Everything to know about the Oregon Ducks cornerbacks going into the 2024 college football season (2024)

Zachary Neel

July 30, 2024 6:51 am PT

College football is less than a week away from getting rolling once again as athletes across the nation strap up their helmets and begin fall camp ahead of the 2024 season. It’s going to be a wildly different season from what we’re used to, thanks to conference realignment and an expanded College Football Playoff.

Over the last month, we’ve taken a deep dive into all Big Ten teams to get fans up to speed on who they’re going to face, and we’ve looked at the top players at each position going into the new season.

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Preseason Previews

Team Previews:Illinois Fighting Illini—Indiana Hoosiers—Iowa Hawkeyes—Maryland Terrapins—Michigan Wolverines—Michigan State Spartans—Minnesota Golden Gophers—Nebraska Cornhuskers—Northwestern Wildcats—Ohio State Buckeyes—UCLA Bruins—USC Trojans

Big TenPosition Previews:Quarterbacks—Running Backs—Wide Receivers—Tight Ends—Defensive Linemen—Linebackers—Cornerbacks—Safeties

Oregon Position Previews:Quarterbacks—Running Backs—Wide Receivers—Tight Ends— Defensive Line — Linebackers

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Now we want to take the microscope to the Oregon Ducks ahead of fall camp. We have a good idea of how they’re going to be this season, but a few things have changed over the summer months, so let’s dive in once again.

One of the biggest areas of change has come at the cornerback position. The Ducks lost their No. 1 CB with Khyree Jackson heading off to the NFL before his tragic passing this summer. They also saw elite additions in the forms of Washington CB Jabbar Muhammad and UTSA CB Kam Alexander transferring in.

Beyond that, there are some highly-touted returning players like Jahlil Florence, and a handful of incoming freshmen and junior college players ready to make their mark. So can the Ducks turn what has typically been an area of concern into one of their biggest strengths in 2024?

Let’s dive deep and see.

Player Departures

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Khyree Jackson
Jackson played for a single season at Oregon and was a major contributor, racking up 34 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 interceptions. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round this past spring but tragically passed away in a car accident this summer. The Ducks will wear a helmet decal, among other things, to honor him this season.

Trikweze Bridges
After playing for several years at Oregon, Bridges entered the transfer portal and took off to join the Florida Gators. He had 93 tackles and 4 INTs during his career at Oregon.

Incoming Transfers

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Jabbar Muhammad
Jabbar Muhammad was one of the top overall players available in the transfer portal this offseason, and Dan Lanning made him the cherry on top of his transfer class by taking him away from the Washington Huskies and bringing him in as a mercenary CB, much like he did with Christian Gonzalez and Khyree Jackson. Muhammad has 118 tackles and 4 INTs in his college career thus far.

Kam Alexander
While Alexander may not be as high profile of a transfer as Muhammad, he could end up being just as impactful of a player as the former Husky, bringing in some elite athleticism and production from UTSA. In one season with the Roadrunners, Alexander had 34 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 interceptions. He was the No. 17 CB available in the portal this offseason.

Incoming Freshman

Returning Players

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Jahlil Florence
Florence has been a great contributor for the Ducks in his two seasons in Eugene, acting as a starter alongside Jackson in 2023 before an injury derailed his season late. He will likely be sidelined early this fall camp while he continues to recover from that offseason surgery, but Lanning said on Monday that it won’t be long before he returns.

Dontae Manning
Dontae Manning has been working to crack the starting lineup for a few years now in Eugene, but he’s been a great contributor and has shown improvement each year under Dan Lanning’s staff.

Rodrick Pleasant
Pleasant spent his offseason running track, but he’s now back on the gridiron ready to try and carve out a role in the defense. Regarded as the fastest player on the team, the ceiling is high for this redshirt freshman.

Daylen Austin
After dealing with some legal trouble this offseason, Austin is back with the team and ready to carve out a role. We will see if he plays more at the CB spot or in the nickel, but either way don’t be surprised to see Austin on the field a decent amount this year.

Khamari Terrell
Khamari Terrell has been patiently waiting for his opportunity, and he comes into the 2024 season with a chance to earn his spot on the depth chart and create a new role for himself.

The Names to Know

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Jabbar Muhammad // Kam Alexander // Jahlil Florence // Sione Laulea

Jabbar Muhammad will absolutely be a starter this year, and I think Kam Alexander will be opposite him until Jahlil Florence gets to full health. Beyond that, I think that Sione Laulea is going to surprise a lot of people who aren’t totally aware of him just yet.

Storylines to Watch: Can the one-and-done transfer trend continue?

Syndication: The Register Guard

Each of the past two years under Dan Lanning we’ve seen a mercenary cornerback come to Eugene and find instant success, immediately buoying themselves up in the NFL Draft. Christian Gonzalez did it first, and Khyree Jackson followed in his footsteps. Now, Jabbar Muhammad looks to do the same. If it works, then don’t expect anything to change in Lanning’s transfer strategy going forward.

Storylines to Watch: Which young CB steps up?

Syndication: The Register Guard

There are a ton of young players ready to break out in the CB room for Oregon. Among the returners, look for someone like Rodrick Pleasant or Daylen Austin to take a step forward. Don’t be surprised if true freshmen Ify Obidegwu or Dakoda Fields can crack their way into the rotation as well. I’ll be looking early on to see which young guy can move up the depth chart during fall camp.

Overall Position Outlook

Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa

The Ducks are very strong at the CB spot and look to be getting stronger in the future. They have the top-end talent this year to compete at a championship level, and the depth to show promise in the next couple of years as well. On top of that, they are recruiting blue-chip CBs with relative ease at the moment, so don’t expect anything to change going forward.