Junior Adams shares impressions of Oregon wide receiver transfers

Oregon welcomed in a handful of wide receivers to the program this offseason via the transfer portal, and Ducks co-offensive coordinator and wideouts coach Junior Adams is excited to see what his new players are capable of.

After all, they’re completely locked in on fall camp and it’s clear that their work ethic is as strong as it gets.

“It starts in the meeting room. These guys are coming in early. Tez [Johnson] comes in at 6:30 [a.m.], Traeshon [Holden] is literally right after him at 6:45. Gary [Bryant Jr.] is in the building by 6:30 doing things to get his body ready for practice,” Adams said late last week. “These guys are taking a leadership role in the room. Obviously, I think they’re doing a great job of connecting.

“When you come from somewhere else and you come into a new program, the most important piece is just to connect. And they’ve connected with the Troy Franklin‘s, and the Chris Hudgins and the veterans that have been in the room.”

Johnson has been nothing but productive during his three-year career at Troy, having logged 141 catches for 1,598 yards and eight touchdowns over that span. Meanwhile at USC, Bryant finished third on the Trojans with 44 receptions in 2021. He totaled 579 receiving yards and seven touchdowns through the air, but would ultimately redshirt the 2022 season.

For Holden, it could have been a different story. After appearing in 10 games in 2022, Holden caught 25 passes for 331 yards for Alabama. His six receiving touchdowns saw him finish third for the Crimson Tide, but was dismissed from the program following an arrest back in February. He was ultimately brought back to the program after charges were dropped, but is still something to keep an eye on heading into the new college football year.

Adding these stars to quarterback Bo Nix‘s repertoire could figure Oregon to be right back in the conversation for top offenses in the country. In 2022, the Ducks finished ranked sixth in the country in total offense while averaging 500.5 yards per game and finished 10th in total scoring offense with 38.8 points per game.

Oregon fans should be able to get a strong look at Bo Nix’s newest targets when the Ducks kick their 2023 regular season off on Sept. 2 at home against Portland State. Kickoff is set for Noon PT live on the Pac-12 Network.