Though it graduated three key contributors from its secondary a season ago, the Oregon football team got deeper in its third season under head coach Dan Lanning, bringing in four defensive backs with just one year of eligibility remaining.

The goal for that group and the entire secondary looking to take another step forward in 2024?

“Maximize that little amount of time,” UTSA transfer cornerback Kam Alexander said. “It’s all it is.”

Washington transfer corner Jabbar Muhammad, Kansas State transfer safety Kobe Savage, Duke transfer corner Brandon Johnson and Alexander all came to Oregon for their last year of eligibility, with most coming in with multiple seasons of starting experience at a high level.

Muhammad, Savage and Johnson all figure to start right away, while Alexander competes with Oregon returning starter Jahlil Florence for time at outside corner. Returner Tysheem Johnson likely has secured a starting spot at safety.

Johnson, who transferred to Oregon last season from Ole Miss, has taken on more of a leadership role in the defensive backfield as one of the few holdovers from a season ago. Johnson went through the exact same process as all the other new transfers this season.

“They been leaning on me heavily,” he said. “I’ve been more of a communicator and speaking up more. It helps us keep a leadership role in the back end. It helps us coach up the young guys. … We’ve got experience and we’ve been through it. We know what it looks like.”

Among the losses for the Ducks in their defensive backfield last year were NFL Draft picks Evan Williams and Khyree Jackson and starting safety Steve Stephens IV. Those three combined for 172 total tackles, 11 pass breakups, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and five interceptions last season.

However, the group Oregon is bringing in combined for 193 total tackles and eight interceptions in 2023 at their various schools.

With Florence on the mend due to an injury, but players like Dontae Manning choosing to stay, the Ducks go two-deep at every position in the defensive backfield after depth issues a year ago.

So far, that group has gelled as good as any at the onset of fall camp and through the offseason.

“I feel like we’re one of the closest units on the team,” Savage said. “The whole unit, the corners, stars, safeties, we all kick it on the weekends. …  It’s really cool to have a lot of veteran guys out here that know different things that you don’t. I picked Jabbar’s brain, Tysheem’s brain, Dontae Manning, all those guys. It’s really cool to go out there and know we have to give it our all for this last year.”

Gone are the years where fall camp offers coaches their first chances to implement their system and get new players acclimated to their schemes. With all the offseason work guys are putting in with one another, and with spring ball serving up a great chance for transfers to get their feet wet with their new team, Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi says all the new guys have adapted well to their system already.

“It’s very different than it was a long time ago,” Lupoi said. “We’re afforded a lot of time with these guys early now. It ain’t nothing like the old days where you show up to camp and you’re just starting the first beginning principles of your system. It’s something we’ve executed throughout going back to January for most of these guys. … We’re just trying to constantly improve.”

After Oregon’s pass defense vastly improved in Oregon head coach Dan Lanning’s second season in Eugene — going from giving up 256.4 yards per game and ranking outside the top-100 in college football in 2022 to giving up 215.9 yards per game and ranking 54th in 2023 — the Ducks are looking to take another colossal step forward in 2024.

“We’re all trying to build that brotherhood and that camaraderie,” Alexander said. “Everybody is taking the same steps, we’re all in it together.”

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: Oregon football to rely on veteran transfers in secondary