Oregon Ducks Football

Former Oregon offensive lineman Doug Brenner will not receive any of the $100 million he was seeking in a lawsuit against the NCAA despite a jury finding the college athletics governing body guilty of negligence, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich.

Brenner was seeking damages for injuries he suffered during a 2017 workout while playing college football at Oregon. According to his attorneys, the injuries occurred because the NCAA doesn't have any rules about overworking players. 

That said, the jury didn't believe the NCAA's negligence contributed to Brenner's injuries, per Dinich. 

One of Brenner's attorney's, Jason Kafoury, said they will appeal the decision: 

We hope this case is a shot across the bow to the NCAA, and that it will further the effort to protect student-athletes from preventable injuries and deaths. To have a case of this magnitude decided on such a technicality is a tragedy.

If the NCAA doesn't change rules, they're looking at a lot of future lawsuits because we've shown in the case that they were on notice and that if they don't act now, then they really are reckless.

In the original lawsuit, Brenner claimed former Ducks head coach Willie Taggart and former strength coach Irele Oderinde had players participate in excessive workouts in 2017. Brenner and two of his teammates were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis as a result of the workouts.

Rhabdomyolysis "occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The substances can result in damage to the heart and kidneys and even death. 

According to the lawsuits, the excessive workouts lasted between 60 and 90 minutes, and players didn't have water available "for at least the first day."

Brenner claimed the injuries he suffered during the workouts prevented him from having a career in the NFL. However, a judge ruled there was no evidence indicating Brenner would have played professionally. 

Brenner has since reached a $500,000 settlement with Oregon in relation to his hospitalization. He dismissed claims against Taggart and Oderinde as part of the agreement.

Oregon said in a statement, according to KMTR:

The University of Oregon is grateful to have reached a resolution with Doug Brenner, who had a career at the UO that anyone would be proud of. The health and safety of our students is our top priority. The trial testimony showed that no one at the UO intended harm to any student, and that our response and care of our students after the accident was the best we could provide, which we believe enabled the students to make a full recovery.

Brenner played for the Ducks from 2013-17. 

Five-star offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. announced Friday his intention to attend Oregon. 

Big get for Oregon: Five-star OT Josh Conerly Jr. from Seattle, 247Sports' No. 15 overall prospect in the Class of 2022, said he's going to play for the Ducks.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) April 9, 2022

Conerly chose the Ducks over Miami, Michigan, USC and Oklahoma, among others. 

247Sports' composite ranks Conerly as the No. 15 prospect in the 2022 high school class and second at the offensive tackle spot.

Already 6'5" and 283 pounds, Conerly is one of the most Saturday-ready players in the entire 2022 class. He's a mauler ready-made to play left tackle at the collegiate level, equipped with a wingspan that is apparently 6'10". 

247Sports compared Conerly to Charles Leno Jr. of the Washington Football team and said he's already projecting as a second-day NFL draft selection.

We're a long way away from that, however. Conerly realizing his NFL potential will be somewhat situation-dependent, and Oregon hopes Dan Lanning can coach up Conerly's physical skills and translate them into dominance on Saturdays.

The USC Trojans have landed another big-time football player via the transfer portal as Lincoln Riley continues to build his squad ahead of his first season as head coach.

Oregon Ducks running back Travis Dye announced Friday that he is transferring to USC for the 2022 season. 

#USC lands dynamic Oregon running back Travis Dye! pic.twitter.com/dVm9xcBUuH

— Chris Treviño (@ChrisNTrevino) January 21, 2022

Dye spent the first four seasons of his college career at Oregon and has proved to be one of the most dynamic, versatile running backs in the Pac-12. He racked up 3,111 career rushing yards, 869 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns with the Ducks. 

During the 2021 campaign, the 5'10", 190-pound California native took over as the top running back after CJ Verdell was ruled out in October with a leg injury. He rushed for a career-high 1,271 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021 and also caught a team-leading 46 passes for 402 yards and two scores. 

Dye entered the transfer portal on Jan. 14, just four days after new head coach Dan Lanning finished his tenure as the Georgia defensive coordinator following the Bulldogs' national-title win over Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Dye is only one of many notable players who have opted to join Riley at USC. The Trojans have also added Oklahoma wide receiver Mario Williams and cornerback Latrell McCutchin, Colorado cornerback Mekhi Blackmon and Stanford running back Austin Jones. 

USC is also considered a favorite to land Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams, who played under Riley in 2021 and entered the transfer portal on Jan. 5. 

ESPN college football analyst and former Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy fired back at Oregon Ducks star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux on Thursday for his remarks about the quality of education at Alabama. 

During an interview with Fox Sports' Joel Klatt during the national championship game between Alabama and Georgia, Thibodeaux talked about choosing the Ducks over the Crimson Tide. He took a shot at the education players receive at Alabama. 

"I already hate the stigmatism of football players being dumb jocks," Thibodeaux said. "So now, do you know the stigmatism of Alabama education? It ain’t the West Coast. It ain’t Harvard."

He continued later in the interview by saying he wasn't sure if his degree "would mean anything" if he went to Alabama. 

More than an athlete 💯@KayvonT offers perspective as to why choosing @OregonFootball was about more than just what happens on the football field 🦆👏

(Presented by @FTX_Official #CFBPlayoff #FTXChampTailgate) pic.twitter.com/nNcCN6ktGf

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 12, 2022

"I just take real personal offense, man," McElroy said Thursday on his radio show with Cole Cubelic, according to Erik Hall of the Tuscaloosa News. "I genuinely do. I don't care. Don't come. If you think so little of us, don't come. Fine by me, because I know the people that live in this state. I chose Alabama, because I love Alabama. ... If you don't want to see Alabama for the greatness it can potentially provide you, it's on you. You're missing out."

McElroy, who played QB at Alabama from 2007 to '10 and was drafted by the New York Jets in 2011, went on to mention that he received offers from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Duke, Stanford, Northwestern and Vanderbilt. He cast doubt on whether Thibodeaux received an offer from Harvard or other Ivy League schools. 

Thibodeaux is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2022 NFL draft after finishing the 2021 season with 49 tackles and seven sacks. 

A 24-point second-quarter outburst propelled the No. 14 Oklahoma football team to a 47-32 win over No. 16 Oregon in the Alamo Bowl on Wednesday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Oklahoma outscored Oregon 24-0 in the second quarter thanks to a Gabe Brkic field goal, a pair of Caleb Williams touchdown passes to Drake Stoops and Marvin Mims and Kennedy Brooks' 29-yard touchdown run. Thanks to those efforts, OU took a 30-3 halftime lead.

Brooks was the Alamo Bowl's star with 14 carries for 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns and scored the first points of the game on a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the efficient Williams completed 21-of-27 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns.

Oregon's offense exploded in the second half with 22 third-quarter points and 29 overall, but Oklahoma's lead never dipped below 15 points. Running back Travis Dye was Oregon's sparkplug with 18 carries for 153 rushing yards and a score.

Both teams were shorthanded. Of note, a pair of edge-rushers in Oregon's Kayvion Thibodeaux and Oklahoma's Nik Bonitto were out after announcing their intentions for the NFL draft.

This game also featured a pair of teams that traveled eerily similar paths this season.

Both programs were College Football Playoff contenders, but each of them suffered conference losses to crush their playoff hopes.

Oregon fell to Stanford and Utah (twice), while OU lost to Baylor and Oklahoma State.

Oregon and Oklahoma ended up posting 10-win seasons, but they each lost their head coaches in a high-profile fashion after the end of the regular season, too.

Passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon led the Ducks on Wednesday after Mario Cristobal left for Miami, and former OU coach Bob Stoops guided the Sooners after Lincoln Riley took off for USC.

Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning will take over permanently in Oregon, and Clemson associate head coach/defensive coordinator Brent Venables will lead OU.

With the win, the Sooners ended their season with an 11-2 mark, while Oregon fell to 10-4.

    

Notable Performances

Oklahoma QB Caleb Williams: 21-of-27, 242 passing yards, 3 TD

Oklahoma RB Kennedy Brooks: 14 carries, 142 rushing yards, 3 TD

Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims: 2 catches, 57 receiving yards, 1 TD

Oregon QB Anthony Brown: 27-of-40, 306 passing yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

Oregon RB Travis Dye: 18 carries, 153 rushing yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 28 receiving yards

Oregon WR Dont'e Thornton: 4 catches, 90 receiving yards, 1 TD

    

Kennedy Brooks, Sooner O-Line Lead Oklahoma to Victory

Oregon simply had no answer for anything Oklahoma did on the ground or through the air. The Sooners running game was particularly deadly as Williams, Brooks and running backs Eric Grey and Marcus Major rushed 39 times for 312 yards.

Brooks led that effort, galloping through the Ducks' defense for 10.1 yards per carry. He and the Sooner offensive line combined to be the catalysts for the team's success as Oklahoma did more than enough on offense to withstand the Ducks' second-half scoring outburst.

Amid Brooks' own onslaught, Jason Kersey of The Athletic stated a clear formula for offensive success:

https://twitter.com/jasonkersey/status/1476399163269160960

At times, it felt like Oklahoma was playing at a different speed, as noted by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports:

Oklahoma looks blazing fast tonight.. especially Kennedy Brooks.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 30, 2021

RJ Young of Fox Sports was so impressed with Brooks that he thought he could play a decade in the NFL:

Kennedy Brooks is going to play 10 years in the NFL because his vision is so great.

— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) December 30, 2021

Brooks' excellent vision was abundantly clear on his third and final touchdown run, as he patiently traversed through Oklahoma's blocks before scampering into the end zone:

KB and the big bodies 😤@kennedyBrooks26 | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/zJMEnPhtDL

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) December 30, 2021

Overall, it was a sensational performance for the Brooks-led running game, which propelled Oklahoma to its sixth 11-win season in seven years.

    

Oregon's Shorthanded Team Has No Answer for OU

Credit goes to Oregon for fighting hard until the end, given unideal circumstances. Not only were the Ducks without their head coach (a la Oklahoma), but they were significantly shorthanded going into this game. Per Matt Prehm of 247Sports, the Ducks were without over 30 players.

That group included an elite pass-rusher and disruptor in Thibodeaux, who has declared for the NFL draft and may be chosen No. 1 overall. His absence gave Oklahoma far more time to execute their offense all evening.

Cornerback/returner Mykael Wright was also out, and the team lost linebacker Noah Sewell, safety Daymon David and cornerback Dontae Manning to injury in the third quarter.

Therefore, it wasn't a big surprise to see Oklahoma's offense dominate, although the Ducks' perseverance and fight in the second half were impressive.

The offense sprung to life in the third quarter with three touchdowns, thanks to a Dye 11-yard run and Anthony Brown touchdown passes to Dont'e Thornton and Kris Hutson.

The problem was that Oklahoma's offense still could not be stopped, scoring touchdowns in between Oregon scores. Williams found Gray on a six-yard TD pass, and Brooks scored his third touchdown on an eight-yard run. 

Oregon faced tall odds to pull off the upset in San Antonio. Though the Ducks didn't get it done, they battled until the final whistle.

Former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix announced Sunday on Instagram that he is transferring to Oregon.

"Coast to Coast," he wrote. "It's official! #GoDucks."

Nix has familiarity with the coaching staff. New Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Auburn in 2019 when Nix was a freshman for the Tigers.

His first game came against Oregon, a 27-21 win in which Nix threw the game-winning touchdown pass in the final seconds. He won the SEC Freshman of the Year award that season.

Per Tom Green of AL.com, Dillingham—who was Florida State's offensive coordinator the past two years—"had been a candidate for the offensive coordinator vacancy on Bryan Harsin's staff this month. A source at the time told AL.com that part of Dillingham's interest in potentially returning to Auburn was the opportunity to work with Nix again."

In three years at Auburn, Nix threw for 7,251 yards, 39 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, completing 59.4 percent of his passes. 

I'm not sure a player's style better personifies #Pac12AfterDark than Bo Nix. This could be a perfect fit.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 19, 2021

In Nix's three seasons, the Tigers have gone just 21-15, and they are a disappointing 6-6 this year. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

T.J. Finley is the favorite to serve as Auburn's starting quarterback. The sophomore stepped into the role in the Tigers' last two games after Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury, throwing for 325 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He was sacked seven times and Auburn lost both games.

"These guys have seen me in live action. These guys trust me," Finley said of serving as the starter, per Green. "They communicate well with me, and they allow me to do my job and communicate to them what I see on and off the field, and things of that nature. I think the guys have responded well to me stepping in and being the quarterback of the team.”

The University of Oregon reportedly will hire Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning as its new head football coach following the departure of Mario Cristobal, according to Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports.

Cristobal left the program in early December to take over at the University of Miami, his alma mater and the place where his coaching career began as a graduate assistant in 1998.

The 51-year-old Miami native guided Oregon to a 35-13 record across five years in Eugene. That includes a 10-3 mark in 2021 that earned the team a berth in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma. Passing game coordinator Bryan McClendon took over on an interim basis ahead of the bowl game while the athletic department went through a coaching search.

His success continued a trend that has seen the Ducks become one of the nation's most consistently successful college football programs.

Oregon's .754 winning percentage (135-44 record) since 2008 ranks sixth in country behind only Alabama, Ohio State, Boise State, Oklahoma and Clemson, per TeamRankings.

The Ducks have finished inside the top 10 seven times during that span.

Lanning arrives to the Ducks after spending the past three years as the defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs led the nation in scoring defense during the 2021 season.

The 35-year-old Missouri native will serve as a head coach for the first time after 14 years as an assistant at the high school and collegiate levels. He's also spent time on college staffs at Pittsburgh, Arizona State, Sam Houston State, Alabama and Memphis.

In August, Lanning explained he was waiting for the right head coaching opportunity to arise rather than jumping at the first offer thrown his way.

"But the grass is certainly not always greener. And I learned that from watching coach [Kirby] Smart for several years," he said. "Being where you're at, and being successful where you're at, those opportunities will come. But my focus is being here right now."

The chance to take over a successful program like Oregon would have been tough to pass up, and now he'll look to extend the Ducks' recent run as a consistent force in the Pac-12.

Lanning's experience recruiting against Power Five competition during his prior coaching stops will prove vital in the months and years ahead.

Conflicting reports emerged Friday regarding Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning and the open University of Oregon head football coach position.

What seems to be certain: Lanning is a candidate for the position.

Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Oregon was expected to name Lanning as its next head football coach, with an official announcement coming Monday.

However, John Talty of AL.com reported later in the day that multiple sources told him the Lanning hiring report was inaccurate.

James Crepea of the Oregonian reported a source told him Oregon hasn't made an offer to Lanning or anyone else, although the Georgia DC is a candidate for the job.

The eventual Oregon coach will replace Mario Cristobal, who departed the Ducks for the University of Miami.

All this news comes one day after ESPN's Chris Low reported Oregon was "making a push" for UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, who led the Ducks from 2009-2012 and guided them to a national title game appearance.

Per Low, a source also relayed to ESPN's Kyle Bonagura that Cal coach Justin Wilcox has interviewed with Oregon.

Low also reported that Auburn's Bryan Harsin and BYU's Kalani Sitake have been "mentioned in connection" with the Ducks' open position.

Lanning would be a good choice for the Ducks. The 35-year-old led the No. 3 Bulldogs to the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation (9.5 PPG).

Georgia is headed to the College Football Playoff as the No. 3 seed, with a date with Michigan in the semifinal Dec. 31. The final is slated for Jan. 10.

Towers reported that Lanning and Georgia were negotiating regarding whether the DC would stick with the Bulldogs through the CFP.

Lanning was an assistant at Park Hill South High School in Riverside, Missouri, in 2009 and 2010 before becoming a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh (2011) and Arizona State (2012).

He got a bump to on-campus recruiting coordinator in 2013 for the Sun Devils before moving onto Sam Houston State, where he was the defensive backs coach and co-recruiting coordinator in 2014.

He was a graduate assistant at Alabama (2015) and inside linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator at Memphis (2016-2017) before moving onto UGA as its outside linebackers coach (2018). He got promoted to defensive coordinator after ex-DC Mel Tucker became Colorado's head football coach.

We'll soon find out whether Lanning is really the pick or whether the job goes to someone else, but regardless of what happens, the Georgia DC likely won't wait too long for a head coaching gig after his unit's phenomenal year.

Who said you can never go home?

According to John Canzano of The Oregonian, Oregon has requested to interview UCLA head coach Chip Kelly for its head football coaching vacancy. 

Confirming @johncanzanobft's report. @oregonfootball is making a hard push to bring back Chip Kelly as the Ducks' head coach, sources tell ESPN. He has a lot of support there after taking Oregon to the national championship game in 2010. His buyout at UCLA is $9 million.

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) December 9, 2021

Kelly famously served as the Ducks head coach between the 2009 and 2012 seasons. 

The 58-year-old also served as the program's offensive coordinator in the 2007 and '08 seasons, and his fast-paced spread offense helped revolutionize the college game. 

It also led to one of the most successful periods of football in Oregon's history. With Kelly as head coach, the Ducks went 46-7 across four seasons, 2-2 in bowl games and reached the BCS Championship Game in the 2010 season, losing to Florida State. 

Kelly's Ducks twice were ranked No. 1 overall in the country by the Associated Press, and finished as a Top Four team in those rankings in his last three seasons. 

.@BruceFeldmanCFB on a possible Chip Kelly return to Oregon. pic.twitter.com/OBqjyxz7B4

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) December 7, 2021

But the New Hampshire native left for the NFL in 2013, taking over as the Philadelphia Eagles head coach. In three seasons with the Birds and one with the San Francisco 49ers (2016), he went just 28-35, with only one playoff berth. After two 10-win seasons in his first two NFL seasons, he was fired in 2015 after a 6-9 start to the season and only last one year with the Niners following a 2-14 disaster. 

So Kelly returned to the college game in 2018 with the UCLA Bruins after taking a year off from coaching. In four seasons at Westwood, he's gone just 18-25, though the team finished 8-4 in 2021 and earned a Holiday Bowl berth. 

If he takes the Oregon job, Kelly would be replacing Mario Cristobal, who departed for the Miami Hurricanes gig. Cristobal was 35-13 in parts of five seasons at Oregon, winning two Pac-12 titles.