Ducks make DC DeRuyter official

EUGENE — Nearly a week since he agreed to come to Oregon, Tim DeRuyter is officially the school’s new defensive coordinator.

The Ducks officially named DeRuyter, who served at Cal the past four seasons, their new defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach on Thursday.

“We are excited to add a coach of the caliber and experience as coach DeRuyter to lead our defense,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said in a statement. “He is a proven difference maker with a track record for developing players to their full potential, and he has accelerated significant improvement in all of his stops as a defensive coordinator. We look forward to the significant impact coach DeRuyter will have on the Oregon football program and all of his contributions in taking our defense to the next level.”

Previously the head coach at Fresno State from 2012-17 and defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, Air Force, Nevada, Ohio and Navy, DeRuyter has been a defensive coordinator in 20 of his 31 seasons as a college coach, including the last 19 as either a defensive coordinator or head coach.

He succeeds Andy Avalos, who left UO earlier this month to become head coach at Boise State, and inherits a defense that returns seven starters, including All-American defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux.

“I am beyond thrilled to be joining coach Cristobal’s staff here at the University of Oregon,” DeRuyter said in a statement. “Coach Cristobal has reestablished Oregon as one of the power players in college football and I am fired up to coach our elite student-athletes to conference and national titles.The support of Oregon’s administration and fan base is legendary and I look forward to coaching a defense that is worthy of that support!”

In four seasons at Cal, DeRuyter helped turn a defense that ranked No. 127 in scoring in 2016 to No. 22 in 2018 and No. 31 in 2019. The Bears held opponents to 24 points or less in 20 of their last 24 games with DeRuyter as defensive coordinator.

DeRuyter has led defenses at three different schools to massive statistic turnarounds and eventual top 15 rankings in at least one major category.

Under DeRuyter, Cal was No. 9 in pass defense in 2018, Texas A&M led the country in sacks and was No. 12 in rush defense in 2011 and Air Force ranked in the top 15 in pass defense, scoring and total defense in 2009.