Oregon Linebacker Devon Jackson Offers Candid Insight Into Final Year Mindset

Oregon’s defense returns eight starters from a unit that finished seventh nationally in total defense last season. That veteran presence gives the Ducks plenty of reason to expect another dominant season in 2026. However, among those returning pieces, fifth-year senior linebacker Devon Jackson could be in line for one of the biggest roles on the Ducks’ defense this year.

Jackson enters his final season of eligibility with a chance to take on a much larger role for the Ducks. After playing substantial snaps since his redshirt freshman season, Jackson is no stranger to contributing on Oregon’s defense.

Oregon Ducks Devon Jackson football 2026 defense linebacker Dan Lanning fall camp season college playoffs Freaks List NFL — Jan 1, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Liberty Flames quarterback Kaidon Salter (7) against Oregon Ducks linebacker Devon Jackson (26) in the 2024 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What changes this season is the opportunity in front of him. With Bryce Boettcher now in the NFL, Jackson has a direct path to becoming one of the defense’s primary linebackers.

That opportunity comes after a 2025 season in which Jackson remained a key piece of one of the best defenses in college football. He played in 13 of Oregon’s 15 games, recording 41 tackles with at least one tackle in every game he played. Still, Jackson’s 2025 season did not fully showcase the player Oregon believes he can be.

Injuries limited his offseason preparation and later affected his availability and workload during the season. Jackson finished 2025 without a tackle for loss or sack.

Now, there is a different expectation surrounding Jackson heading into his final college season.

“We're going to be a really good team if Devon is able to play the way he's capable of,” Dan Lanning said ahead of fall camp at Oregon’s Media Day. “He has always had a unique skill set, but he just wasn't himself as he went into last season, and he missed spring ball. He has had a really good offseason. He's been able to be healthy throughout it.”

Now in fall camp, the picture is becoming clearer of exactly what playing to his full potential will look like for Jackson as he enters the most important season of his collegiate career.

Everything Oregon Linebacker Devon Jackson Said

Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List Reporting He Clocked 24 miles Per Hour:

“I ain't never run no 24 miles per hour, bro. I don't know where they read that. I can't even figure it. I'm not a liar, bro — that's just not my character. But mid-23s, maybe high. But yeah, that's kinda crazy, bro. I ain't gonna lie. Would be nice, though — maybe one day.”

Dan Lanning’s High Praise of His Potential:

“There's a lot of work to do still. If I can be the player that I know I can be and the coaches believe I can be, then we can do something special, but you still gotta work for it. Ain't nobody gonna hand that to me. No one's handed that to me in the five years I've been here. You gotta work at it every day like rent's due every day. Just the point of proving from camp is just bring it every day. That's the kind of mentality I have: take it day by day and build off that.”

Playing With Increased Physicality Throughout Fall Camp Scrimmages:

“Always. Obviously, I think I'm gonna be the most physical I can be, but you can always ask my teammates. I think that's a better perspective for you. But yeah, I gotta bring the physicality every day. Like in the spring, that's all about linebacker, man, understanding defenses, understanding what you're gonna get, how things work, and just being physical."

"You're not gonna be the biggest, you're not gonna be the strongest you shouldn't be. You're not gonna be the fastest, or you shouldn't be, right? There's people behind you, there's people in front of you. So you setting this tone and the standard of how physical not just for yourself, but how the whole defense is gonna be. That's a big thing, and I gotta do that no matter what.”

Growing Into a Vocal and Lead-By-Example Leader:

“Honestly, I haven't really done anything different. You're gonna believe who you see work, and I would want my teammates to see how I work and how I show up every day and believe that."

"I'm not a fan of big rah-rah guys that do stuff for social media or in front of coaches. If your teammates don't believe down in their hearts that you are who you say you are ... It could be one thing, even about the physicality just now. It'd be one thing to come up here and talk about it, but if my teammates don't feel that from me, they're not gonna believe me. They're not gonna follow me. So I just gotta do what I say on a daily basis, just live that, and then my teammates are gonna follow me.”

The Development of Senior Inside Linebacker Jerry Mixon:

“Jerry's obviously a great football player, great person, but it's not even just the last six months where I feel like I done seen Jerry's career grow, and really a lot of people in the room. Just to see Jerry put his head down and work no matter what, no matter what the year was. Obviously, he's reaping the benefits of it now. Jerry's a great person, he's a great leader on the defense, and he's somebody that makes our room better.”

Where This Defense Ranks Among Those He Played on at Oregon and Its Ceiling:

“I think the sky's the limit, honestly, for this defense. There's a lot of talent on paper, for sure, but it's not about what's on paper. It's about what we do on a daily basis and how we show up every day."

"We got guys like A'Mauri [Washington] and Bear [Alexander], but we also [had] guys like Derrick Harmon and Jamaree Caldwell it's a first-round pick and a third-round pick. Those guys can do the same, if not better. But again, it's not about what you do on a piece of paper. It's about how you show up every day.”

His Urgency and Excitement for His Final Season:

“Man, I'm ready. I'm ready to just show it every play 'cause this is it. This is the only guaranteed op that I have for myself. I wasn't a Dante [Moore] or E. Stew [Evan Stewart] or a Poncho [Iapani Laloulu] or all those other guys that they could've went to the league. I'm just being honest."

"This is do-or-die for me, so I have to bring it every day. There is no other option. There was no choice. It's do-or-die now, and we gonna do it together to get where we wanna go, for sure.”

Freshman Running Back Brandon Smith:

“B. Smith, that's my dog, bro. But I gotta mess with him on a daily basis. I think the hardest part for freshmen sometimes is confidence and just trying to lock in. So I just gotta mess with him sometimes. But that's my dog."

"I ain't gonna lie, he toting it yesterday. He scored like three times, had what felt like 300 yards. He freaking embarrassed us yesterday. But he's a really good player, and that's somebody that puts his head down and works. He's gonna be a good player for us, for sure.”

Other Players on Oregon's Roster With Freakish Athleticism:

“I know he's a freshman and hasn't played a snap though, but Jett Washington, just seeing him, it's like, 'Bro, you're not from here. You're not from Earth, bro.'"

"But honestly, Bear [Alexander], you could throw up there, another somebody super strong. It makes my job easy playing behind A'Mauri [Washington] and Bear. They gotta hold those double-teams for our O-line, and it's like, 'Yeah, you can't climb up to me. You gotta deal with them boys up front.' I feel them all year, so that's kinda how I see it.”

The Focus Level of the Front Seven Heading Into Game Week:

“I feel like this is the most dialed we've been. I mean, look at our whole front A'Mauri’s in his fourth year, Bear's in his fifth year of school, Teitum [Tuioti] in his fourth year here, Matayo's [Uiagalelei] fourth year here, Jerry's [Mixon] fourth year here. A lot of people have been here. Guys also in our linebacker room, like Dylan Williams, third year here. Guys have been here."

"They might not get as much love as they might want, but people have been here, and they've been working. Now it's just time for not just the starters to show it, but for everybody to show it."

"Coach Lanning says all the time, 'If you're on the field, you are a starter,' because that means your teammates and the coaches have full faith in you that you can do your job. Again, it's not just the big names, but it's everybody, for sure.”

His Mindset and Anticipation for the Season Opener:

“I'm ready. There's still work to do, there's still things to clean up. There's probably some things to clean up from practice today that I'm gonna wait until the coaches grade it and put their comments in. I'm gonna watch it, and we gonna watch it together. There's still grind to do. But I'm excited."

"This is my last first game in college, and like I just told you, there's not a guarantee I may get another first game. So I gotta go out there and just prove it to myself. I don't care what nobody else thinks. But then just to do it for my team, 'cause I know what we've been through.”

Minnesota Transfer Safety Koi Perich:

“Big energy guy. His locker's actually right next to mine, and we talk about what we gonna do at practice, the competition, like who's gonna be first to the ball. Obviously on me, I'm closer, so I feel like I'm gonna get to the ball first all the time! But nah, Koi's a big energy person. I love having him on the team and just being on the field with him together. That's for sure my dog.”

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