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Oregon’s defensive line coach and returning outside linebacker have important roles in 2025.
EUGENE — Tony Tuioti usually has his coaching cap on. This spring, Oregon’s defensive line coach has been busy breaking in a new-look front after the departures of Jordan Burch and Derrick Harmon — both likely to hear their names called in this week’s NFL Draft.
The Ducks have guys to replace them — they’re especially fond of Bear Alexander, the 6-foot-3, 315-pound tackle the Ducks took in from USC who Tuioti describes as “twitchy, powerful and strong.”
“We got talent,” Tuioti said. “But just experience is what we need.”
It helps having Matayo Uiagalelei and his 10.5 sacks in 2024 returning to anchor the defensive line. And it certainly doesn’t hurt having Tuioti’s son, Teitum, in the front seven.
Teitum, an outside linebacker, tallied 5.5 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss and forced a fumble during his sophomore season with the Ducks, and it’s here, in Teitum’s first spring as an upperclassman, that Coach Tuioti has to take a moment to enjoy these days from a different perspective.
“I can’t believe it’s going into his third season here. He just had a birthday a couple of days ago, just turned 20, and just going back as a dad, I’m just amazed,” Tuioti said. “Taking my hat off as a coach and (being) just a dad — there’s no better place than having your son at a place like Oregon where you have the best resources. You have the best coaches in the country. You got a defensive head coach that’s coached the No. 1 draft pick in his position. You got a defensive coordinator that’s a defensive line coach that’s also coaching his position. It’s just awesome to be able to see him grow as a leader, working with Matayo and the rest of the group, I’m just really proud of him and the work that he’s putting in.”
Teitum came into his first spring with the Ducks at 215 pounds. These days, he’s walking around the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex closer to 270 pounds and is viewed as one of the leaders of a defense that’s filled with inexperience across the two-deep.
That was once Teitum. Then time flew.
“Me, Matayo and Bryce [Boettcher] are going to continue to make sure these young guys, who don’t have much playing experience, know how it is to be on the field and how it is going to be on gameday,” Teitum said. “I think it just comes with holding the standard. I think that’s something being a leader has to do with. We’ve got to hold the standard.”
— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor
