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USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ranking the 25 best Oregon Ducks since 2000: No. 5 — Haloti Ngata
Over the last 25 years, the Oregon Ducks have been one of the single best teams in all of college football, sitting near the top of the sport for the better part of a quarter-century. Since 2000, Oregon has compiled an overall record of 239-83 (.742), with just two losing seasons during that span. They've been to 24 bowl games, won three Rose Bowls, been to a pair of College Football Playoffs, and appeared in two National Championships. They've seen a Heisman Trophy winner in Marcus Mariota and had 99 players selected in the NFL Draft. It's safe to say that when looking at the nation's best in this millennium, Oregon belongs in the conversation. But who are the players who helped get Nike University into that conversation? That's a different question entirely. To celebrate the quarter-century mark, we're going to dive into that question over the next month as we approach the start of the 2025 season. The Ducks have had hundreds of memorable and beloved players over the years, many of whom will live on forever in some way. But who is the best of the best? That answer, of course, is subjective. When reviewing the numbers and conducting our research, we took several factors into account: career statistics, overall impact and success, legacy, fan adoration, and NFL success. Boiling 25 years of Oregon football down to 25 players is no easy task, and not one that we took lightly. Dozens of players were left on the cutting room floor who deserve a spot in the top 25, and at some point, subtracting names off the list started to feel like pulling teeth. But in the end, we were left with 25 players, whom we will honor over the next few weeks. If you want to catch up, let's take a look at how we've gotten to where we're at in the rankings: Today, let's continue with No. 5 — the dominant force, Haloti Ngata. Player Overview Standing six-foot-five and 338 pounds, Haloti Ngata wasn't just the most physically imposing Duck during his tenure; he was perhaps the most physically imposing figure in all of college football. He completely dominated the line of scrimmage in three seasons of action at Oregon, racking up the individual accolades and leading his team to victory, especially in his final season. Ngata parlayed his success with the Ducks into an impressive NFL career, as he continued earning the top honors in the sport. Ngata made it look easy thanks to his size, athleticism and brute strength. He's one of the top interior defensive lineman to ever wear the green and yellow. Haloti Ngata Career Stats 101 tackles, 6 sacks, 24.5 TFL, seven blocked kicks Haloti Ngata Single Best Season 2005 — 61 tackles, 3 sacks, 9 TFL During his senior season in 2005, Ngata was a force to be reckoned with. No one team could seem to stop him, as he routinely bulled over blockers on his way to the ball. Ngata claimed the Morris Trophy (given to the nation's best interior defensive lineman) for his efforts as well as being named a consensus First-Team All-American, Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and Team MVP. The Ducks followed up a disappointing five-win campaign in 2004 by doubling their win title, going 10-2 under Hall of Fame head coach Mike Bellotti and with Ngata's reckless abandon style of play. Haloti Ngata NFL Draft Ngata was selected with the 12th overall pick in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens, where he'd spend a majority of his NFL career. Haloti Ngata NFL Success While Ngata was a beast at Oregon, he made an even bigger name for himself in the NFL. During his 13-year career, Ngata registered 517 total tackles, 32.5 sacks and 63 TFL. He spent nine seasons with the Ravens (winning Super Bowl XLVII), three seasons with the Detroit Lions and his final year with the Philadelphia Eagles. When it was all said and done, Ngata left the game in 2018 as one of the top interior defensive lineman of his generation, earning five Pro Bowl selections, two First-Team All-Pro honors and three-time Second-Team All-Pro honors. He has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and could likely be inducted in the coming years. Haloti Ngata's Lasting Legacy Ngata left a lasting impact on the Oregon football program, as he was the first among a slew of defensive lineman in the 25 years since 2000. He was easily one of the most dominant Ducks on the field and was honored for it by being named to the Pac-12 "All-Century Team" and being inducted into Oregon's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. Not only did Ngata excel in Eugene, but he took it to the highest level. Ngata continued to make the Oregon faithful proud long after his four-year tenure with the Ducks. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Westfield native, Purdue transfer safety 'sets the tone' with new Oregon football teammates
LAS VEGAS — Before former Purdue football safety Dillon Thieneman became a Duck, Oregon's coaching staff labeled him a snake. That's the designation Dan Lanning and company put on their upcoming opponents' best players. They assigned Thieneman to that portion of the animal kingdom prior to last season's Oct. 18 game at Ross-Ade Stadium. Thieneman's five tackles did not stand out in the 35-0 Oregon victory. By a more analytical measure, Thieneman's only PFF grades lower than that night's 51.2 came in the blowout losses to Notre Dame and Indiana. Lanning, though, was eager to add the Westfield grad. He fit a need on a perennially playoff-caliber roster. He also checked off the same intangibles which made him a leader at Purdue. "When you really get to know Dillon, that's when you fall in love with Dillon," Lanning said Wednesday at Big Ten media days. "What kind of worker he is, what he does. Those are the things that tape don't tell, but you can figure it out quickly through the relationship — hop on the phone, having the guy to visit, being around his family." Lanning said his staff maintains a "heightened awareness" of players performing well across college football. That awareness increases when those players enter their name in the NCAA transfer portal. He likened it to the NFL free agency dynamic. Thieneman's performance and credentials over his first two seasons made him one of the highest-profile defensive players available. Regardless, once he committed, he still needed to prove himself all over again to a new group of teammates. Relive Purdue basketball's Final Four run with our commemorative book. As the Ducks tell it, he accomplished that by simply picking up where he left off as the hardest worker on the Boilermaker roster. "That dude sets the tone, whether it be off the field, or getting extra treatment, extra reps in," Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher said. "It's an all-the-time mindset. And he is one of the guys that comes downhill, flies to the ball and plays with a lot of effort. That's what you want from any guy on your defense, especially safety — a dude that can cover from the rook and set the tone on someone early." Tight end Kenyon Sadiq said Thieneman's technique and football knowledge showed up during spring practices. He only got around to those attributes, though, after mentioning Thieneman's work ethic and diligence to be the first to arrive and the last to leave. "It's rare you see something like that — especially from a person of his caliber, if that makes sense," Sadiq said. "He's very level-headed and a very nice person." Those descriptions of Thieneman's demeanor and commitment align with the reputation he built over two Purdue seasons. Thieneman represented more than merely another home-grown talent pried away by one of the sport's elite. His freshman All-American season portended a building block for a bright future. He completed a family trilogy of Boilermaker safeties who arrived under the radar and graduated at the top of the depth chart. Now, the best thing Purdue can say about the end of Thieneman's career is — unlike tight end Max Klare at Ohio State or punter Keelan Crimmins at Illinois — they aren't scheduled to play against him. The Ducks, though, see him as a potential key piece in their pursuit of a repeat Big Ten Conference championship.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith says Autzen Stadium was an unforgettable place last season
One of the questions asked when the Oregon Ducks joined the Big Ten Conference was how would the team adjust to playing on the road and the travel aspect of the new surroundings? As it turned out, the Ducks didn't have a problem with it, going undefeated in the regular season. But the bigger question was how the other teams would adjust to Autzen Stadium. One team that adjusted fairly well to the noise and the atmosphere was Ohio State, although the Buckeyes still came out with a loss. Autzen Stadium was turned up to an 11 for that game and it was noticed by the Ohio State team and on wide receiver Jeremiah Smith in particular. The superstar wideout said it was one of the most unforgettable experiences of his freshman season. "It was rocking. Probably the loudest I've ever been in," Smith said at Big Ten Media Day in Las Vegas. "The fans were definitely getting hyped. Couldn't hear anything. Probably the best stadium I played in last year." The noise certainly didn't affect his game, however, as he burned the Duck secondary for nine receptions for an even 100 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State's offense had to deal with the noise much more than its defense, but safety Caleb Downs also said Autzen Stadium was electric, and it was a bit unexpected to how electric it was. "I think going into it, they told us it was probably 50,000 or 60,000 (capacity.) And somebody was like, 'oh that's not crazy.' But they were rocking there," Downs said. "They came out with the motorcycle on the field, and I was like, ooh. But, I mean, I love that type of energy. So, I mean, it was a positive for me, and I like those type of atmospheres. So, it was great." It was great for the over 60,000 Duck fans that saw Oregon win 32-31. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
20-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Oregon Duck Christian Gonzalez named top 10 cornerback in NFL
During his time with the Oregon Ducks, Christian Gonzalez was a force to be reckoned with at the cornerback position, routinely locking down opposing pass-catchers and turning himself into a first-round pick in 2023. That's far from the end of his story, as he's put together a promising NFL career to date. ESPN polled executives, coaches and scouts to rank the 10 best players at each position. In their cornerback rankings, Gonzalez was placed at No. 6 — just ahead of Carolina Panthers' Jaycee Horn and below New York Jets' Sauce Gardner. The highest ranking that Gonzalez received was No. 1, with the lowest being unranked. The 23-year-old improved upon last season's ranking of honorable mention. "Gonzalez caught the league's full attention as an honorable mention last year despite missing 13 games with a shoulder injury in 2023," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote. "He reached top-10 status after his second-year performance, as expected, allowing 46 of 86 targets to be completed as the nearest defender in coverage. That 53.5% completion percentage was the third-lowest among 33 players with at least 75 targets coming their way." He also received heavy praise from a veteran NFL assistant coach, who said "I think Gonzo is the next great one. Skills, patience, length. He's the closest thing to Pat [Surtain II]. Smooth, big athlete, travels a lot, can matchup against the best guy." Fowler did point out an area where the former Duck could improve, citing physicality. "He'll tackle, but I wouldn't call him physical," an NFL coordinator said. "But he's got the size and coverage skills to put him on the outside and he can handle himself, and he can also come up and play run support and play within the construct of the defense." Some of that may have to do with the shoulder injury that caused Gonzalez to miss significant time during his rookie campaign. But even with that slight flaw, the rising third-year cornerback and former Oregon standout has entrenched himself amongst the best in the business at his position in the NFL. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
16-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN names biggest X-factor for Oregon Ducks in 2025 season
The Oregon Ducks football team has expectations of becoming a playoff team and competing for a national championship in 2025, building off of the success that they found a year ago. A lot of the team and their talent are well-known quantities. We know how good Matayo Uiagalelei is. We know how good Kenyon Sadiq is and others on this stacked roster. But there's one question mark that needs to be answered, and unfortunately for Oregon, that question resides at the quarterback position. Redshirt sophomore Dante Moore is going to have the reins of Oregon football in his hands. He was one of the highest recruits in the Class of 2023 when Oregon recruited him before he chose UCLA, presumably for playing time. He got it, and it didn't go great for the true freshman. Moore had an up-and-down year, starting in five games while throwing 11 TDs and 9 INTs. But he wasn't anything near what the Bruins hoped he would be. After a coaching change, it was a foregone conclusion that Moore would look for greener pastures, but his decision to come to Oregon was unprecedented in this day and age, where playing time is Priority No. 1. Moore knew he would redshirt the 2024 season and learn under Dillon Gabriel. He came to Eugene anyway. Flash forward to 2025 and Moore has the chance to show everyone that becoming a Duck was a genius maneuver. This goes one of two ways. Moore will continue to be that good, but not great, quarterback he was at UCLA, or, which is what the Ducks hope and need, he will become the quarterback everyone thought he would be coming out of the prep ranks. According to ESPN, the answer to that question could be the key to the entire Duck season in 2025. "Dan Lanning's team is so deep and well-rounded that it's hard to say the Ducks' success this season will hinge entirely on Moore. And yet, since the Ducks' lineage of quarterbacks (Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, and Dillon Gabriel) has buoyed Oregon's offense in recent years, Moore has some big shoes to fill," said ESPN writer Paolo Uggetti. "The 20-year-old sophomore spent a year learning under Gabriel and offensive coordinator Will Stein after getting thrown into the fire as a true freshman starter during his lone season at UCLA. This time, the stage will be much bigger and the pressure much higher." There's no reason to believe Moore won't be the quarterback the Ducks need him to be. He studied under one of the longest-tenured signal callers in college football history in Gabriel. Lanning and Stein have also demonstrated their expertise in developing quarterbacks at Oregon. They're 2-for-2 with Nix and Gabriel. Moore could easily make it a trifecta. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
