Expectations for Oregon Ducks wide receivers jurion dickey I was high from the moment I stepped foot on Eugene's campus. After all, he's Oregon State's highest-rated receiver coming out of high school. Cameron Colvin In 2004.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound pass catcher was the Ducks' only five-star recruit in the 2023 cycle, and many fans expected him to play a role in his debut season. But that didn't happen. Instead, he caught just one pass for 7 yards as he worked his way back up from a season-ending injury suffered during his senior season.
Offensive coordinator Will Stein wants to put his players on the field and play with confidence that they fully understand their assignments.
Now, after two spring football practices, Dickey appears to be on track to take on a larger role in Oregon's offensive line.
“It's like Jurion last year. He wasn't ready. He's a phenomenal player. Now he's ready,” Stein said of Dickey when talking about young skill players. Told. “But it takes time. And that's when the players can surrender to the process and understand that it's not going to happen overnight. Just like I'm in a great place. Recognize that you're in the best place to play college football in the country.'' That way, when their time comes, they'll be ready to play and you can't go wrong. ”
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Jurion Dickey warms up for the game against the Utah Utes.
Darby Winter/Dax Digest
It's not easy for young players to quickly understand a complex offense like Oregon's. But Dickey's redshirt years were still valuable. It helped him understand his direction and now he can step onto the field with even more confidence. That was certainly not something he lacked when he was in high school.
“He knows what to do. He knows where to line up. And when he knows what to do and where to line up, he plays fast and plays to the best of his ability. He can perform,” Stein added.
Although he may not have seen much of the field as a true freshman, he had the benefit of learning behind great wide receivers such as: troy franklin—And Stein seems excited to let him go.
“Now he's gotten to a point, lined up like that, run his routes, and now he's looking like the player we all expected him to be. And… He's in shape. And he's healthy. I love that kid. He did that. He worked hard to get in shape and went out and produced for us. Yo. As we all know, the sky is the limit for Jurion. ”
While it's encouraging to hear how much Dickey has improved, it's far from a guarantee he'll get consistent snaps in a veteran-filled wide receiver room that features a former Texas A&M standout. evan stewart Spring practice will resume on April 2nd.
That said, Stein was candid about what he expects from one of the most promising young playmakers.
“Just keep competing. Once the ball is in the air, make a play. He's a big-bodied receiver, and on our one-on-one contested catches, we're trying to get him to go catch the ball.” It shouldn't be 50/.'' If you're 50 with him, he should go make plays and that's what he showed.
“He prepared really big in the bowl because it was like another 13 practices of spring football. We're looking at setting up the bases again, but you go down with him. I saw The Field's routes develop. Troy (Franklin), Ferg (Terrance Ferguson), he's getting the ball off the defender's head.”
Dickey plans to anchor Oregon's deep two at wide receiver with players like: Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, gary bryant jr. and Kyler Kasper.
