The Oregon Ducks' already shaky safety spot has endured a significant loss, as starter Aaron Flowers will be out for the foreseeable future after undergoing surgery, head coach Dan Lanning told reporters on Wednesday.
Flowers missed time in multiple games early in the season for the Ducks before being listed as doubtful and eventually out for their Week 6 contest against the UCLA Bruins. Believed to be an upper-body injury, the diagnosis apparently worsened in the last few days, requiring a surgery that will cause him to miss multiple games, if not more.
The former four-star from Forney, TX, saw little action as a freshman in 2024 before winning the starting safety spot alongside Dillon Thieneman in 2025. Flowers finished the season third on the team
with 69 tackles while also forcing two fumbles and intercepting a pass. The young, first-year starter in 2025 had grown into an experienced player this fall, showing improvement despite disappointing play on the back end of the secondary overall.
With Flowers now sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Ducks will need more from transfer safety Koi Perich. The former Minnesota Golden Gophers was electric during his two seasons with the program but has underwhelmed as a Duck through five games.
Considering Perich's play this year, projected backups Trey McNutt and Peyton Woodyard could see time at both the strong and free safety spots in the coming weeks. Four-star freshman Devin Jackson was put in for multiple series' against UCLA and will likely see an uptick in his snap count as well after registering two tackles versus the Bruins. Five-star freshman Jett Washington, who picked off two passes against Portland State, shouldn't be counted out, either.
It remains to be seen when, or if, Flowers will be able to return for Oregon in 2026, but others will need to step up in his stead for an already struggling safety position.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon S Aaron Flowers has surgery, out for foreseeable future
