires them to make a choice. And we push our guys here to choose hard every time, because on the other side of their greatness is choosing hard. Having young guys like Matt Johnson, Aydin Breland, Elijah Rushing, like these guys have stepped up a lot. They've been doing really good in the spring. Excited about what they're going to be able to do for us here in the future.”

Elijah Rushing’s Opportunity to Contribute:

“We had a really good talk with Elijah in the offseason. He's put on more weight. He's 285 pounds now. He's tall. He's long. He's continued to get bigger and stronger. So, he's able to anchor in the run-game a lot better. When he first came in here, he was like 250, so trying to anchor down in the run-game and get as much knock back, he wasn't strong enough to do that.”

“Now he's grown into his body, which is something that happens with a lot of defensive linemen when they come in. You have to develop to be able to play that position effectively. Now at 285, he's able to get some knockback. He always was able to provide some pass rush ability, but it was really like, 'Can you improve in the run game and be more stout there for us?' That's been a point of attack from him, and he's done a really good job of making that a point of focus, and it's showing up in practice, which is awesome.”

“He's another player as well who has that position flex to play the edge or slide inside and also rush from the interior. I really like how we have our depth in the room, where we have guys that can play outside and play inside, and you know we can use that to our advantage to try to create mismatches.”

What He’s Seen From True Freshmen Prince Tavizon And Anthony ‘Tank’ Jones:

“I'm really excited about Tank. Tank had a really good practice today. He's another one very similar to Aydin. He plays our big end position, where he can play the edge, he can slide inside and play the three-technique. Tank has done a really, really good job. It's a very complicated defense, and to be able to compartmentalize everything, he's done a great job of that.”

“So, in terms of Prince, Prince has got here in April. So, this is his first week of practicing. It's kind of like dropping them in the deep end. And he's done a really good job of just trying to keep up with everything. So, he had some pass rush value to us, which is something that we always were looking for, and also does a really good job in trying to help us in the run game.”

If Linebacker Jerry Mixon or Anyone Else Has Filled the Void in Leadership Left With Bryce Boettcher’s Exit:

“Jerry obviously is doing a really good job of taking that step to be the guy, to be the vocal leader up front. Devon (Jackson) is also a guy that's been here before that's done a really good job. So, we have guys that have been in the system for a while now, it's their opportunity to carry the mantle, and they've done a good job of taking on that challenge.”

“A lot of our guys, now it's just a matter of just training the defensive lineman, really training their ears to be able to hit, to be able to listen to this voice, they got a certain pitch. It's going to be loud at Autzen Stadium, but you really got to train them.”

“It's kind of like whistles to a dog, so they got to hear that pitch. For a long time, they've been trained to listen to Bryce. Now, before that, they've been trained to listen to (Jeffrey) Bassa’s voice. Who's the commander? Now, it's like, alright, who's the commander now, who we got to train our ears to? And Jerry's been doing a good job with that and also Devon Jackson.”

Nasir Wyatt’s Path to Becoming an Every Down Player:

"He's grown a lot. He's gotten a lot stronger. It's showing up in spring practice as well, the way he strikes, the way he uses his hands. Obviously, he's got a great gift in rushing the passer, and he can win with speed. Now he's showing up to win with speed and power. That's always been the challenge for Nas.”

“Every player that we have has his own individual growth plan. One of those for Nas was 'How can we make you an every down player and not just a DPR — designated pass rusher?' He's done a really good job of bulking up and getting strong. When you look at him, he's lean, he's kind of built up, but he's got very powerful hands for a guy his size.”

“He's also going to be a guy who will create a lot of havoc plays, and we're going to need that from him. When we get a chance to go rush the passer, he's somebody who everyone is got to watch out for, because he's definitely got the gift to do that. Proud of his development and where he's at so far.”

Freshman Defensive Lineman Tony Cumberland’s Injury Status:

“Just real short with Tony. He was a passenger in a car accident. Obviously, we’re thinking about him. He’s recovering right now. He’ll be out for the rest of the spring, so we’re just keeping them in mind, praying for him and his family for his speedy recovery.”

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