No. 4 Oregon linebacker Justin Flowe will likely miss the rest of the regular season with a lower body injury, according to The Athletic‘s Bruce Feldman. Flowe, the No. 6 recruit in the class of 2020, stepped into a starting role for Oregon in 2021 and excelled in his lone performance. The Chino, California, product recorded 14 tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble in a 31-24 Week 1 win over Fresno State. However, Flowe was ruled out of Oregon’s 35-28 upset over No. 9 Ohio State with the injury.
To make matters worse, Feldman also reports that senior Dru Mathis – the projected replacement for Flowe at weakside linebacker – will also miss an extended period of time with an unidentified injury. That will likely slide true freshman Keith Brown into the starting MIKE role. Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said that Brown also suffered an injury against Ohio State, though it isn’t expected to be a concern.
Fellow linebacker Jackson LaDuke will also be out for a while. Cristobal noted on Monday that star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is “day-to-day” recovering from the ankle injury he sustained in Week 1.
Flowe’s injury is just the latest setback for the second-highest rated recruit in program history. The freshman played just one game in 2020 before suffering a season-ending meniscus injury.
Oregon takes on Stony Brook at 7:30 p.m. ET in Eugene, Oregon.
