Oregon spring football preview: Wide receiver

Oregon is set to open spring practices on March 10. There is plenty of excitement surrounding Dan Lanning’s program, and there is no shortage of storylines related to the Ducks’ roster. In the coming days, ScoopDuck will have you covered with position-by-position previews that highlight a key returner, key newcomer, and a breakout candidate at each spot.

Next up: the wide recievers.

Previously:

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs

Scholarship players

• Isaiah Brevard (R-Fr.)
• Chase Cota (Sr.)
• Isaah Crocker (R-Jr.)
• Josh Delgado (R-Soph.)
• Troy Franklin (Soph.)
• Kris Hutson (Soph.)
• Justius Lowe (Signee)
• Seven McGee (Soph.)
• Dont’e Thornton (Soph.)

Key returner

Kris Hutson

Oregon will have a difficult task on its hands as it works to replace three starting receivers and one other major contributor from last year’s squad.

Johnny Johnson III, Jaylon Redd, Devon Williams, and Mycah Pittman were the Ducks’ four most productive receivers at the midway point last season, and all four are now gone. Fortunately for Dan Lanning and his staff, they have a ton of young, talented players in the receiver room already. The only caveat is that the group is short on college game reps.

The only returning Oregon receiver who was in the rotation on a week-to-week basis is Kris Hutson. The former 4-star signee stepped up in a major way late last season when Pittman transferred away from the program and Johnson III and Redd went down with season-ending injuries.

Hutson caught a season-high seven passes for 82 yards in Oregon’s win over Oregon State. He’s always been a gritty, relentless player who is an asset in the run game, but when given the opportunity late in the year, he flashed the potential to be a go-to target over the middle.

Hutson will provide a steady, reliable presence at slot receiver for the Ducks and will only get better as his career goes on.

Key newcomer

Chase Cota

Oregon badly needed to add a veteran to its receiver room this offseason in order to balance out the youth at the position. Even with a cluster of blue-chip pass-catchers, the Ducks were still missing a proven Pac-12 producer.

In UCLA grad-transfer Chase Cota, they found a player who seems like the perfect fit.

Cota, a former 4-star recruit in the class of 2018, spent his first four seasons at UCLA before hitting the transfer portal. Two weeks ago, he committed to spend his final year at Oregon, where his father, legendary Duck Chad Cota, starred in the ’90’s.

Chase Cota instantly becomes the most experienced and productive receiver on Oregon’s roster. In 2021, he caught 18 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown. Throughout his four years as a Bruin, he tallied 883 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

He figures to be a difference maker for the Ducks as a pass-catcher, blocker, and veteran leader.

Breakout candidate

Troy Franklin

Take your pick here. Oregon has four or five receivers who are legitimate breakout candidates and will be vying for an uptick in playing time in 2022.

But sophmore wideout Troy Franklin is entering spring ball with a ton of buzz. The former 4-star signee turned heads last August when he climbed to the top of the Oregon two-deep with an impressive fall camp showing and appeared set for a bright true freshman season.

However, the excitement surrounding Franklin was dampened when it became apparent that Oregon was not going to frequently utilize its downfield passing game. Franklin struggled for playing time as Mario Cristobal leaned on the Ducks’ veterans, and any chance he had of breaking out was dashed when Devon Williams emerged as a mainstay at the “X” receiver spot.

Now, though, Franklin figures to be the go-to downfield threat for the Ducks. It will be intriguing to see just how dynamic he can be when given a heavy workload.