Oregon football will be back but Jevon Holland won’t join them
Oregon football will be without one of the best players in their secondary when they return.
Pac-12 football is coming back, but Oregon football isn’t likely to be the force everyone expected them to be.
On Saturday, safety Jevon Holland became the fourth Duck starter to opt-out of the 2020 season.
In a statement he posted to Twitter, Holland thanked family, support staff, coaches, medical staff and strength and conditioning coaches, then turned his attention to his teammates and Oregon fans.
“With that being said, I have decided to opt-out of the 2020-2021 college football season and prepare for the 2021 NFL DRAFT!” Holland wrote.
https://twitter.com/HollywoodVon/status/1309946234765860864/photo/1
Holland, who was pegged as an All-American candidate this season, was a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award in 2019. He was one of just three players in FBS going into 2020 with four or more interceptions in each of the last two years.
Pro Football Focus is a particular fan of Holland’s play. They gave him the best coverage grade in the slot in the country in 2018 and 2019.
Oregon football’s secondary has been greatly weakened by opt-outs.
The timing of Holland’s decision can only be described as a bummer. On Thursday, the Pac-12 announced their return for a fall football season beginning on Nov. 6. Now one of the conference’s best players won’t be participating.
For Oregon, it’s a big blow to pile on top of several other huge departures. The biggest, literally and figuratively, was All-American offensive lineman Penei Sewell. With Sewell gone, the Ducks will have to replace their entire starting line from last year.
Holland’s absence will accentuate the other two losses for Oregon in the secondary. Cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir have also opt-ed out to focus on the NFL Draft.
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