Oregon returned to practice for the first time since Saturday's scrimmage. Afterward we heard from defensive line coach Tony Tuioti, defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, and running back Noah Whittington with their thoughts.
On remaking the defensive line following the graduation of several key contributors: "That's one of the biggest things that we tried to work on this offseason, was really build the chemistry between the guys. Having Jamaree Caldwell with us, and then a lso bringing in 'DJ' Harmon in with the group, that's a totally different dynamic. So they've been great about it. Keyon (Ware-Hudson) has been doing a really good job as the leader of the group, along with Jordan Burch. So every single day, we get opportunities to work on our chemistry. And you know, it's been good with so far — not only what they're doing in the building, but also off the field too, as well, hanging out, trying to build that connection, that chemistry. That's gonna be a big part of our successes here."
On what new addition Harmon provides at defensive tackle: "Just his size, you know. He's played in this conference. He's physical. He's got the ability to play the run pretty well on first and second down, and also give us some pass rush value. He's very twitchy, very athletic for his size. Made some big splash plays for us his past scrimmage. So really excited what he brings to the table for us."
On joining the Ducks as a transfer from Michigan State: "This is my fourth camp, but it's different. Up here, we do a lot of two-spot — not what I'm really used to at State, but we have more bodies here. So it makes sense. … Everybody's getting reps — young guys getting reps, older guys getting reps. A lot of reps go around. So with the bodies, it's good to go two-spot."
On returning to action after being injured last season: It feels great. It feels like everything I've been missing, you know. But I'm just excited. It felt good to get tackled. I don't even know how to explain it; like, after not getting hit for a long time, it's kind of like, nervous the first time, about to get hit. But after it's kind of like, feels like I ain't ever left."
