Peyton Woodyard is in his third season at Oregon, and in 2026 he has been the defensive back Oregon moves around. He played in every one of Oregon's first five games, per the official participation lists, and started against UCLA on Oct 10 with Aaron Flowers out (Oregon's official box score). Before that he was a rotational piece: at Oklahoma State he split the nickel snaps exactly with Carl Williams IV, 30 each out of Oregon's 87 (Ducks Wire / Yahoo Sports). The official box scores have not listed him among the five starting defensive backs in any game.
Through UCLA he has 13 tackles and 2 pass breakups: one on third-and-6 against Boise State, and one on the first play of USC's final drive, the drive Koi Perich ended with an interception.
His best Oregon moment so far came in 2025: a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown against Oklahoma State on Sept 6, in a 69-3 win at Autzen. He made 22 tackles that season after 9 as a freshman in 2024, per ESPN. Our read: in a secondary full of new starters, a defensive back who knows the system and can play two spots is worth more than his stat line.
Week 8 at Illinois, Oct 24, 2026
Started in the secondary at Illinois and made 2 solo tackles.
Oregon Athletics official box score starters list, Oct 24, 2026
6-2
Height
208 lbs
Jr
Year
Third season at Oregon
30 of 87
Snaps at Okla. St.
Even nickel split with Williams IV
2
Pass Breakups (2026)
Incl. USC's final drive
Pick-6
30-yard interception return vs Oklahoma State, Sept 6, 2025
Third season at Oregon. In 2026 he is the flexible piece: safety depth and half of the nickel rotation.
thequackreport.com
The Impact
Every secondary needs someone who can line up in more than one spot, and that has been Woodyard's 2026: safety depth behind Koi Perich and Aaron Flowers (hurt at USC; his status is on the injury tracker), and half of the nickel rotation when Oregon went to five defensive backs at Oklahoma State. On a defense that gave up six completions of 20 or more yards at USC, having a defensive back who can plug either hole matters. He also tackles in space: at USC he made the stop on an 11-yard King Miller run at the Oregon 11.
The 2026 Season So Far
Woodyard played in every one of Oregon's first five games, per the official participation lists, and started the fifth, against UCLA on Oct 10. Boise State (Sept 5): 1 tackle and a breakup on third-and-6. At Oklahoma State (Sept 12): 4 tackles, and 30 snaps in the nickel split with Carl Williams IV (Ducks Wire / Yahoo Sports). Portland State (Sept 18): 1 tackle. At USC (Sept 26): 3 tackles and a breakup on first down of USC's last drive, with Oregon up 41-27.
The Safety Room
Preseason, we paired Woodyard with Perich as Oregon's starting safeties. The official box scores say otherwise: Perich has been listed among the starting defensive backs in all five games and Aaron Flowers (hurt at USC; his status is on the injury tracker) in the first four, Perich played all 87 snaps at Oklahoma State and Flowers played 57, with freshman Davon Benjamin rotating in for 19 (Ducks Wire / Yahoo Sports). Woodyard's snaps came in the nickel and in the rotation until UCLA, when he started with Flowers out. We had that wrong, and this page now says so.
The 2025 Season
Woodyard played for Oregon's 13-2 team in 2025 and recorded a statistic in 7 games, per ESPN's box scores, finishing with 22 tackles. The highlight was a 30-yard pick-six against Oklahoma State on Sept 6, 2025, in the third quarter of a 69-3 win at Autzen. He also made 2 tackles in the playoff win over James Madison. He arrived at Oregon in 2024 and made 9 tackles that year, so he is one of the defensive backs who knows the building.
Watch List for 2026
1
Nickel snaps: watch how the snaps split between Woodyard and Carl Williams IV after the bye. Williams's status is on the injury tracker.
2
Run support from the slot: nickel backs tackle in space. He stopped an 11-yard King Miller run at the Oregon 11 at USC.
3
Coverage range: can he match tight ends and slot receivers? Big Ten offenses will test whoever is in the nickel.
4
Communication: when he is on the field with Perich and Flowers, the pre-snap calls show how well the back end understands Hampton's system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not until UCLA. He was not among the five defensive backs listed as starters in Oregon's first four 2026 games, and with Aaron Flowers out (injury tracker) he was among them against UCLA on Oct 10 (Oregon's official box score).
Our depth chart lists Koi Perich and Aaron Flowers (hurt at USC; his status is on the injury tracker) at safety. The official box scores list Perich among the starting defensive backs in all five games and Flowers in the first four; Flowers was out against UCLA and Woodyard started. At Oklahoma State, Perich played all 87 snaps and Flowers 57. Woodyard and freshman Davon Benjamin rotate in.
Yes, in 2025: a 30-yard interception return against Oklahoma State on Sept 6, 2025, in Oregon's 69-3 win at Autzen.
Sources: GoDucks.com, 247Sports (2025-2026). This page covers on-field performance and publicly available recruiting data only.
