Oregon’s ‘loaded’ receiver room embracing competition

When asked how he would describe Oregon’s receiver room on the eve of fall camp, senior wideout Treashon Holden needed less than a second to produce a response.
“Loaded,” Holden said with a smile.
On paper, at least, it’s hard to disagree. The Ducks, who boasted the 17th-best passing attack in the nation last season, used the transfer portal to stack their roster with receiver talent during the offseason. Holden (Alabama), Tez Johnson (Troy), and Gary Bryant Jr. (USC) are all going to be in the mix for starting spots during fall camp.
Oregon also returns Troy Franklin, a 2022 second-team all-conference selection and potential first-round NFL Draft pick, as well as two-year starter Kris Hutson.
A trio of 4-star signees from the previous two singing classes — Ashton Cozart, Kyler Kasper, and Justius Lowe — will also push for playing time.
As if that weren’t enough, 5-star signee Jurrion Dickey, the No. 2 wideout in the country according to the On3 Consensus, will also join the program for fall camp after an injury kept him sidelined during the spring.
With so much talent at one position group, it’s fair to wonder if there will be enough targets to go around this season. However, that’s the furthest thing from the minds of the Ducks’ players.
“We all want the same thing — to win,” Johnson said. “We want each other to win. I feel like the whole receiver group wants each other to be successful. That’s one thing I like here; everybody here wants the guy next to them to be better.”
By all accounts, Holden’s competitive fire has been integral for the Ducks. The former Alabama reserve was praised for his physicality and tenacity in one-on-one scenarios during spring ball and has carried that same mentality off the field.
“He takes ball very seriously and plays with a lot of passion,” Oregon quarterback Bo Nix said. “I’ve been impressed with him; his ability to go out there and compete at a high level, always bring that drive and will to compete, that’s a lot of playing receiver. He’s a go-getter.”
Johnson and Holden both of whom enrolled for UO’s winter term and were with the program during spring ball forged a quick friendship through voluntary film sessions that began at 6:30 a.m. each morning.
“All the little things that coaches gripe about, talk about every day, that’s what me and Traeshon wanna get better at,” Johnson said. “We want the little things to get better. So that in a game, it’s like muscle memory. It’s like reflexive.”
Once Bryant officially committed to Oregon in May, he joined the early-morning film sessions and leaned on Holden on Johnson while learning the playbook.
Bryant and Holden were both standouts from California in the 2020 signing class who have fond memories of facing off during their high school days.
The chemistry that the Ducks’ newcomers forged over the past few months could be paramount for a program that is looking to improve upon last year’s 10-3 finish.
What could ultimately make Oregon’s receiver group special, though, is the variety in skillset.
Johnson, Bryant, and Holden all cited the versatility of the Ducks’ receiver room as one of its greatest strengths. Johnson and Bryant are prototypical slot receivers who have found plenty of success there throughout their careers. But both are capable of lining up on the outside, too.
The same is true for Hutson who split time at slot and “Z” receiver last season.
“I think we’ve got a lot of receivers who are kind of different in terms of physical size, speed, stuff like that,” Bryant said. “But we can take the little stuff that the others do well and add it to our game.”
Until proven otherwise, the Ducks’ de-factor No. 1 target in the passing game is Franklin. The 6-foot-3 rising junior caught 61 passes for 891 yards and nine touchdowns during a breakout 2022 campaign.
Franklin spent the offseason fine-tuning the intricate details of his game and working to be a more “consistent” player. He’s expected to get the majority of Oregon’s snaps at “X” receiver once again this season.
“We’ve got a lot of weapons, for sure,” Franklin said. “Everybody has a goal to get where they wanna be, so having (the competition) just makes everybody work harder.”
It remains to be seen how first-year offensive coordinator Will Stein and receivers coach Junior Adams will go about rotating their receiver group in 2023. Last season, as long as the Ducks’ three starting wideouts — Franklin, Hutson, and Chase Cota — were healthy, they rarely left the field.
Of the 1,808 snaps played by Oregon receivers in 2022, Franklin (728), Hutson (551), and Cota (529) played approximately 75% of them.
It’s hard to imagine a scenario where a group of receivers monopolize the playing time in a similar fashion this season.
Last season, Franklin fell just short of becoming the Ducks’ first 1,000-yard receiver since Dillion Mitchell in 2018. While speaking with reporters Monday, Nix was asked what it will take to snap that streak this season and offered an apt summarization of what could make this year’s receiver room special.
“Each guy, especially this year, is gonna have their wons strengths,” Nix said. “It’s gonna be situational — who gets those opportunities and who makes the most out of them. How can we get those guys the balls and make opportunities for them — get them open and throw them open?
“We’re gonna get the ball to the hot hand.”
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