The Oregon Ducks will be moving on to the next round of the College Football Playoff after beating the James Madison Dukes on Saturday, but one of their players will not be joining them in the quarterfinals.
Following a special night in Eugene where the Ducks put on an offensive showcase against the Group of Five program, they booked their ticket to the next round of the Playoff against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on New Year’s Day in the Orange Bowl.
On Sunday morning, it was announced that cornerback Sione Laulea is opting out of the team and will enter the transfer portal, which officially opens a day after the Orange Bowl.
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Laulea, the best junior college cornerback in 2024, transferred to the Ducks, believing he could make the jump to superstardom at one of the premier programs in the country. While he had some good moments during his two years in Eugene, he never established himself as a frontline starter for Dan Lanning’s squad.
He played in six games during the 2025 season but was on the bench after a mid-October win over Rutgers, during which he recorded no tackles or assists.
After turning heads at College of San Mateo, he was ranked by 247Sports as the third-best junior college player in the country.
From Northern California, he could seek a return home as talent rises at both Stanford and California as they continue to assimilate into the ACC.