EUGENE — Oregon is leaving no stone unturned while attempting to identify and develop new sources of pass rush, including multiple highly-touted freshmen.

Kayvon Thibodeaux was always going to be asked to be an edge rusher and fellow freshman Mase Funa has been enlisted among the Ducks Stud ends, though he is considerably heavier than nearly all of the other outside linebackers.

“He’s a great football player, extremely physical,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. “He can stop the run. He’s a natural pass rusher. He played it in high school. For us, we got to get him on the field as early as we can and as often as we can and we felt that’s the best way to do it now, right now this year. He’s trimmed down, about 260. He’s going to have a tremendous impact as well.”

At 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds, Funa is the same height but approximately 30 pounds heavier than La’Mar Winston Jr., Andrew Johnson Jr. and Adrian Jackson. He’s also bulkier, in part due to putting on weight while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that kept him out for his senior season in high school, than Oregon’s 6-foot-5 Studs Bryson Young (248), Isaac Townsend (255) and Treven Ma’ae (235).

Only DJ Johnson (6-foot-5, 272 pounds) is close to Funa’s size, albeit taller. But the hybrid position in Andy Avalos’ defense is where Oregon felt Funa, the highest-ranked linebacker recruit in UO program history, could have the greatest impact in 2019.

“Mase played a very similar position at Mater Dei (Calif. High School) to the outside linebacker position here,” Avalos said. "It’s a natural fit for him. Being important to put guys in place that fit them, we felt like Mase would be able to jump in and contribute to this defense, to this team, a lot quicker in a position he was more familiar with. He picks up football pretty fast, he’s pretty talented. He allows us to be multiple.

“In the future, not to say he wouldn’t be able to move around and do different things.”