Oregon football position breakdown: Jordan Burch to anchor Ducks' defensive line
Like many Ducks, the end of last season left a bad taste in Oregon defensive lineman Jordan Burch’s mouth.
After suffering a knee injury against Washington in the Pac-12 Championship and not hitting his stride until just past midseason following a transfer from South Carolina, Burch has a lot to prove to himself and others in his second season in Eugene.
“I feel like I left a good bit on the table,” Burch said. “Last season I didn’t really do the best I could until toward the end. A lot of that makes sense. It was a new system for me, I was getting into it. I feel like I totally got it now. Everything is in place for this season.”
Burch, a former consensus five-star recruit out of Columbia, South Carolina, and the eighth-ranked recruit overall by 247Sports composite rankings in 2020, has yet to ascend into the upper echelon of college football defensive linemen.
The senior played three seasons at South Carolina, totaling just 4.5 sacks and nearly eclipsed that in just a single year at Oregon, totaling three last fall.
In 2024, with the playbook fully learned, Burch is taking on more of a leadership role in Oregon’s defensive line room and hoping to fill the void left by lead pass rusher last season, Brandon Dorlus.
“He’s improved in a lot of different areas,” Oregon defensive line coach Tony Tuioti said. “No. 1, just in terms of being more vocal in his leadership, I’m really proud of what he’s been able to do this offseason. He’s put on some weight. You know, he was 285 (pounds), he’s like 298 now, he just put on some lean muscle and got faster and stronger. I expect a breakout season for him.”
Burch and the Ducks will debut in 2024 against Idaho Aug. 31 at Autzen Stadium.
Keep an eye on
One name that keeps coming up from players and coaches alike along the defensive line is A’Mauri Washington, a true sophomore already with elite size at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds.
As a freshman, Washington totaled just two tackles over 73 total snaps along the line.
“He’s been having a really good camp,” Tuioti said. “He’s a very powerful and physical young man. I haven’t seen a lot of guys in my career that have that type of power and physicality that he has. It’s just a matter of being disciplined in terms of putting it all together.”
Newcomer to watch
Oregon brought in a good group of transfers to plug holes along the interior of the defensive line, but also welcomed a few blue-chip recruits that could play as freshmen this fall. Among those is Aydin Breland, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound interior lineman that was a four-star recruit according to 247Sports composite rankings.
“He’s been able to help us out and been doing a really good job of affecting the quarterback and creating havoc in that aspect,” Tuioti said.
Number to know
4 – The Ducks bring back just four sacks from defensive linemen a year ago, with three coming from Burch and one coming from Keyon Ware-Hudson. The rest came from departing linemen like Dorlus (five sacks) or linebackers and defensive backs.
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @AlecDietz.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Jordan Burch developing as leader for Oregon Ducks football
