Oregon Loses Two More Players to Transfer Portal Amid College Football Playoff Run

The Oregon Ducks are coming off of a 51-34 win over the James Madison Duke at Autzen Stadium on Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The Ducks now advance to face the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders in the CFP Quarterfinals at the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL. on Jan. 1, but two more members of the Oregon secondary won’t be in attendance.

Per reports from On3’s Hayes Fawcett, Oregon cornerback Sione Laulea is entering the portal and won’t be with the team for the rest of the CFP. Joining him in the portal will be Oregon safety Kingston Lopa, who will have three years of eligibility left. He also won’t be with the Ducks during what hopes to be a run to the National Championship.

Laulea, who arrived to Eugene before the 2024 season, was the top JUCO cornerback prospect out of San Mateo College headed into his first year at Oregon.

Sione Laulea Chose Oregon for Development

He told the media before this season that he chose the Ducks because he thought it was the best fit for him from a developmental standpoint.

“I transferred from junior college, and the biggest fit for me was just development, because I feel like I used two years, so with two years left in eligibility, I feel like I had to make the most out of my two years,” he said. “So the place that was going to develop me the most and where I fit most in the scheme, and I felt like this was a place, especially with the coaching staff, with Tosh (Lupoi) being such an aggressive caller, and (Chris Hampton) as a secondary coach.”

“I feel like it’s been great,” he continued. “As you guys know, there’s not a lot of experience in our back end, specifically the corner room, but there’s some dogs either way, whether we touch the field or not. You can see it clearly in practice that everyone’s making plays on the ball, and it’s pretty much neck and neck.”

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However, things never quite worked out for Laulea. He appeared in 10 games with Oregon while posting just 10 total tackles (five solo), three pass breakups and one pick. His only interception as a Duck came in the 38-9 win over No. 20 Illinois last season.

As for Lopa, he arrived to Oregon as a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class out of Grant Union in Sacramento, CA.

He received some notable praise from Oregon head coach Dan Lanning during the spring.

“It’s just what he does every day in practice. You know, the part that we get to see, and Kingston to be an unbelievable player for us. You know, he’s had a really good spring so far. But you know, he earned those moments by what he did in practice,” Lanning said.

Lopa appeared in 13 games this season while posting 12 total tackles and one pass breakup.