Oregon Ducks' Tosh Lupoi Gives First Impressions of Transfers, Freshman Linebacker

The Oregon Ducks' defense received a handful of good news on the final day of July. In the afternoon of July 31, coach Dan Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi secured another five-star commitment in EDGE Anthony “Tank” Jones. Later, the team made more strides in practice ahead of the season opener.

Lupoi met with the media on Thursday for the first time this preseason.

What Lupoi Said After Day 2 Of Fall Camp:

Oregon Ducks Tosh Lupoi Defensive Coordinator Matayo Uiagalelei Bryce BoettcherJahlil Florence Elijah Rushing — Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi watches practice Wednesday Aug. 24, 2022 in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Comparing Current Defensive Roster From When He Was Hired:

“Our priority one, talent acquisition. So, first off, getting really good evaluations. Then from there, assessing if the character is going to fit our culture, and then going on the attack from that standpoint. So really excited about the guys that we acquired and it's for us," said Lupoi.

"This process is half a year, when you go back to January in that process. So, we're actually are in the phase five, what we call in the NFL. We used to call it different phases, one, two and three. We're actually in phase five here in college football, where we start out with the climb. So those guys that you're already aware of, whether we signed as true freshmen or went out and got in the portal, an in-depth process during the climb of really teaching concepts from a football standpoint," he continued.

"And of course, the strenuous strength and lifting and speed enhancement program leading us into spring ball, where we try to tailor that with the fundamentals and technique that is being required to make those concepts work," said Lupoi. "Right then, we get into our May, what we call our OTAs. It's more so player-led activity, we're on the road recruiting, but again, like recycling and going through those phases in our in our schematic cycle? Go to summer ball, where we can be involved for a certain amount of hours all summer."

"And then this is phase five, now, camp. So now, the expectations have grown those guys that we're talking about that came aboard; the mistakes are not going to be acceptable now, that they may have made early on, and expectations rise of those guys. So, we got a group that's talented, Oregon and experienced and I think dangerous if we get their talent headed in the right direction," Lupoi concluded.

Lupoi On Outside Linebacker Tobi Haastrup:

“Tobi, athletically, exactly what we thought. Take a lot of pride in our evaluations. So felt strong of who we were getting there from an athletic standpoint. Tobi is still new to the game. So sometimes they’re the funnest guys to be coaching and kind of mold their technique. But think the guy’s got the right mentality, certainly got the right athleticism, has a freakish explosive capability and now it's just directing that in the right technique where our eyes are located pre-snap, going through our keys. Our demeanor, our eyes, our post-snap finish all the important things where we're doing the right thing.”

On Linebacker Bryce Boettcher Potentially Pursuing Football Career:

“I absolutely knew from day one. No, that's a complete lie. Yeah, he came in and the A to B, explosive, aggressive physicality, right? Very apparent," said Lupoi. "The issue on day one was you could step right, and he might go out through the tunnel back to the baseball field on accident. So, I commend him on coming in routinely and asking, 'What exactly do I got to get better at? Do I got to fix?'"

"And he's the type of guy that you're going to give him something, and it might be that night or the next morning where they're doing all the construction on the new facility. Like you hear noises going, look out and 6 a.m. and this guy is out there doing exactly what you said, whether it's working on his change of direction and making his drills more reactionary, not predetermined, that apply more to the game and ankle flexion flexibility," Lupoi said about Boettcher.

"So, you talk about the epitome of a guy that's going to attack the process. He came in with a different mentality, and I really commend the guy like that. And a guy even like Devon Jackson, where I think it's easy to forget in this day and age, you got a former walk-on and you got a guy like Devon Jackson that came on on a full-ride scholarship. He got a T-shirt. He got cleats, but he wasn't on no major NIL deal," said Lupoi.

So, I feel like these guys are guys a little bit similar to, kind of the modern old school, where they have a different approach at times," Lupoi continued. "In comparison, where 'I'm trying to earn a place at the table.' I'm not kind of like, ‘Hey, I'm in the top tax bracket. I'm here at the table.’ Like, no, you ain't in nothing. Well, these guys, I love that, that's a culture they bring in a little bit of a reminder and I think that comes out at times, really, both those guys, of how they approach or how they attack and just kind of that chip on your shoulder approach.”

How Cornerback Jahlil Florence Compares To How He Played In 2023:

“It’s constant improvement. Made a great play today. I think he's bringing back his confidence. And it's been a daily stride to get there. Naturally speaking from experience. When you experience a major injury, it is traumatizing. Mentally, you overcome that, but you still have the physical right aspect that you got to get over. And I think we're seeing that. So, he's he's letting it rip. He's going full speed now, doing some good things for us. So competing his butt off to compete and be a major contributor.”

What ‘Knocking Off The Rust' Looks Like:

“The challenge for us is we want to treat every day like it's day one. So naturally, when it truly is day one, there's gonna be some things your body's not used to doing. The tempo, the speed, going against the offense at this type of speed, it's obviously very different than the summer approach, but that's my challenge. Is every day we're approaching like day one?" said Lupoi.

"And what we're not going to no focus is going to be upon the poisonous pill of success, of what we accomplished last season, and beating the National Champions in Michigan and Penn State and all the cool stuff, and the Big Ten Championship," the Oregon defensive coordinator continued. "And at the same time, we're not bringing up the pill of depression either and focusing on what's our growth from the last game that didn't end up the way we wanted to be? And how do we build from this?"

"So again, going to those five phases and going right into this camp. So, approaching it every day like it’s one. It's a fresh start. A poet once said, ‘I'm gonna treat every single day like I'm an intern.’ And that's what I try to do, and make it contagious as far as part of the staff and the players as well. Anybody know who that poet is? Notorious BIG," said Lupoi.

On Maturation Of Young Defensive Players:

“I'm challenging them every day," Lupoi said. "So, I'd say, out of any group, I challenge them most after our first day. So, to be honest, I was a little disappointed in our performance just based off of effort. We're out there in spiders, and we're going to play with fundamentals and technique. We're executing our assignments pretty strong, but I called the D-line out yesterday."

It's like, we just lost roughly $42 million between three guys up front as far as their salaries in the National Football League. We're looking for impact players. We're looking for the guys that have been chomping at the bid to get those reps and this is your opportunity. So yesterday, I addressed the whole defense with that. It feels like, in all honesty, didn't think our effort was really truly to the standard," said Lupoi.

"And I always want to assess the film before I make any statements today, going in before I watch the film, felt very different. They came out with hunger. Felt like they really responded at a great unit meeting, and the guys attacked the ball to the standard, and I thought those guys kind of led that so impressed. And enjoyed seeing them how they would respond to that," he continued.

Lupoi's Expectations For Transfer Cornerback Theran Johnson:

“Expectation’s being the best version of him, and that's part of trying to raise his game to the next level and then hopefully that contributes to raising our defense as well to a high level of play. So, when he came in, he was fighting his butt off to finish a degree, a tough degree, and did a heck of a job doing that at times. I think he'd probably sacrifice some workout time. He'd probably be the first one to admit that."

"So honestly, he came in as thrown into the fire. He came in that unique quarter system entry point where we'd actually done two practices already. So, you can imagine getting thrown into our defense at that point. Thought he reacted as best as possible, but just getting in shape and then adapting and then mentally in shape as well. So, what's obvious now is a lot more confident in his assignments, and that's going to equate to making more plays; there's no doubt in my mind, he has all the ability to do so," Lupoi continued.

MORE: What Oregon Ducks Receiver Malik Benson Said About Dante Moore, Evan Stewart Injury

MORE: Georgia Bulldogs Battling Oregon Ducks For Elite 4-Star Recruit

MORE: Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Opens Up About Coaching Transfer Bear Alexander

MORE: Top-5 College Football Offensive Coordinators Primed To Become Head Coaches

What The Length Of Defensive Back Group Allows Him To Do Schematically:

“Just one, what can we do better, but also just fitting our scheme, really well. So having five absolutely amazing DBs last season that played their butt off and the tallest guy being 5-10 and a quarter, can't respect more what they did for us. But certainly, our system is built around guys with length and, of course, speed, and then short area quickness and a physical tackler will. That's what we're looking for," said Lupoi.

"We get all that, then we get guys like Christian Gonzalez that can play at a really high level," he continued. "So it's not necessarily doing a whole bunch of new stuff, but what we could do better probably caters to us, and maybe getting away from a little bit of smoke and mirrors to possibly hide some match-up issues things of that nature, when we do lack some length and speed.”

Lupoi On EDGE Elijah Rushing’s Improvements:

“I think the guy absolutely is going to challenge everybody in the building to put in the time and work the hardest when it comes to attention to detail, coming in extra bonus meetings, asking questions, staying later. It's important to him. He loves the game. So that's what his approach is."

"That's adding on to the guy. I was confident, once again, from the evaluation standpoint, as far as this guy was going to be a developmental player, evaluating him. But a future star, as he puts all these things together and he starts to learn how to direct his length, learning how to rush the passer from a technique standpoint, and the things that he's starting to show now, so excited," said Lupoi.

On What Makes EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei Unique:

“That's absolutely the challenge. I think this guy has, I would go as far as saying, unique smarts where sometimes it's just natural, like big, old, strong, long guy that can do a lot of things. Contrary to maybe some opinions of an elite edge rusher, this guy has elite smarts, in my opinion. So, what that does for us, one a guy that can communicate a call up front, get us a line and help us their multiple positions. So, we're rotating him. You’re going to see him rushing interior," said Lupoi.

"You're going to see him rushing off the edge. He lines up in a two-point, lines up in space, and we have absolute full confidence in him in those positions. He plays Sam backer, Jack backer, big in EDGE three tech. Just a unique guy. But I think guys in the past that been really fortunate to coach or be around, that's what jumps out, is when a guy offers a whole bunch of versatility along with the things that you mentioned."

"The length and the physical tangibles, then that's how guys get into those special conversations of what you mentioned, being a top-10 pick, or, as you mentioned, one of one. So that's what I would say. It separates the challenge I had to him, is communication every day that jumped off the Richter scale. Like two days ago, when we came back, the guys reported I thought I was having an out of body experience in the indoor facility, and he was directing the whole defense on all our strength and conditioning drills, what direction we're supposed to go, echoing the call. That's really cool to see. So, the challenge is keep that consistency," he concluded.

The Biggest Adjustment Of Switching Practice Fields:

“Pure chaos. Organized chaos, to say. So, what I learned was this is probably not going to work. Going in having a bit of a bit of a negative opinion to myself, just self-talk, never saying that out loud. They're like I don't understand how are we going to operate there from the special teams and have the group drill here? But it did, so it's awesome," said Lupoi.

"Organized chaos, literally balls going in opposite directions at the same time, utilizing the middle. But we're going to utilize what we got on the land. That's what we got. What do you do about it? Having a positive approach of it. Now, we got the indoor back open. Actually, got extended, so we got more space there. So good question. I would say organizing chaos, so hopefully I save some of those diagrams if that ever happens to me in my life in the future and I don't have coach Lanning to figure that out" he continued.