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When one thought about Big Ten football, they usually thought about a running league that likes to get down and dirty in the trenches. That Air Raid stuff was for leagues like the Mountain West and the Pac-12.
Welcome to the new Big Ten.
The conference is quickly becoming a passing league with the majority of the teams having quarterback and wide receiver rooms that are the envy of most. So in order to succeed, teams better have a good-to-great secondary and nickel packages that will allow them to slow down those high-powered offenses that go down the field quickly.
According to new Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton, the Ducks are one of those teams that have dynamic receivers, which will only help the defense in practices and, in turn, opponents in the biggest of games. He says Oregon has the defensive personnel to succeed in 2026, especially at the nickel/STAR position, which features some great competition this year.
"It is a dynamic position. You have to be able to cover in the slot because you are going to face really good players like Tez Johnson," Hampton said. "Everybody has that player, or someone similar, whom they want to get the ball to in space. You have to be able to tackle in space, but you also have to be physical enough to support the run."
While Oregon brought in Minnesota safety Koi Perich through the transfer portal, they are still working to fill the void left by Jadon Canady, one of the Ducks' biggest stars last year, holding down the nickel. However, Oregon has several guys in the running to take over.
"We have a multitude of guys doing it," he said. "Davon Benjamin is a freshman who is working there. We have all of our corners working at it. Carl Williams IV is working there, and we have some packages with other guys on the team doing it as well."
The nickel guys have a month to work on covering those such as Evan Stewart and Iverson Hooks in order to get ready for whatever the Big Ten decides to throw their way.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Chris Hampton details desired traits in Oregon nickel competition
Continue reading...
Welcome to the new Big Ten.
The conference is quickly becoming a passing league with the majority of the teams having quarterback and wide receiver rooms that are the envy of most. So in order to succeed, teams better have a good-to-great secondary and nickel packages that will allow them to slow down those high-powered offenses that go down the field quickly.
According to new Oregon defensive coordinator Chris Hampton, the Ducks are one of those teams that have dynamic receivers, which will only help the defense in practices and, in turn, opponents in the biggest of games. He says Oregon has the defensive personnel to succeed in 2026, especially at the nickel/STAR position, which features some great competition this year.
"It is a dynamic position. You have to be able to cover in the slot because you are going to face really good players like Tez Johnson," Hampton said. "Everybody has that player, or someone similar, whom they want to get the ball to in space. You have to be able to tackle in space, but you also have to be physical enough to support the run."
While Oregon brought in Minnesota safety Koi Perich through the transfer portal, they are still working to fill the void left by Jadon Canady, one of the Ducks' biggest stars last year, holding down the nickel. However, Oregon has several guys in the running to take over.
"We have a multitude of guys doing it," he said. "Davon Benjamin is a freshman who is working there. We have all of our corners working at it. Carl Williams IV is working there, and we have some packages with other guys on the team doing it as well."
The nickel guys have a month to work on covering those such as Evan Stewart and Iverson Hooks in order to get ready for whatever the Big Ten decides to throw their way.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Chris Hampton details desired traits in Oregon nickel competition
Continue reading...
