USC offense will have to contain a new Oregon linebacker this season

It is a rinse-and-repeat cycle in college football for the best teams. The USC Trojans thought they would benefit by seeing rival Oregon lose its top safety and linebacker to the NFL draft. This season, however, there will still be talent on the Oregon Ducks’ defense and a number players who can give the Trojans‘ offense a tough day.

In a recent article, Matt De Lima discusses some players generating buzz in the Big Ten for this upcoming season. He lists a rising player from the Oregon Ducks. Here is what he had to say about linebacker Devon Jackson:

“The Omaha native was the top-ranked linebacker in Nebraska coming out of high school and a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. He logged 41 tackles in 2025 while working in a rotation that included Bryce Boettcher, who has since moved on to the NFL.

Jackson steps into the featured role in Dan Lanning’s defense, having spent four years absorbing the system. Insiders described him as a machine who runs a 4.3 forty at 250 pounds. That combination does not come around often and should lead to Jackson’s ascension in a more-physical-than-you-think Ducks‘ defense.”

The Ducks’ defense will not be missing a beat this upcoming season. Year in and year out, the Ducks are able to field a team full of insane athletes. Devon Jackson, for sure, will be a player to game-plan for before Week 5.