Following the late transfer of Young from Eastern Arizona College, the 6-foot-2 man-child debuted at practice on Thursday in just an Oregon helmet with a green No. 94 jersey. He will have to wait five days to practice in full pads, which is protocol.

After being unable to attend Missouri due to SEC guidelines for graduation, Young chose Oregon following his JuCo career. The 301-pounder was the No. 7 ranked defensive tackle in JUCO according to 247sports.com.

Needless to say, this was a huge day for the Ducks. They desperately needed defensive line depth, so this couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Alongside Young, the Ducks will boast the talents of Scott Pagano, Jordon Scott, Justin Hollins, Henry Mondeaux and Jalen Jelks on their d-line this season. And the depth is building.

Pagano had his walking boot removed earlier this week. He is getting closer to a return to the field.

Additionally, head coach Willie Taggart and his staff began preparing the team for Southern Utah. It’s the first time that Taggart has created a specific game plan for a team in his short Duck coaching career.

“We’ll walk through on Thursday,” said Taggart in reference to his in-season schedule. “We’ll go hard on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then Friday we get out and let loose a little bit. We’ll get a better understanding when we slow it down.”

The head coach addressed the scrimmage on Tuesday from Autzen Stadium.

It was less penalties than the first one (scrimmage), but still way too many. Wasn’t really impressed with our energy when we started off, but I was more impressed with how we finished the scrimmage. Both sides of the ball made plays. I was probably more impressed with some of the plays our No. 2’s (second team) made. That was good to see.

A big topic of conversation the last week has been the battle between the No. 1 team and the No. 2 team. Beyond that, the depth is lacking currently. Nevertheless, the first two teams are showcasing some serious talent. The coach knows what he’s looking for.

“It’s tight,” said Taggart. “Our guys understand that a lot of guys are going to play. When it’s game time, you got to cut back. In the game, there is a real sense of urgency. To the real competitors, the guys that like to compete and love playing under the lights, you see those guys practice a little harder, getting themselves trained for game time.”

He knows the competition between the players is solid, but Taggart is not struggling to manage his depth chart. Oregon’s lead man lets their actions speak to him.

“I don’t think it’s tough,” Taggart stated calmly. “Our players are evaluated every day. You’re looking for consistent improvement each and every day. When it comes to that, it will all separate itself.”

It’s almost hard to believe that Taggart has never coached a game at Oregon. For all he has accomplished already, it feels like he has been on the sideline for years. The most impressive feat was his unprecedented signing of the No. 1 recruiting class for 2018 without coaching a game. Plain and simple, Willie has the juice.

The day wasn’t over just yet, as Nike and Oregon unveiled another season of their wonderful partnership with uniforms, of course! And they are super clean for Oregon’s rematch with Nebraska from Autzen Stadium in Week 2.

Here is the amazing story behind it all. If you haven’t heard about it yet, you might want to take a few moments...

This is what college athletics should always be about. There are far too many negative stories in NCAA athletics nowadays and not enough like this one.

We'll continue to post interviews with Coach T and his coaches/players on a daily basis.

ATQ will have updates, breaking news, and photo/video live feeds on Twitter for the entirety of fall camp. The Quack Addict will give fans an inside look at Oregon football throughout the season.

Stay tuned on Instagram @eugene_levys_eyebrows and Twitter @TheQuackFiend

It’s a neat initiative, and one Oregon believes in. But, this brings up an interesting quandary. In that, Nebraska will be, in all likelihood, wearing red on the road.

In a quick check, it appears the last time the Huskers wore red as a road team in a non-neutral site game was in 1976. That year, they wore red in Baton Rouge as they tied LSU 6-6.

Of course, the Nebraska AD would have to confirm it, but that would be interesting that Oregon would go full white and silver for their game. It would be different than what the Ducks wore last year when they played in Lincoln.

Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Would that mean the dreaded red jersey & red pants make it on the road? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

There are more important things in life than football. Thursday was a reminder of that when Oregon’s head coach lost his father. My condolences go out to the Taggart family. Mr. John Taggart, 70, is in our thoughts.

Incredibly, Coach Taggart was at practice on Friday. It truly illustrates the character that was instilled in Willie by his parents. However, we realize that football comes secondary on a day like this. We wish to give the coach and his team their privacy.

There will be no quotes from me today.

After an offensive Thursday, the defense evened things up on Friday. It was their usual dominance exhibited thus far in fall training camp.

True freshman Thomas Graham Jr. continued to impress with the starters. Meanwhile, Ty Griffin was working with the first team defense, as well.

Right now, the Ducks have a plethora of defensive back talent, namely at cornerback. Alongside the two aforementioned CB’s, Ugo Amadi, Arrion Springs, Deommodore Lenoir and Tyree Robinson are vying for first team reps. This was a major weakness last season, but it’s certainly becoming a strength this camp.

The Ducks return to the practice field on Saturday for a full scrimmage. We will have all the details for you then. It should be a solid barometer after 10 days of fall practice.

We'll continue to post interviews with Coach T and his coaches/players on a daily basis.

ATQ will have updates, breaking news, and photo/video live feeds on Twitter for the entirety of fall camp. The Quack Addict will give fans an inside look at Oregon football throughout the season.

Stay tuned on Instagram @eugene_levys_eyebrows and Twitter @TheQuackFiend

Add the veteran offensive lineman to the Ducks’ injury fold, as the left tackle joins Devon Allen on the season-ending injury shelf

The Oregon Ducks injury woes were multiplied on Monday afternoon after learning that left tackle Tyrell Crosby is out for the season with a leg injury. The details of the injury are still unclear.

A few media sources have reported that Crosby has an apparent broken foot, but that has not been confirmed by anyone within the Oregon circles. Regardless, the junior offensive linemen will not be returning to the team in 2016.

Minutes after learning the news that star wide receiver and 2016 Olympian Devon Allen would be lost for the year after tearing his ACL on Saturday at Nebraska, the Oregon coaching staff received more bad news.

Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Rio ‘16 Olympian Devon Allen joins teammate Tyrell Crosby on the sideline for the rest of the Ducks’ football season.

Crosby initially hurt himself right before kick-off to the season and was forced to miss the Ducks’ first game of the season against UC Davis. However, the next week against Virginia the left tackle was able to return to the starting line-up. Yet, by the end of the game Crosby had been replaced, forcing some to believe the injury was still lingering.

Freshman Brady Aiello started in Crosby’s place against UC Davis, alongside replacing him both times he left games early. The lone scary fact that remains for Oregon moving forward is that their line will be manned by four freshman and an inexcusably undisciplined Cameron Hunt. If the offensive line can’t forge a quick bond, Oregon’s offense as a whole will stumble.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that Oregon’s o-line averages over 300-pounds per player. Four of the five starters are freshman who are gaining invaluable experience and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Can you imagine if this group sticks together and stays healthy? Those Oregon AP Top 5 days are not far behind.

As for right now, the mood is tense in Oregon camp. The Ducks can ill-afford to lose anyone else on their offense, especially their inexperienced offensive line. Fortunately, Oregon is blessed with a wealth of depth and talent so the last effects of these injuries may go overlooked if certain players step up and play their role. We will find out in the coming weeks as conference play begins this weekend.

Remember to follow ATQ on Twitter @AddictedToQuack for everything Ducks

Talented Oregon receiver has a tough decision to make.

News has broken that immensely talented Oregon Ducks receiver Devon Allen will miss the rest of the season.

The junior hurt his left leg against Nebraska in a non-contact injury.

He tore his right ACL in the 2015 Rose Bowl and many, including our own Sean Larson, are saying it’s time to hang up the football cleats and focus on track.

The not-so Golden Bears finished in 4th place of the Pac-12 North division last season. Even with the No. 1 overall pick of the St. Louis Rams leading the offensive charge, Cal could not manage a 10-win season, mustering an 8-5 mark.

Cal finished second in the conference last season behind the Ducks (6,997) for total net yards from scrimmage with a whopping 6,879 yards.

Averaging 37.9 points per game for most teams in the Pac-12 would mean a conference title, at least a share of it. That was not the case with Cal last season, as their defense struggled to stop everyone. When your defense allows 30.7 points per game, shootouts are seemingly mandatory.

Although the Bears were 4-5 in conference last season, they did fare well at home with a 5-1 mark. However, 2-4 on the road and 0-3 against ranked opponents is not going to win you many titles of any sort. The Ducks will be visiting California Memorial Stadium in 2016.

Jared Goff and his top six receivers are no longer with the program. Some believe Goff was a product of his offensive system, while others think he could be the next Joe Montana...Maybe because he wears the No. 16? That is the only similarity I see between those two, but nevertheless, he is no longer at Cal and a problem of the Ducks’.

Davis Webb is his name, and he is the new quarterback for the Golden Bears heading into the 2016 campaign. Cal was in a fortunate position when the Texas Tech transfer chose to play for the Bears amidst his final season in college. Over his college career at Texas Tech, Webb threw for over 5,500 yards including 46 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.

The Bears had statistically the worst defensive secondary in the Pac-12 just two years ago, yet improved to seventh last year. The pass rush for the Bears has improved, as they recorded 28 sacks last year, following a 16-sack 2015. The Bears also greatly improved their points allowed margin (30.7) to nearly 10 points per game from the year previous (39.8). Cal’s defense is not elite, but they are no slouch anymore.

After losing their top six pass-catchers from 2015, Cal is seeking a spark on offense. They may have found it in the form of wide receiver playmakers Melquise Stovall and Demetris Robertson. Cal journalists and scouts alike are raving over the Lancaster, California native, especially during spring practices.

Meanwhile, Robertson was a five-star high school uber recruit that the coaching staff is looking forward to getting on the field. The formally coveted SEC product was a star in Savannah, Georgia but chose to head west instead of playing in his backyard for the Bulldogs.

The Ducks beat the Bears last season by a score of 44-28 from Autzen Stadium in Eugene on November 7. This season will be much of the same as Oregon rolls 52-27 on the back of Royce Freeman who will open up the defense for quarterback Dakota Prukop to pick them apart in the secondary. Look for all four Duck running backs to join the rushing fun come October 21 in Berkeley, California. 300 total rushing yards for the four Duck running backs.

CBS Sports honors Ducks RB along with backs from Stanford, LSU, Florida State.

Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman has been named to CBS Sports’ preseason All-America team.

Freeman was named to the second-team offense, along with Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey. First-team honors at running back went to LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook.

Freeman was the only Duck named to the first or second teams.

Pac-12 players on the first team included wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and offensive lineman Zach Banner from USC, plus Utah kicker Andy Phillips.

Pac-12 second teamers included OL Conor McDermott and defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes from UCLA, defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei from Utah, cornerback Adoree Jackson from USC and safety Budda Baker from Washington.

Who steps up in the new three LB system?

Some of the more interesting position battles of fall camp come across the board at the linebacker position. After losing the likes of Joe Walker, Rodney Hardrick , Tyson Coleman and Christian French the Ducks are in need of new blood at the position. Changing into a 4-3 means that not as many bodies will be needed as in the past where not only would we see the 4 man linebacker group but also the mass substitutions.

Departed

As mentioned the Ducks certainly lost some talent at the linebacker position and more importantly senior leadership. Although it’s fair to argue this point as there were so many times last year where we saw poor play from the position. Regardless, departed from the Ducks are 7th round draft pick Joe Walker along with inside linebacker partner Rodney Hardrick and outside linebackers Tyson Coleman and Christian French.

Newcomers

Definitely a spot for some newcomers to break their way into the rotation this year with the aforementioned departures. Transfer players Jonah Moi and A.J. Hotchkins both have a real good chance at early playing time. Moi redshirted last year so he has more experience with the program but Hotchkins is quite talented. Plenty of freshman join the list as well. LaMar Winston and Darrian Franklin are two that I have my eye on for playing time as well as A.J. Hotchkins, who Helfrich recently praised publicly.

Returners to watch

Johnny Raigan III. When you’re the defensive player brought to the Pac-12 media days, the pressure is squarely on you to lead the defense. Raigan has the expectation to be a very solid player in the middle and I look for him to have a nice season. I think he’ll be solid, but he needs to make a big jump from how good he was last year to be a star this year.

Danny Mattingly. Mattingly is your everyday middle linebacker who brings the thump. Still never adjusted to pass coverage, but perhaps the change in defense helps with that. He’s a nice player to have who has been around for a while and seen what the Pac-12 has to offer.

Jimmie Swain. The junior from Kansas looks to play a much bigger role this year than what he has in the past. Swain played in 13 games last year, although he put up just 15 tackles with four of these coming against Utah. He played well in the spring game and he’ll certainly be in play for a starting role.

Wildcard

Freshmen. There’s a lot of talk about the former junior college transfers in Jonah Moi and A.J. Hotchkins but to me the biggest wildcard lies with the freshmen on the roster. A few of these guys have been getting some nice praise in spring and the early going of fall. There’s certainly some snaps available for freshmen to step up and take.

One freshman I see stealing snaps is Darrian Franklin especially after he got the jump on fellow newcomers by enrolling during the spring. My only concern though is his size, as 6’ 1” 200 pounds has the potential to be pushed around. Enrolling early with Franklin was also Troy Dye who brings a little more size. Dye played as a safety in high school so he brings more speed and versatility to the table. La’mar Winston and Keith Simms are the other freshman who have a shot at playing. Both of these two will be playing at the outside linebacker position, and my guess would be that they keep the better of the two on the travel squad while redshirting the other.

Overall rating

C+. Too many unproven pieces in this group to give them anything above a C+. I think what helps this team was the freshman recruiting class and how many have the potential to play early. Let’s be honest, can you get much worse than last year at the position? Wait, let’s not answer that.

Freeman, Griffin lead the charge.

“This is the type of Ducks team that usually bounces back.”

Everyone’s favorite college football preview man Phil Steele says the Oregon Ducks could be in for a good season this fall.

His official preview magazine is out, and in a post for ESPN Steele lays out 13 surprise teams for 2016.

One of those teams, of course, is Oregon. Here are his comments on Mark Helfrich’s team:

Can Mark Helfrich keep this program at the top? At 3-3 last year, people openly wondered if the Ducks would make a bowl, and their four losses were the most since 2007. This is the type of Ducks team that usually bounces back, as they had six straight years of 12 or more wins and get the top two teams in the North at Autzen Stadium, where they are 64-5 the past seven years.

The other teams on the list are Washington ("Coaches usually hit their stride in Year 3 with three recruiting classes, their systems and philosophies firmly implemented"), TCU, Iowa, Baylor, UCLA, Miami, Georgia, Houston, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Louisville and North Carolina, with Nebraska included as a "bonus long-shot pick."

The home game against the Huskies Oct. 8 will be very interesting with both teams getting some preseason love from Steele.

Pac-12 Media Days begin today, and kicking things off is the 2016 Pac-12 media poll. For the first time in the 56-year history of the preseason poll, Stanford was picked to win conference. The UCLA Bruins were picked as the Pac-12 South Division champion.

Oregon was not picked as a favorite to win the conference, or even the North division, this year. The Ducks came in third in the North behind Stanford and Washington. It seems like every year, people hop on the Washington preseason bandwagon, but this year’s bandwagon seems to be a little more crowded than ones in years past.

The Cardinal received 24 out of a possible 33 first place votes. Washington received eight votes while the Ducks received one.

In the South division, UCLA received 19 first place votes, USC got 12 votes and Utah had two votes.

20 of the 33 writers polled picked Stanford to win the Pac-12 Championship Game, which will be held Friday, December 2 at 6 p.m. PT at Levi’s Stadium. Other schools receiving votes to win the title game were USC (5), Washington (4), UCLA (3) and Utah (1).

You can see the full media poll here.

Holds offers from BYU, Arizona, Oregon State, Hawaii and others.

Much has ben said about the Oregon Ducks' slow start to the 2017 recruiting class, but they've landed a trio of recent commits and are grinding away as the offseason progresses.

The latest Ducks offer was made this afternoon to Alden Tofa, a West Jordan, Utah-based weakside defensive end.

Extremely excited and blessed to receive an offer from The Oregon Ducks! #AllGloryUp #WINTHEDAY pic.twitter.com/nI3rc7KO7g

— .:Alden | Tofa :. (@TheAlden51) June 20, 2016

Tofa, 6-5 and 248 pounds, has offers from numerous Pac-12 schools including Arizona, Colorado, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington State and Utah, plus reported interest from Washington. Other teams to watch out for are BYU and Utah, in-state programs who have both offered Tofa.

He's the second-highest rated defensive end in the state of Utah and would be a huge pickup for Brady Hoke's defensive unit.

As always, we've got highlights for Tofa here: