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Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Sam Kamp (99) forces Cal quarterback Jared Goff (16) to rush his pass during the Ducks 59-41 win at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Oct 24, 2014.
(Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian)
Oregon has now lost two juniors on its defensive line this offseason.
One, Arik Armstead, opted to turn pro early and enter the NFL draft. The other, Sam Kamp, announced Tuesday night via social media that with his graduation upcoming in the spring, he's elected to retire from football.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Kamp had 33 career tackles and 20 in 2014, including three tackles for loss and one sack. A redshirt junior, he was part of the second unit of linemen who mixed into the rotation behind starters Armstead, Alex Balducci and DeForest Buckner.
Kamp confirmed his decision by text message to The Oregonian/Oregonlive.
On his Instagram account, Kamp wrote: "I'm incredibly blessed to have made so many amazing memories playing for this team. I'm so grateful to God, to my loving family and close friends, to my coaches, trainers and support staff who together are better than any other program in the nation, and especially to my teammates who I've spent a seriously ridiculous amount of hours grinding with! This season has been a once in a lifetime experience and even though we didn't finish with a win, it was an unforgettable finish to my athletic career. I'll graduate this spring as a proud University of Oregon double major and I can't wait to find out what opportunities I can take advantage of in the future!"
His retirement leaves the line without a big body -- he added 29 pounds last offseason as part of Oregon's much-publicized commitment to adding weight on the offensive and defensive lines -- and in doing so adds even more significance to the return of Buckner for his senior season. The 6-foot-8 Hawaiian was potentially a first-round NFL draft choice in the spring had he opted to forgo his senior year, but instead he'll anchor the Ducks' line as a returning starter, along with Balducci.
Kamp, from Mesa, Arizona, is listed by Oregon as a general social science major.
-- Andrew Greif
agreif@oregonian.com
503-221-8100
@andrewgreif