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Dan Lanning’s staff is bringing a father of four, a man of the year, a burger king and a Lion back for next month’s spring game.
The spring game is never just a spring game anymore. In today’s version of college football, the finale of spring practice has to be a showcase. It’s turned into one of the most important recruiting days of the year here in Oregon, where prospective athletes flock to campus with UO trying its best to put on a show.
This year’s game on April 23 even comes along with a name: Duck Day, UO announced this week.
And part of Duck Day 2022 sees four former football players returning to serve as honorary coaches alongside first-year head coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
Lanning had a pretty large list of potential alumni he could have picked, but the grouping of Arik Armstead, LaMichael James, Haloti Ngata and De’Anthony Thomas highlights four massively influential players in UO history — from what it meant for them to be here, to what they did afterwards.
Here’s a look at why Oregon chose these four and what they’ve been up to since they left Eugene.
LaMichael James, Running back, 2009-2011
Why he’s here: LaMichael James is the best running back in Oregon history. Period. End of story. Royce Freeman may have the all-time rushing record and Jonathan Stewart the better NFL career, but James was the first transcendently-dominant athlete of the Chip Kelly era, one who brought the Ducks the closest they’d ever been to the Heisman Trophy when he finished third in 2011. New Oregon running backs coach Carlos Locklyn has made it clear he wants to run a room inspired by former UO RB coach Gary Campbell and his running backs of the past. And with CJ Verdell and Travis Dye gone, who better to inspire a group of young running backs to come and grab the starting job than the best to ever do it in Eugene.
Where he’s been: After a four-year NFL career, James returned to Oregon and has opened up multiple Killer Burger restaurants.
I’d write more, but KPTV’s Nick Krupe nailed it from the start.
Arik Armstead, Defensive tackle, 2012-14
Why he’s here: Armstead is a case study for the type of player Dan Lanning’s staff would love to recruit. At 6-foot-7, Armstead was one of the best, big defensive linemen on the West Coast — then Oregon plucked him out of California, groomed him into a pillar of a Playoff-bound defensive line and sent him on his way to the first round of the NFL Draft.
He’s also someone coaches can use to highlight Oregon’s flexibility for two-sport athletes — Armstead spent parts of two seasons with Dana Altman’s basketball squad.
Where he’s been: Armstead’s now entering his eighth season with the San Francisco 49ers, where he’s totaled 264 tackles and 28.5 sacks. He signed a five-year, $85 million contract extension in 2020 with $48.5 million of that guaranteed.
Twice he’s been named the 49ers Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year for his work with the Armstead Academy.
Haloti Ngata, Defensive tackle, 2002-2005
Why he’s here: Guys like Haloti Ngata didn’t usually show up in Eugene. At least not ones that big — 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds — who moved that well who were rated so high. Ngata, the No. 10 player in the 2002 class, was the Pac-12 defensive player of the year as a junior and still holds the school record with seven blocked kicks.
He was picked in the first round by Baltimore, and few Oregon Ducks have had a finer NFL career. Ngata was a two-time first-team All-Pro and won Super Bowl XLVII in 2012 with the Ravens.
Where he’s been: After nine seasons with Baltimore, three with Detroit and one with Philadelphia, Ngata retired following the 2018 season. He and his wife Christina have four sons and live in Park City, Utah. Ngata was inducted into Baltimore’s Ring of Honor in October. This was an excellent story from the Baltimore Sun looking back at his career.
De’Anthony Thomas, Running back/receiver, 2011-2013
Why he’s here: De’Anthony Thomas was a star before he got to Eugene, nicknamed “The Black Mamba” by Snoop Dogg for his prolific Pop Warner career in Southern California.
Then the Ducks stole him from USC and watched him become one of college football’s biggest stars. Thomas wasn’t the best back in Oregon history, but few players made a bigger impact. Simply: He was the coolest player from a time when nobody was cooler than the Ducks.
“He brought the speed to Oregon,” sophomore Sean Dollars said in 2019. “He was a piece that helped bring Oregon to where it’s at now, and there were a lot of kids who looked up to him and Oregon. That made a foundation.”
Where he’s been: Thomas, 29, played six years in the NFL as a WR/KR. He opted out of the 2020 season, was waived by Baltimore in 2021, signed with the BC Lions of the CFL earlier this year and is still tweeting in all caps.
He can also give the Yellow team NIL advice on how to slap your logo on absolutely everything.
— Tyson Alger
