Oregon is getting a major force on the interior of the defensive line back for the 2023 season. Popo Aumavae will be back. “Run it back,” he tweeted late Thursday night. “One more time.”

Aumavae missed the 2022 season with a foot injury. Coach Dan Lanning said earlier this year he thought they had a strong case to get another year of eligibility for Aumavae, and it sounds like that belief paid off. It will be Aumavae’s seventh year with Oregon.

A 6-foot-3 defensive tackle from Stockton, California, Aumavae has been with the program since 2017. He redshirted that first year, then played seven games in 2018 primarily as a backup. As a sophomore in 2019, Aumavae saw his role expand and finished third on the team with 3.5 sacks.

Aumavae enjoyed a breakout season for the Ducks in his fifth year with the program in 2021, playing in 13 of Oregon’s 14 games. He posted a career-high 36 tackles and three tackles for loss on his way to being named a First Team All-Pac-12 performer by the AP and Pro Football Focus. He led all Pac-12 interior defensive linemen with an 81.3 overall defensive grade from PFF.

He was viewed as a potential starter on the interior of the Ducks’ defensive line this season. A foot injury suffered in fall camp sidelined him for the entirety of the year, though.

A return to health in 2023 would seemingly put him in line to start. The Ducks will lose Jordon Riley from this year’s group, but appear set to return Casey Rogers, Keyon Ware-Hudson, and Taki Taimani.  Oregon also hit the defensive line hard in the Class of 2023, signing 4-stars A’mauri Washington, Johnny Bowens, and Terrance Green.