How will Oregon’s utilization of its tight ends change in 2023?

When Kenny Dillingham was at the helm of Oregon’s offense last season, the Ducks leaned heavily on their deep, talented tight end room.

Terrance Ferguson (444 snaps), Cam McCormick (365), Moliki Matavao (335), and Patrick Herbert (219) all carved out significant roles in an offense that implemented plenty of 12-personnel.

Ferguson emerged as a legitimate threat in the passing game and hauled in five touchdown passes, while Herbert thrived as a lead-blocker in Oregon’s jumbo short-yardage package. Both are back this season and are leading a tight end room that also features Ole Miss transfer Casey Kelly and 4-star signee Kenyon Sadiq.

Will Stein, who transformed UTSA’s offense into the 14th-highest scoring unit in the nation last season, has replaced Dillingham at Oregon. This spring, he said the 2022 version of the Ducks is “very similar” to the style of offense he is accustomed to. Simply put, Stein wants to get his best players the ball as many times as possible.

So, what does that mean for Oregon’s tight end utilization?

“I think any good player or any good coach is going to put their best grouping out there — or whatever they think is going to help them convert in that particular situation,” Ducks’ tight ends coach Drew Mehringer said this week. “I think that if you look at UTSA, they had a phenomenal group of wide receivers. So for them to take those guys off at times, they were in (11- or 12-personnel) quite a bit, right? Last year, we got big in certain situations that provided personnel advantages and stuff like that.

“Do we still have some of those elements? Absolutely. Does it look a whole lot different? I think there is definitely (Stein’s) flair that exists within this offense. But I think the core principles of what we do and how we do it still exist.”

It’s safe to assume that the Ducks will continue to rely heavily on Ferguson, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound standout who earned honorable mention all-conference recognition last season.

Ferguson was sidelined for much of the spring due to an undisclosed injury. He has been an active participant during the open portions of Oregon’s practices this fall and said during the program’s July 31 media day that he is full-go.

“I think it’s been good to have T-Ferg rolling around again out there again on the football field,” Mehringer said. “I think he’s made some nice plays for us. Obviously, he hasn’t been in the same number of workouts as everybody else has, so he’s getting back in the groove of things. He’s picking up where he left off. It’s exciting to see him back and he’s doing a really good job.”

Ferguson’s absence during spring ball highlighted just how thin the Ducks’ depth at tight end was at that time. Herbert is a former blue-chip recruit who enjoyed a breakout season last fall, but he has been hindered by injuries throughout his career. Sadiq is an exciting talent but is still finding his footing at the college level.

So, Oregon’s staff went portal shopping in order to add another reliable veteran. Mehringer was aware that Kelly, who caught 28 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns in 19 career games with the Rebels, was available. He leaned on Ducks’ strength coach Wilson Love and defensive back Tysheem Johnson, both of whom knew Kelly from their respective stints at Ole Miss, in order to find out if Kelly would be a good fit.

“Both of those guys had great things to say,” Mehringer said. “Everything that I was told is everything that this guy has been. He’s been awesome. We’re super glad to have him.”

Kelly describes himself as an “all-around” tight end who can contribute as both a blocker and a receiver. During Oregon’s media day, he said he aims to lead by example and wants to be a tone-setter on Saturdays.

“I bring a different leadership; my leadership on game days, especially off the field, I think I’m very stern on what I want as a player for our team,” Kelly said. “I think that’s one of the qualities that I bring. I’m always going to go balls to the wall every single play.”

Sadiq generated quite a bit of buzz during spring ball and got plenty of first- and second-unit reps while Ferguson was out injured. The No. 6 tight end in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, he is a top-end athlete who is listed at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds.

But Mehringer isn’t quite sure at this point what kind of on-field impact Sadiq will have for the Ducks this season. He praised the freshman’s toughness and attention to detail but acknowledged there is a steep learning curve as Sadiq spent his senior year of high school mostly playing receiver at the 4A level in Idaho.

“(Matayo Uiagalelei) looks a little different than those high school corners,” Mehringer joked. “(Sadiq) has done a good job. When you recruit my position, one of the things you have to find is tough kids who aren’t scared of contact. Whether they’ve played wideout or tight end or running back or quarterback, it doesn’t matter. Do they have it inside and do they want contact? Because contact is coming at this position whether you like it or not.

“He’s done a great job. He’s a tough kid. He’s a physical kid. He’s not afraid to get in there and mix it up with anybody you put in front of him.”

Speaking of Uiagalelei, Mehringer was non-committal when asked if the 4-star jumbo athlete has still been getting reps at tight end.

Uiagalelei, the No. 40 overall player in the 2023 class, was one of the more highly-coveted prospects in the nation due to his potential on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. He’s expected to occupy a significant role along Oregon’s defensive front this fall but also played a handful of snaps at tight end during the Ducks’ spring game.

“He’s an impressive individual. I think if you wanted him to play quarterback, he could probably figure out a way to do it,’ Mehringer said. “He’s super smart and super tough. If I had the option to keep him out there a little bit more, I probably would. He’s doing a good job. We’ll see what he does. Kind of like Kenyon, he’s digesting the entirety of a pretty complex defense. You can’t stunt him on one side or slow him down, just to say we’re going to do something else with him.

“I’m sure we’ll find something to do with him, but we feel pretty good with where we’re at tight end depth-wise as well.”

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