Brady Breeze is latest Oregon player to opt out of Ducks' 2020 season
Brady Breeze is going to go out on top.
The Oregon safety, who was named the defensive most valuable player of the Rose Bowl, is the fifth starter opting out of the 2020 season.
Breeze, who made a career-high 11 tackles and returned a fumble for a touchdown during the Ducks' dramatic comeback win over Wisconsin on Jan. 1, announced Sunday he will focus on the 2021 NFL draft.
Left tackle Penei Sewell, safety/nickel back Jevon Holland, cornerback Thomas Graham and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir previously opted out of Oregon's revised seven-game conference-only schedule.
Breeze, a fifth-year senior, was named Thursday as a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, which is given annually to the nation's top football scholar-athlete.
In 2019, Breeze, a pre-business administration major, became one of only eighth FBS players since 2000 with two fumble returns for touchdowns and an interception return for a touchdown in the same season.
In addition to losing Breeze on Sunday, backup linebacker Andrew Johnson announced he is entering the NCAA transfer portal after playing sparingly for the Ducks last season as a redshirt freshman.
Ducks move up in AP poll
On the same day the Pac-12 revealed its new 2020 schedule, a series of upsets around the country set the stage for the Ducks to be in the College Football Playoff discussion when they begin playing games next month.
Oregon, which doesn't open the season until facing Stanford on Nov. 7 at Autzen Stadium, moved up from No. 14 to No. 12 in the Associated Press poll released Sunday.
Mario Cristobal and his team watched the chaos from the comfort of their couches on Saturday as No. 7 Auburn, No. 11 Central Florida, No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 24 Pittsburgh and No. 25 Memphis all lost.
The new AP top 10 includes Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Miami, North Carolina, Penn State and Oklahoma State.
No. 11 Cincinnati, the highest ranked Group of Five team, is also ahead of Oregon.
No other Pac-12 teams are ranked this week. USC, Utah, Arizona State and Washington received votes in the AP poll.
Oregon returned to the Amway USA Today coaches poll at No. 17.