The Oregon offense relies on wide receivers as they support Bo Nix and the entirety of the offensive roster. This fall, Autzen Stadium and the thundering flock of Oregon football fans will welcome five new wide receivers to the offensive lineup.
The Ducks’ wide receiver room consolidated following the notable departures of its former high-profile players. Last season, Oregon lost two sophomore wide receivers to the transfer portal: Seven McGee and Dont’e Thornton. McGee, the former four-star running back whom Oregon converted to a wide receiver, accumulated a total of 151 receiving yards during his two years as a Duck. In 2022 alone, the shifty playmaker recorded six kickoff returns for 99 yards. Thornton, the 6-foot-5, 199-pound standout from Maryland, bid farewell to Autzen after two seasons. McGee committed to Jackson State while Thornton joined the University of Tennessee.
In addition to McGee and Thornton’s departures, Chase Cota ran out of eligibility. He closed his collegiate career with 103 receptions for 1,380 yards and nine touchdowns; he was also named a Coaches’ Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention in his last year. His size, route-running ability and performance on special teams will be missed on the Ducks’ offense.
The Oregon coaching staff, specifically Junior Adams, Oregon’s co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, and the returning wide receivers will need to develop a camaraderie within the group and chemistry across the entire offensive lineup to make up for the previous absences.
To begin, Adams’ corp of wideouts grew this summer with the arrival of Gary Bryant Jr. and Jurrion Dickey.
Bryant, a former four-star wide receiver, transferred from USC. During his first two years at USC, he ranked third among Trojans with 44 receptions for 579 yards and seven touchdowns, while serving as the primary returner on both punts and kickoffs. The summer pre-season training should give the college experienced player ample time to familiarize himself with the playbook and team.
Dickey is a five-star incoming freshman. 247Sports rated him a consensus top 10 wide receiver in the country, a consensus top five player in the state of California and the top rated wide receiver in the state. Dickey chose Oregon despite receiving offers from the University of Georgia, University of Tennessee, Texas A&M and other top-performing programs. The former multi-sport athlete is an explosive and speedy player with agility, skill and power. The biggest test for Dickey will be whether he can be an adaptable player for the Oregon offense. He could become a versatile and dangerous offensive weapon for the Ducks given his three phase ability on special teams as a returner, safety and receiver.
In addition to the newcomers, some of the familiar faces and jersey numbers of Oregon’s wide receivers include Tez Johnson, Troy Franklin and Kris Hutson.
Johnson, a 5-foot-8 speedy receiver, will hope to make his second appearance in front of the Autzen crowd this fall. Fans might remember Johnson’s 63-yard touchdown from the 2023 Spring Game. Johnson, a spring transfer from Troy, enters this season as the second-highest rated returner in college football. He could no doubt be one of Oregon’s strongest and most talented players this season.
Troy Franklin was recently named a preseason all-Pac-12 Honorable Mention— a shocking selection according to fans given his performance last season. As a sophomore, he made 61 catches for 891 yards and had nine touchdowns. This overlooked and shocking selection may fuel Franklin’s fire on the field this fall.
On August 7, both Franklin and Johnson were added to the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the best receiver in college football.
Aside from each player’s hard fought battle for a starting position, the team will depend on Franklin and other Oregon veterans like Hutson to build team unity and guide the rookies this fall. If they are able to get the newbies acquainted and up to speed, Oregon will have options and competition for these spots –– which is promising for a squad that has not had a receiver drafted higher than the third round since 1998.
My prospective two-deep selection for the fall is as follows: At X, the spots seem locked with 6-foot-3, 178-pound starter Troy Franklin leading the position and Ashton Cozart, a 6-foot-4, 193-pound true freshman from Texas, as his backup. However, there should be competitive battles throughout the season for spots at Z and the slot. Kris Hutson, 5-foot-11, 172-pounds, and Traeshon Holden, 6-foot-3, 214-pounds, are the projected two deep at Z. Tez Johnson, a 5-foot-8, 183-pound spring transfer from Troy, will compete with Gary Bryant Jr., a 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior transfer, for Nix’s approval and chemistry — proving themselves worthy of a starting spot at the slot.
It should be a development and learning year for the Oregon football team as they prepare to play a new conference of Big 10 teams next season. How Lanning, Adams, Duck veterans and the rest of the team nurture, develop and retain the wide receivers will be something worth keeping an eye on this fall season.
