Air of mystery pervades UO spring camp.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

He's got the bodies, and a refurbished one himself. So what's not to be excited about entering today's start of spring football drills for Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti?

The Ducks return 46 lettermen from last year's team that went 8-5 and lost to Minnesota in the Sun Bowl. Seven defensive starters from that game are gone, but 21 lettermen take the field on that side of the ball for today's workout, the first of 14 this month that lead up to the Spring Game on May 1 at Autzen Stadium.

And they're all under the watchful eye of Aliotti, who is hobbled in body but not spirit this spring after having both hips replaced in the week after signing day in February.

"I'm excited about this spring, because we have so many positions where there's not an answer," said Aliotti, who is ahead of schedule in his recovery from the hip replacements. "Not as in we don't have answers, but we don't know who that guy's going to be yet."

Three starters are gone from the defensive line, though Aliotti says that he has a solid group up front, bolstered by the return of sophomore tackle Haloti Ngata from the knee injury that cost him nearly all of last season. The bigger questions are at linebacker, where two of three starters must be replaced, and the secondary, which also is muddled after the loss of two starters.

With all those personnel questions, this spring may be slightly different than others for Oregon, at least on defense.

"We may not do as much this spring schematically, just to allow younger players a chance to play, know how to line up and play, so we can evaluate athleticism," Aliotti said. "That is our No. 1 priority this spring."

Offense is a different story. Kellen Clemens is back at quarterback after starting all 13 games last season, and he is joined in the backfield by Terrence Whitehead and Dante Rosario, though Whitehead continues to recover from ankle surgery.

Demetrius Williams may find out this spring who his fellow starting receiver will be next fall, and Tim Day is back at tight end. Choosing that other receiver, along with finding a center to play in the middle of a large group of returning offensive linemen, are the top two offensive priorities for UO head coach Mike Bellotti.

"We have answers for the most part at the rest of the offensive positions," Bellotti said. "But we want to improve and get better."

Back on defense, one of the major stories of this spring will be the return of Ngata, who injured his knee in last season's opener at Mississippi State and missed the rest of the year. Ngata was a freshman all-American in 2002, and he'll be counted on to anchor the defensive line along with another tackle with starting experience, Robby Valenzuela.

"I expect great things from Haloti, but he's been out for a year now," Aliotti said. "No matter how you cut it, there's going to be some rust. It's natural."

WIth those two tackles, plus Devan Long, Chris Solomona, Darius Sanders and Matt Toeaina, Aliotti is comfortable that he has six reliable players, though Ngata, Valenzuela and Long all have minor injury concerns.

"We're not healthy, but I've seen those guys in games," Aliotti said. "They're battle-tested. There's improvement that needs to be made, but they're battle-tested, whereas at linebacker, we're green as grass."

That's not including Jerry Matson, the middle linebacker who is Oregon's top returning tackler with 81 a year ago. He takes care of the Mike position, but the Will and Sam spots will be filled by players who are experienced mostly on special teams (Ramone Reed, Justin Andrews, Scott Vossmeyer, Marcus Miller), or have no game experience at all (Ramond White, A.J. Tuitele).

In the secondary, Aliotti returns a large group of players with starting experience. The goals this spring involve picking which safety spot Marley Tucker is best suited for, and whether cornerback or safety is the best position for Rodney Woods, Aaron Gipson and Charles Favroth, and which of those three plus Justin Phinisee and Marques Binns is most capable of starting at cornerback.

Those who make the first string, Aliotti said, will be those who show the maturity the coordinator demands of his starters.

"I'm not so sure they get it the way I want them to," Aliotti said of his defensive backs. "We've got to understand that there's more to being a football player than just being a great athlete on the field. ...

"I think there's talent there, but I want guys to get it, the way it's supposed to be. Because in the heat of battle, you better get it. Guys have got to be able to look around and be able to trust you."

Armed with two new hips and a renewed vigor, Aliotti sets out building that trust beginning today.