Oregon Ducks expecting Ja’Maree Caldwell to be havoc wreaker

With a litany of highly productive and experienced defensive linemen needing to be replaced in Eugene, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are currently in the process of vetting players and looking for the best options going forward.

While there are a ton of young and talented underclassmen who are seemingly ready to step up into bigger roles, one of the few transfer portal pieces that the Ducks brought in this year is Ja’Maree Caldwell, a former second-team All-Big-12 player for the Houston Cougars. Caldwell has one year of eligibility remaining after playing for two years at Houston and two years at the junior college level. Now he comes to Eugene with a chance to anchor the middle of the defensive front.

So what does he bring to the table for the Ducks?

“Explosive power and speed for his size,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said after the team’s first practice on Thursday. “He’s the dominant guy that ends up in the backfield a lot of times, which is going to create havoc for the opposing team. So we’re excited to see what he brings. He’s done a good job hopping in. He’s learned a lot. We’re asking him to do more than he did before, and that’s been a good transition for him.”

Caldwell has been productive at the FBS level, wracking up 27 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks in 2023 alone. With guys like Brandon Dorlus, Casey Rogers, Taki Taimani, and Popo Aumavae all needing to be replaced in Eugene, the Ducks will certainly be able to use his experience upfront.