In the bulk of any successful football team’s offense is a solid group of tight ends. For Oregon, it is one of many positions to rebuild this offseason after losing two of its lead guys to the NFL. Both Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert spent their entire college careers in Ducks uniforms. Now, the guys who were hidden in the shadows last year will have the opportunity to make a stance.
Herbert played in 41 games at Oregon, where he recorded 31 receptions for 388 yards and four touchdowns. Ferguson played in 53 games and had 134 receptions for 1537 yards and 16 touchdowns, breaking the record in receptions and receiving touchdowns for tight ends at Oregon. He was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, while Herbert signed as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Stepping into a lead role at the position this season will be junior Kenyon Sadiq, who played in every game last season, but saw limited touches and was less noticed by the fans than the players ahead of him. This year, everyone will see the type of leader he can be.
“Just being a more vocal leader amongst the young people in the tight end room,” Sadiq said regarding his new role. “But also on the team, and just getting out of my comfort zone and sharing the experience that I do have with other people”
In 2024, Sadiq served as a utility player on the Ducks offense. Sometimes he was receiving, sometimes he was rushing and some- times he was blocking or returning a kickoff.
“He’s the best tight end in the nation,” quarterback Dante Moore said.
Regardless of the role he was placed in, Sadiq was always learning and growing.
“Having both Terrance and Pat was a great opportunity for me to sit back and see what they’ve done and then learn from them,” Sadiq said. “So now, (I’m) just taking the reins from what they’ve given me and just letting it go.”
Sadiq finished the 2024 season with 24 rushing yards on five carries, 308 receiving yards on 24 receptions, an 18-yard kick return and two touchdowns.
Both scores came in the Big Ten Championship Game against Penn State, the first of which was after he hurdled a defender and landed on his feet unfazed on his way to a 28-yard catch-and-run.
“Kenyon’s one of those dynamic players in college football,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “He’s just grown and gotten better every single year that he’s been here. What I love is the leadership traits that are starting to develop. The way he takes the field, the way he works in practice drills (and) the effort to film — all those pieces are really adding up, and I think this will be a great season for him.”
Another tight end that will look to step up more this season is sophomore Roger Saleapaga, who appeared in the first 11 games of last season before suffering a season ending injury. He played just 36 snaps on offense, but played 158 on special teams. Saleapaga’s numbers were rather quiet, but he had one big moment that helped secure Oregon’s undefeated regular season.
In Oregon’s Week 7 top-three matchup against No. 2 Ohio State, Saleapaga recovered an onside kick in the first half that gave the Ducks an extra possession. They would win by a single point. More than anything, he said, he is anxious to get back on the field after a long rehab process.
With great football comes great depth. The Ducks have two young tight ends hungry to make a stance and a group of new recruits ready to learn what it means to compete at the college level. Under Lanning, several tight ends have succeeded and gone on to the next level, and we will likely see the same results with Sadiq, Saleapaga and others
