In this new era of college football, the only constant is that nothing stays the same. 

Yet, Traeshon Holden finds a way to improve and produce, despite the chaos.  

Holden is no stranger to change. After two seasons at the University of Alabama, he transferred to Oregon to play an unspoken, but valuable role in the Ducks’ offense.

He’s played with three different quarterbacks in his four seasons, and has never been at the top of the depth chart on any team he’s contributed to. At Alabama, he played with Bryce Young, but was targeted less than big names like Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Jermaine Burton.

But Oregon was always in the cards. Holden took an official visit to Eugene before eventually committing to Alabama as a four-star prospect from the state of California. Two seasons later, he was back on the West Coast, decked out in green and yellow. 

Not much changed after the transfer. With big wideout names like Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson lighting up the stat sheet and the scoreboard during his tenure in Oregon, Holden had to make his moments count. 

“Change is either good or bad, but you’re going to have to [go through it] no matter what,” Holden said. “No matter who the coach is, whatever he’s calling, you gotta go in there and run it.”

With the constant adjusting and adapting to new quarterbacks, teams and systems that Holden’s tackled, it’s impressive to see the numbers he’s still imposing on defenses year after year. 

Over his two seasons at Alabama, Holden reeled in seven touchdowns on 46 catches for 570 yards. His second year with the Crimson Tide was statistically the better one as he began to establish himself as a weapon. 

In his first season at Oregon, he had seven touchdowns (six receiving and one rushing) on 37 catches for 452 yards, all while never being Bo Nix’s top wideout option. He tied his career-high with six receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown in the Ducks’ win over Stanford a season ago and tallied a season-high 69 yards on five catches in the 2024 Fiesta Bowl.

Now a veteran on the 2024 Ducks, Holden has to once again adjust to a new single caller as Dillon Gabriel takes over. One of Holden’s tasks at fall camp was finding chemistry with his third quarterback in as many seasons. Amidst the change, Holden is still rooted enough to have confidence and pass on wisdom to the younger faces. 

“I’m just reminding them, it doesn’t matter who we play,” Holden said. “At the end of the day, it’s us versus us. It all depends on what we want to put on film. If we say we’re the best offense in the country, we gotta show that every weekend no matter who we’re playing.”

That mindset keeps him anchored in his process, one that lets him continue to be a viable offensive weapon. In the Ducks’ season-opening 24-14 win over the University of Idaho, Holden had three receptions for 36 yards.

“My preparation before games is always going to be the same,” Holden said. “That’s how I prepare and that’s what I do everyday and at every practice.”

It’s those very practices that provide opportunities for players like Holden, who might be — unfairly — flying under the radar to stand out and catch the attention of those who hold the cards.

The recipe for doing just that on Oregon head coach Dan Lanning’s team is simple:

“Make plays,” Lanning said. “Just work really hard. The best guys will be out there on the field.”

With numbers that continue to improve year after year, Holden is establishing himself as one of the best of the field, and he’s not afraid to admit it. 

Prior to Oregon’s 37-34 win over Boise State, Holden said he was excited about facing a defense that runs a man coverage scheme.

“[Man coverage]’s what I like so hopefully [Boise State] does that because I don’t think nobody can guard me,” Holden said.

It ended up paying off for him as he tallied four catches for 78 yards — 59 of which came on a catch-and-run touchdown — in the victory.

Those confident words from Holden sound similar. After all, it was his own teammate, Tez Johnson, who claimed to be the fastest receiver in the nation after Oregon’s 2024 Spring Game. 

With such a talented wide-receiver room, Holden has to do everything he can to stand out, a task, he says, that’s become a part of who he is. 

“Really just be yourself,” Holden said when asked how he makes himself seen on such a loaded roster. “So, me, I be me. Everybody knows when I walk on the field I’m coming. Straight business.”

Entering last Saturday’s game, Boise State held a 3-0 all-time record over the Ducks. But that was a number Holden felt destined to change. 

“They ain’t beat me,” Holden said. “Coach Lanning wasn’t here when they won, so they ain’t beat none of us.”

Thanks in part to Holden, they still haven’t.