Oregon 2024 Under the Radar: Defensive Backs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Up next on the under the radar series is the defensive backs. Oregon has talent in the secondary with players like [player_tooltip player_id='152355' first='AJ' last='Noland'], [player_tooltip player_id='520433' first='Elias' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='152344' first='Hunter' last='Haines'], and more. However, in this series, I look at some guys who may be getting a bit overlooked and deserve recognition. Here are five defensive backs in Oregon that people need to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["486002"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"First up is [player_tooltip player_id='486002' first='DeShawn' last='Gilliam'] out of South Albany High School. DeShawn is an exciting prospect as he has good size for a defensive back, but he is also quite speedy as he is one of the best kick returners in the state of Oregon. DeShawn has the size and athleticism to get intrigued college recruiters. He lined up at cornerback for the RedHawks last season, but it looks like he would also be a great safety because of how often he played in a deep zone. He has excellent ball skills for a defensive back; he can play the receiver and the ball simultaneously, which is impressive at his age. I am excited to see how well he does next season after another year of improving his technique.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["738764"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Up next is [player_tooltip player_id='738764' first='Eddie' last='Freauff'] out of Crook County High School. When watching Eddie's tape, it was clear that he may be the most exciting prospect who plays at the 4A level in Oregon. Eddie is 6'4u0022 and solidly built for his age, and he also has the athleticism that should have Division 1 schools at the very least interested. Most of Eddie's highlights came from the wide receiver position, as he is often too big and fast for his competition, which led to many deep balls being thrown his way. My guess for his lack of highlights on the defensive side of the ball is that his opponents were instructed not to throw his way; that is how dominant he can be. He has fantastic speed for a kid his size and excellent ball skills; he is comfortable tracking the ball and making a play on it. Eddie has the chance to be a special player, and I hope colleges don't hesitate to recruit him since he plays at the 4A level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Victory Orikannu","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Mountainside","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Now we have the new Mountainside Maverick, Victory Orikannu. Victory played safety for the Westview Wildcats last season and was quite the player for them. He is a well-built kid that is smart in the safety position. He looks very comfortable in all zone coverages, whether you want him deep or roaming the middle of the field. I love the way he can read route concepts and break on routes. It was impressive to see him do so well against mid-to-deep inside routes such as digs and posts; he got lots of pass-break-ups and even some interceptions against those routes. Victory is an intelligent and strong football player, and I am excited to see what he can do for his new school.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='817668' first='Ojani' last='Gray']","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Sherwood ","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Next is [player_tooltip player_id='817668' first='Ojani' last='Gray'] from Sherwood High School. Ojani first stood out to me at the Oregon Prep Redzone Showcase last month, where he was one of the best DB's there. Ojani is a bit undersized, but his athleticism makes up for his lack of height. Ojani is fast and agile; he did well for Sherwood's track team this spring. Ojani looks comfortable playing in zone coverage. His technique looks sound and is only improving. Ojani is also an intelligent player; he knows when to follow a receiver into a zone that is not his responsibility and when to pass him off. I would have liked to see more man coverage highlights from his tape, but I saw plenty of it at the Prep Redzone Showcase, and I am not too worried about him not being able to play man coverage. I am excited to watch Ojani during his senior year.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Landon Hodges","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Roseburg","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Lastly, we have Landon Hodges from Roseburg High School. Landon is a bigger defensive back and plays like it. I would classify Landon as a safety, but he plays a lot of snaps down in the box as a hybrid between a strong safety and a linebacker. He is physical and explosive after recognizing where the play is going. Although I would prefer the form to be a bit better, tackling is a plus for Landon as he does not really miss tackles. I cannot wait to see Landon play this year, as I can only assume he has gotten bigger and stronger, which will only help him excel with his style of play.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64825f6f515b6"} /-->