Oregon Fans Will Love This Trey McNutt Injury Update

Oregon Ducks freshman safety Trey McNutt suffered a broken right leg in August of Oregon's fall camp ahead of the 2025 season. Before his injury, the Ohio-native was one of several Oregon's freshmen who could make an immediate impact.

Flash forward to 2026, and Oregon's new defensive coordinator Chris Hampton provides an injury update on the former 5-star recruit.

oregon ducks chris hampton evan stewart Drew Mehringer dakorien moore dan lanning college football playoff injury trey mcnutt | oregon ducks on si jake bunn

Trey McNutt Injury Update

McNutt utilized a redshirt in 2025 to rehab his leg but was able to return to the field to play in the Ducks' College Football Playoff run. He did not record any stats but getting live-game reps is a big step for a young player with high expectations. Oregon fans will be happy to hear that McNutt appears to be trending in a positive direction for 2026.

“He got injured last season, so he was able to sit back and watch and learn and watch Dillon Thieneman work, and watch Jadon Canady and Aaron Flowers. I think that was good for him to sit back and be able to watch and observe. He was able to come back in playoff time. But he really wasn't quite ready to go," Hampton said after Oregon's second spring football practice.

Most notably is how Hampton describes how McNutt has approached his rehab and his innate desire to get better.

"Watching Trey in the offseason work, he works extremely hard. He's a guy that's a weight room fanatic. He's extremely strong and fast. He can change directions, and now he's just getting the reps that he needed of executing the defense at a high level... He's getting better and better each and every day. Excited to see him go out there and hit some people this spring. And play with some confidence," Hampton continued.

McNutt took to social media to post about his progress. On his Instagram story he wrote, "8 back" with a photo from spring football camp.

Oregon ducks safety trey mcnutt at spring football practice after rehabbing an injury | Trey McNutt Instagram

Hampton's inside perspective is important as spring football provides a great glimpse into how players are progressing in their returns from injury. His words indicate that McNutt is driven to compete at safety this season amid a talented group that includes incoming transfer Koi Perich, starter Aaron Flowers, rotational player Peyton Woodyard and incoming 5-star freshman Jett Washington.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning's Trey McNutt Insight

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Oregon coach Dan Lanning also provided some insight into McNutt's strong mental capacity, at the time of the injury.

"Trey's handling that unbelievably. Kind of a freak deal. That being said, he's working his ass off to get back," Lanning said. "He's staying engaged in the playbook. He's preparing himself. So he was having a really good fall camp. You always hate to see that happen, but it is part of football, and I think Trey's handled it really well."

The No. 2-ranked safety from the 2025 recruiting class, McNutt has potential off the charts. Before Washington committed to the Ducks from the 2026 class, McNutt was the highest-ever ranked safety to join Oregon football.

McNutt led Shaker Heights High School with 61 tackles as a junior and recorded 12 pass breakups, three tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles. The multi-sport athlete was a stand-out in track and field, giving the Ducks some speed in the backfield when he returns to play.

As Hampton mentioned, McNutt was not fully 100 percent ready to go when he took the field in Oregon's playoff games. Now, Oregon fans are eager to see if a healthy McNutt plays with confidence in the Ducks' annual spring football game.

The Ducks will have 15 practices all together and the spring football game will be held on Saturday, April 25 at 1 p.m. PT in Autzen Stadium in Eugene. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and admission to the game is free.