Who Will Emerge as Oregon's No. 2 Receiving Threat?

Heading into the season, there was a lot of discussion around Oregon’s wide receiver room. Some even thought it was the best in all of college football. And through three weeks, that may still be the case.

After losing the best receiver the program has ever seen in Troy Franklin, Junior Adams has kept the cupboard stacked in Eugene.

The Ducks are 3-0, and the passing attack is picking up momentum after a rocky start out of the gates. Dillon Gabriel has thrown for 914 yards and six touchdowns. He hasn’t thrown an interception and he’s completed 84.04% of his passes.

*After three weeks, Oregon has found its starting center*

Veteran wideout Tez Johnson has been his favorite target thus far, as he’s caught 22 of his 25 targets for 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Johnson set the program record for receptions in a single season last year, and he’s picked up right where he left off.

Now the question is, who will become Gabriel’s No. 2 target?

The stats suggest Terrance Ferguson would be the leading candidate, as he’s No. 2 on the team with 13 catches (15 targets) for 159 yards. However, he could be trending toward a lighter usage this season due to the emergence of sophomore tight end Kenyon Sadiq, whose speed and athleticism add a different dimension to Will Stein’s offense. But even if Sadiq gets more touches, particularly on sweeps and pop passes, Ferguson has proven to be consistent and reliable during his time in Eugene, winning a majority of the 50/50 balls that come his way at 6’5″, 255 pounds.

But don’t forget about Traeshon Holden. He’s third on the team with 10 catches (12 targets) for 154 receiving yards—and perhaps most importantly, 2 touchdowns. Holden may be in line to benefit the most from the targets that were freed up following Franklin’s departure, and he at least looks like someone Gabriel is looking at quite a bit when the Ducks need a big play. And he’s not just a jump-ball guy, he can pick up major yards after the catch—just look at his catch and run 59-yard touchdown against Boise State.

And then there’s Evan Stewart. Just the No. 1 wide receiver in the transfer portal.

He spent two years with the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station before he decided to find another spot. He landed in Eugene. And while he may not be lighting up the stat sheet, his 11 catches (16 targets) for 153 yards and a touchdown have given us a small glimpse at what he’s capable of doing in this offense. He’s got phenomenal footwork and the ability to stretch the field vertically.

Gabriel tried to sync up with him in the Idaho but the ball was just past his outstretched hands. There’s so much talent at this position that very few defenses, maybe not even Ohio State, will be able to take away all of receivers on a given play. If the offensive line can give Gabriel the time he needs to distribute the ball, Stewart, like Johnson, is a big play waiting to happen.

If you’re looking for a wild card. It might have to be Gary Bryant Jr.

The former Adidas All-American recruit and USC transfer has yet to see the field this year as he works back from a nagging hamstring injury. In 2023 he caught 30 passes for 442 yards and 4 touchdowns.

I myself expected him to have a much larger impact than he did last season, but the chemistry Bo Nix had with Franklin and Johnson, and how effective they were, made it hard for another receiving option to break through.

I expect defenses to key in on Johnson, Stewart and Ferguson, which could leave the door open for a guy like Bryant, or Holden.

As for the running backs, Jordan James and Noah Whittington have caught six and four passes respectively, but if last year was any indication, we know Will Stein likes to get the ball into his backs’ hands coming out of the backfield with some pullers.

Overall, it seems to me that Gabriel has been locking on to Johnson a little too much, and the best offenses in the country have a quarterback that can distribute the ball to a multitude of weapons. There’s certainly no shortage of weapons in Eugene, as receivers Kyler Kasper and Justius Lowe have also began to see an uptick in snaps this season.