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QuickTake:
The former Yale tackle knew the jump from the Ivy League to the Big Ten would test him. So far, Oregon’s new offensive lineman is passing.
A thick playbook and an accelerated timeline to learn it might strike fear in someone freshly out of the transfer portal.
Leave it to a Yale transfer to welcome the homework as a challenge.
“Coming from a simple offense and with a lot of condensed information, I was excited. I was eager,” said Michael Bennett III, Oregon’s new offensive lineman. “I think when you’re excited to learn something, no matter what it is, if you’re excited to learn it, it’s going to make it so much easier to take that knowledge and want to know more.”
Bennett is a 6-foot-5, 310-pounder out of Atlanta, Georgia, who made 28 starts for football’s less-heralded Bulldogs over the last four seasons. In an offseason where Oregon went against its recent trend and replenished much of its offensive line internally, Bennett was the outlier.
He’s also doing his best to fit in.
After four good seasons at Yale at the FCS level, Bennett knew he was going to be playing somewhere in the FBS in 2026. And while he didn’t know at the time that it would be Oregon, he was drawn to studying the Ducks’ offensive line.
“It’s a bunch of physical people, man,” Bennett said. “…Those guys are tone setters in the run game — and even in the passing game, they’re tone setters. So for me, I was already kind of aware of that physical nature of the offense, and I like how dynamic it is.”
He also knew how much of a test it would be.
From a football standpoint, the difference between the Ivy League and the Big Ten is about the same as the difference between the Big Ten and the Ivy League in academics. Bennett came across plenty of strong competitors in his time there, but it’s the depth that separates.
“Everybody wants to take that next jump,” he said. “Top to bottom, the roster is stacked and loaded. It’s so fun competing in practice knowing that it’s always going to be a good rep, it’s always going to be a good battle.”
And Bennett is holding his own.
Despite the Ivy League pedigree, Oregon offensive line coach A’lique Terry said he isn’t worried about Bennett making the leap.
For one, Bennett is no pushover.
“If you turn on his film at right tackle at Yale, you can see a consistent, violent player,” Terry said.
Then comes the thing that got him into Yale.
“He spent four years at a previous place knowing that system, knowing that communication, knowing all the ins and outs of their offense,” Terry said. “And he’s trying to learn a new one right now.
“He’s got that brain power. He’s able to manufacture and maneuver the, ‘OK, that’s what that meant there. That’s what this means here.’ And he’s able to help relate that to our young guys.”
Those young guys are also going to give Bennett a run for playing time.
The Ducks return two starters from the 2025 line in center Iapani Laloulu and right guard Dave Iuli, and a host of talented underclassmen could fill the tackle and guard spots on the left side.
And while Bennett took 2,000-plus snaps at Yale at right tackle, his ability to adapt could have him in line for playing time.
“I’m always thinking about position flex,” Terry said. “I know if we needed to move him to a different position, he’d have some of that same value, but as a tackle, man, he’s been playing really consistent ball for us.”
In other words, Bennett has earned a positive progress report through his first 10 practices. And while there’s still plenty for him to learn, it’s been coming easy with the subject.
“I love this,” Bennett said. “I love football.”
