Oregon sophomore safety Verone McKinley III isn’t just expecting big things from himself this season, he’s also expecting big things from the Ducks defense as a whole.
“Being able to talk to each other,…having that camaraderie off the field will probably be our biggest thing” said McKinley Monday afternoon when asked about the 2020 edition of the Ducks defense.
“With a lot going on we had to keep in contact with each other through Facetime and Zoom,….texting each other making sure everybody’s good. So I think having that chemistry off the field is going to help us a lot on the field.”
In his 17 games as a Duck, McKinley has swiped four balls from opposing quarterbacks and has shown himself to be extremely valuable from every position in the secondary.
Of course the pedigree of any good player is their ability to understand every scheme and every position on the field which McKinley prides himself in knowing.
“I like the nickel a lot just because you get to cover so much and you get to blitz” explained McKinley when asked about his versatility.
“I also like free safety because I feel like a quarterback. I feel like I get to quarterback the defense more. I get to talk to the boundary side,…I get to talk to the d’line,…I talk to the linebackers,…so it gives me more freedom to be vocal. I like to really be vocal and make sure everyone’s on the same page. For this defense, the sky isn’t even the limit,…it’s more than that. As long as we’re on the same page it’s hard for us to be beat I feel like.”