HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Last fall, Brenden Schooler transitioned from defensive back to wide receiver in an effort to aid sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert.
That switch led to Schooler grabbing the fourth-most receptions (20) and collecting the fifth-most receiving yards (274) on the team. That was just a transition season for him.
“I am excited to see what Brenden can do in two years,” Herbert said. “I know middle of fall camp he switched over to receiver and had a great year last year. I’m excited to see what he can do this year.”
Herbert has Schooler, Johnny Johnson III and Dillon Mitchell as his main targets this season. With Herbert’s Heisman hype, the Oregon receivers will have a strong quarterback feeding them passes. All they’ll have to do is catch them.
“As of now we have some really young guys at receiver,” Herbert said. “Give them some time and they’ll step up.”
Herbert and Schooler get along well and Herbert says that their relationship has made Herbert a better player.
“Brenden Schooler is a guy that always puts me out of my comfort zone,” Herbert said. “Puts me in weird situations, but he’s a funny guy and thankful for that.”
Schooler’s younger brother, Colin, plays on Arizona as a linebacker. Last season, the brothers competed at Autzen Stadium as the Ducks beat the Wildcats 48-28. This year, he’s confident his older brother will have a big year for the Ducks.
“I think he’s going to catch a lot more touchdowns and contribute more than he did last year,” Colin said.
The two could have played together, but going to Oregon didn’t pan out for Colin.
“That would have been awesome if I’d get to play with him every single Saturday,” Colin said. “Playing with him is fun but playing against him is kinda fun, but I think playing with him would have been even better.”
This offseason, Brenden and Colin couldn’t manage to practice together, but Herbert and his wide receiver got in reps as much as they could over the summer.
“Just getting out there with the receivers as much as I can,” Herbert said. “Brenden Schooler, Johnny Johnson, Dillon [Mitchell], they haven’t missed one workout, they’ve been out there everyday. It’s always great to work with them.”
Follow Shawn Medow on Twitter @ShawnMedow