The Oregon Ducks finished the 2023 season with the second-best passing and scoring offense in college football. However, entering spring training, the departure of Troy Franklin raised questions about the 2024 passing game. Simply put, how does Oregon coach Dan Lanning replace a wide receiver who caught 81 passes for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns?
Fortunately, Coach Lanning was able to find a solution by simply looking at his roster.
“We've got some talented players in that room, which is great,” Lanning said after the Oregon football spring game of the Oregon State receiving corps. “We have to continue to eliminate some MAs (missing assignments) that occur during learning.
Mr. Lanning continued. “I see the explosion, I see the explosion. I see guys attacking when the ball is in the air. It's a deep group with a lot of guys that can help us.”
January 1, 2024. Glendale, Arizona, USA. Oregon Ducks wide receivers Gary Bryant Jr. (2) and Tez Johnson (15)
Mark J. Revillas-USA TODAY Sports
Return to the list. Introducing Tez Johnson. In his first year as a Duck, he had 86 receptions for 1,182 receiving yards, scored 10 touchdowns, tied for third in UO single-season history, and set an Oregon single-season receptions record. did. He was one of 11 players, including Franklin, to reach 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit TD catches. Additionally, PFF rated Johnson as one of the best receivers in the country. His 89.9 grade this season was behind only Marvin Harrison Jr. among all FBS receivers.
The rich got even richer when Oregon signed transfer receiver Evan Stewart. The addition of the acrobatic Stewart adds even more depth to Oregon State's already impressive wide receiver room. Stewart is competing for playing time with returning players Traeshon Holden, Gary Bryant Jr. and Justius Lowe.
“I want to show that I'm a jack of all trades,” Stewart said during Oregon State's final week of spring practice. “…I can go up and receive the ball like a big receiver, and I can move like a small receiver. I've got great hands and I'm very quick, very quick.”
On paper, the Ducks' passing game looks great. That said, it will take work to improve and become the team Coach Lanning believes it can be.
“Our DNA traits haven't changed, right?” Lanning said of the 2024 team. “Again, it's about connection, growth, toughness and sacrifice. But every team is unique, every team is different. And it's about growing together. This spring, our team will I think we've grown. Going into the spring, we knew we had a talented team, but we had to be a team. And I think we saw a lot of that throughout this spring. ”
