Pair of Oregon Ducks named to Biletnikoff Award watch list
The Oregon Ducks spent the offseason rebuilding their receiver room through the transfer portal, and now boast one of the deepest groups of pass-catchers in the nation.
On Monday, two of their wideouts were named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list.
Oregon’s Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson were among the 49 players selected for the list. The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the most outstanding receiver in college football, regardless of position. Since its inception in 1994, no UO receiver has ever won the award.
Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt won it last season.
During a breakout sophomore season in 2022, Franklin was a second-team all-Pac-12 selection after leading the Ducks with 891 yards and nine touchdowns on 61 catches in 13 games.
“I always refer back to the meeting room, because literally in the meeting room, Troy has taken a step forward,” Oregon receivers coach Junior Adams said of Franklin’s offseason progression earlier this month. “I mean, you see him taking notes; you see him asking a lot of questions. You see him this offseason, I mean, he’ll send me text messages and videos of like, Hey, look at this guy ran this route, or vice versa.’ He put some weight on a little bit. He’s moved a little bit better. It’s got a little more girth to him. He’s been working hard.”
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Johnson, who spent the past three seasons at Troy, is expected to be in the mix to start at slot receiver for the Ducks. He caught 56 passes for 863 yards and four touchdowns in 2022 and was an all-Sun Belt honorable mention selection.
“He’s got speed, I think that shows up,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of Johnson in April. “He has the ability to get in and out of breaks, he can really create separation with his speed. Obviously, he’s a little bit lighter, so we got to get him to continue to bulk up and wait for him to be a consistent player because if you take a couple of hits at that size, you’re not going to be able to be as productive.”
In addition to Franklin and Johnson, Oregon will lean on Alabama transfer Traeshon Holden, USC transfer Gary Bryant Jr., and returning starter Kris Hutson. They have also added Jurrion Dickey, a 5-star signee in the class of 2023 who was the No. 2 receiver in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
