Oregon Still Hasn't Figured Out Starting 5 for Offensive Line: Report

The Oregon Ducks offensive line was exposed by Texas Tech and Indiana in the College Football Playoff. 

They allowed quarterback Dante Moore to have to play under duress for much of the CFP, leading to ugly turnovers in a brutal 56-22 loss to the Hoosiers in the semifinal.

Oregon needed to see improvement up front, if not requiring a shakeup this offseason. The Ducks will have that after losing three starters to the NFL from the 2025 team. 

However, it's unclear if Oregon did enough this offseason to boost the unit. The state of the offensive line is the most serious question the Ducks have before the regular season.

Brad Crawford of CBS Sports ranked Oregon as the No. 3 preseason team. He's concerned about the offensive line, noting that head coach Dan Lanning has yet to name the starting five, and the right tackle position is up in the air.

"Along the offensive front, Emmanuel Pregnon, Isaiah World and Alex Harkey are all now in the NFL, making spring practice an important evaluation period," Crawford wrote. 

"Sophomore Fox Crader is next up at left tackle protecting Moore, and the Ducks hope Yale transfer Michael Bennett can lock down the other side. Left guard remains unsettled, though senior Kawika Rogers appears likely to beat out freshman Tommy Tofi in August."

During spring practice, Lanning said that the offensive line is more built to run the ball than it is for pass protection. He believes the unit will be more athletic this year, and thinks Oregon will have several players worthy of starting this fall.

"So you've got to be a team that can run the ball. It starts there for us," Lanning said, via 247Sports. "We've always been able to do that, and then we've got to be able to protect the quarterback. 

"We've been really good at that as well. So it'll be fun to see that group continue to shape up. I think we've got a lot of guys in the mix. You talk about above-the-line play and below-the-line play. I think we've got a lot of guys that can be above the line for us."

The problem with that logic is that if you have multiple backups capable of starting, Oregon might not have a true elite starting five. 

The Ducks will need some players to outright earn their spot during training camp, or they could be in for the same troubles they had last January.