The Oregon offensive line may have been a slight concern for the Ducks this upcoming season, but some of those concerns should be reduced today. The Ducks announced Tuesday the addition of Matt Hegarty, who started 11 games for the Irish at center or offensive guard.
Hegarty announced his decision to transfer out of South Bend in early March in an interview with ESPN.com. As he said before, the push from the Notre Dame coaching staff to have him switch positions was not something he appeared to be comfortable doing in his final year of eligibility. At Oregon Hegarty could slide right into a starting role at center or left guard, two positions Oregon loses starters from last season.
This would be a tremendous addition for Oregon, which will also be breaking in a new starting quarterback. Vernon Adams from Eastern Washington could take over in the post-Marcus Mariota era, and having a veteran starting offensive lineman plug one position of need should be comforting for head coach Mark Helfrich.
Hegarty is a former four-star recruit in Notre Dame’s Class of 2011. He originally chose Notre Dame over offers from Oregon and a good handful of other top programs. Because he is a graduate transfer, Hegarty will be ruled eligible to play right away in Eugene.Congrats @MHegs77! Welcome to the Oregon Family. #MenOfOregon #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/zvnmtywY8D
— OregonGridiron (@OregonGridiron) May 26, 2015