What Brandon Johnson's Commitment Means for Oregon Football
Oregon landed a commitment from Duke defensive back Brandon Johnson on Wednesday, making him the third defensive back from the transfer portal to commit to the Ducks this offseason.
The Ducks now have ten total commitments from the transfer portal and Dan Lanning is building one of the best rosters in the country for Oregon's debut season in the Big Ten.
Rapid Reaction
The way I see it, this is another big commitment for Oregon. As has been the case the past two cycles, if Dan Lanning is adding someone from the portal, it's because he's expecting them to play significant snaps the following season.
Oregon has now added three DBs from the portal (Alexander, Savage), which shows me the coaches are addressing one of their biggest needs this offseason. What they had last year clearly wasn't enough to beat Washington, and the skill talent is only going to improve once they move to the Big Ten and face the likes of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.
Johnson make his way out to Eugene earlier this month and his tie to defensive backs coach Chris Hampton gave Oregon a great shot here. He excels in covering the slot, and the Ducks aren't in a position to turn away anyone that can cover. I'd expect to see him featured heavily in the rotation, if not start, alongside the likes of Jahlil Florence, Kam Alexander and Kobe Savage next year.
To give you an even better idea of what the Ducks are getting in their latest addition, I reached out to Matt Giles, the publisher of Fan Nation's Blue Devil Country covering the Duke Blue Devils, for his thoughts.
Analysis from Matt Giles of Blue Devil Country
Brandon Johnson is one of the most competitive individuals I've ever been around. And there's no doubt he was a driving force in Duke's leap as a program over the past two seasons. He's relatively quiet and to the point off the field (at least in press conferences) but is extremely loud on the field. He's a ball-hawking, ever-hungry defender whose steps seem innately calculated to be efficient.
He was the 2023 team's Defensive Skill Player of the Year. He's a grown man now, having been an integral piece to a defensive unit that held Clemson to seven points in Duke's Week 1 home win and making plays against the likes of Notre Dame and Florida State. Oregon is getting a gem. The North Carolina native's three-star rating in high school now looks laughable
Finished at DB?
Not so fast. I think if there's another DB out there for the Ducks its Washington cornerback transfer Jabbar Muhammad. I confirmed earlier today that he's in Austin to visit Texas, but Oregon is still heavily involved here and has a fighting chance against the Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide, who are now led by Muhammad's former head coach Kalen DeBoer.
If the Ducks can add Muhammad they'd likely have one of the better secondaries not just in the Big Ten, but in the country.
