Oregon OL Denis to transfer, likely to rejoin Cristobal, Mirabal at UM

When OL Jonathan Denis signed with Oregon in the Class of 2020 out of Homestead South Dade High School, his coach Nate Hudson said, "The kid’s from Canada so it really wasn’t a tough decision as far as going away from home. He’s in a place that he wants to be. He’s a Duck now.”

Now?

Denis is on the hunt for a new home. He announced his intention to transfer, and sources indicate there's a strong chance he will reunite with the same coaches that won him over to Oregon two years ago: Cane head coach Mario Cristobal and OL coach Alex Mirabal. And he has four years of eligibility left.

Denis, who is former teammates with Cane safety Keshawn Washington, had called Miami his dream school early in his high school recruiting process. And he committed to Miami early on, in July of 2018. But two months later he decommitted and then wound up choosing Oregon.

As a freshman in Eugene in 2020 he didn't play during the pandemic-shortened season and was listed as the second-team center, then this past year didn't play again, this time due to a preseason injury. He had worked at guard and center in preseason drills.

The former 4-star prospect announced his transfer decision Sunday, posting his Oregon farewell on Instagram, saying that "To the fans, it leaves a sick feeling in my stomach that I wasn't able to play in front of you guys due to unlikely circumstances. Oregon will always play a huge role in my life and I can honestly say that I left my heart in Oregon. With that being said I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal and let my spirit and faith guide me to a new home."

Assuming he does indeed wind up a Cane, Denis could factor in anywhere along the interior line at Miami, with the current UM experienced returners at those spots guard Jalen Rivers, center Jakai Clark and guard/tackles DJ Scaife and Justice Oluwaseun.