The Oregon Ducks will need a star defender to play his best of the Ducks hope to win the College Football Playoff national championship.
The Oregon Ducks enter 2026 with lofty expectations of doing more than returning to the College Football Playoff.
Oregon has made it to the CFP twice in a row. In 2025, the Ducks won two playoff games before being soundly defeated by the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers in the CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl.
Yahoo Sports thinks Oregon has a chance to win its first-ever national championship next season.
Most attention in the preseason will go to the offense. For good reason, Ducks quarterback Dante Moore chose to return instead of becoming a likely Day 1 draft pick.
However, CFP losses to Ohio State in 2024 and Indiana in January highlighted the fact that the Ducks must be better on defense if they hope to win a title.
Chris Low of On3 thinks one Oregon defender will make a leap next season. He's predicting defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington to become an All-American.
"The Ducks’ defensive line next season should be lights out with tackle Bear Alexander and edge rushers Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti also returning," Low wrote. "The 6-3, 330-pound Washington is more than just a run-stuffer.
"He’s a one-man pocket pusher with incredible burst and finished with eight passes batted down last season. This will be his fourth year on campus in 2026, and with the talent surrounding him, he’s poised for a monster year.”
Washington, a six-foot-three, 330-pound athlete from Detroit, Michigan, recorded 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season. He made two tackles against the Hoosiers in the CFP.
Before last season, Washington had his eyes set on becoming a better player. His mindset is that the previous season doesn't matter.
"People will tell you how good you can be, how good you are," Washington said, via USA Today. "I'm saying it doesn't really matter until you go out there and show the next thing.
"Like I could do something good last year, it doesn't really matter until I do something again this year."
Washington needs to keep that focus before next season. If he can become an All-American next season, his value will rise before the 2027 NFL Draft.