The have Ducks suffered a major blow to their secondary as Ifo Ekpre-Olomu suffered a knee injury in practice that is considered serious and will keep out for the rest of the season.
Oregon senior Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, considered one of the top cornerbacks in the nation, suffered a knee injury in practice Tuesday, and his season is over.
Comcast Sports Northwest reported the news Wednesday afternoon.
Ekpre-Olomu (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) has coverage-corner skills and also is solid in run support; Ducks secondary coach John Neal has lauded him for his tackling ability.
The injury could drastically affect his draft status.
His absence would be a huge blow to Oregon’s secondary in the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl playoff semifinal against Florida State.
Ekpre-Olomu went into the season as the top draft-eligible corner, but has had some ups-and-downs this season, particularly in a narrow win over Washington State in which he frequently was beaten. He’s still a top prospect, but other corners might have passed him on some draft boards.
He has two interceptions, nine pass breakups and 63 tackles this season; he had three, six and 84, respectively, last season.
This could not have happened at a worse time for Oregon or Ekpre-Olomu. The Ducks now lose their best defensive back at the most critical time of the year and now his NFL draft stock will be severely damaged due to the nature of the injury. Oregon has been fighting the injury bug all year, but they have not been able to avoid it. Wishing the kid a speedy recovery.