Miami Dolphins’ Jevon Holland gives advice to Oregon Ducks before Maryland game

On this week Return the herd episode, former Oregon ducks Consensus All-American Safety Verone McKinley III talks to former Oregon Ducks football legend and former teammate, safety Jevon Holland, ahead of Saturday’s showdown against the Maryland turtles.

“We were really focused on everything we could control. So we were really focused inward and flowing into each other. Everyone was very talented, just like the Ducks have now. So the main message, where we fell short, was that after a lot of success, we let the outside noise seep in,” Holland said after McKinley asked for advice for the current Ducks team.

It’s an important message coach Dan Lanning often repeats to the current team. Going to the doctor, never being satisfied, making opponents quit, and so on. Those are common phrases you hear from this Ducks staff and player base. To see these things through takes a certain amount of buy-in and commitment. With the Ducks heading into the home stretch, there’s no better time than now to get those points.

The career of Holland’s Ducks is comparable to the all-time greats in program history. Despite having few major awards and accolades, the eye test and grades are undeniably great. Holland played in 27 games during his Ducks career, starting 16 games. Beyond the numbers, Holland’s infectious attitude and leadership qualities extended far beyond the playing field.

During Holland’s true freshman season, he totaled 44 tackles, 11 pass breakups and a team-high five interceptions. He followed that fantastic debut with 66 total tackles, eight pass breakups, a team-high four interceptions, an interception return for a touchdown and an average of 15.3 yards per return on 16 returns.

Holland earned First Team All-Pac-12 honors after his second season with the Ducks. After opting to sit out the COVID season, Holland was picked No. 36 overall in the second round 2021 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Now in his fourth season with the Miami Dolphins, Holland is one of the most productive players in the National Football League.

The Ducks and Terrapins kick off at 4:00 PM PT at Autzen Stadium. Oregon will look to move to 10-0, while Maryland will look to ease the upset.