Behold! Football season is nigh!
Believe it or not, mere weeks separate us between now and the start of fall camp for the Oregon Ducks. As preseason camp fast approaches, we at WFOD will be rolling out a series of previews to help fully prepare you for the upcoming season.
Monday marks the continuation of our Fall Camp Questions series, which aims to address the most pressing questions surrounding each position group in the build up to the 2018 campaign.
Today’s question…
Will consistent difference-makers emerge at receiver?
No one will question the profound impact that Justin Herbert’s collarbone injury had last season, as the ripple affect permeated throughout the locker room. Yet, there were signs early, before his injury, that suggested that Oregon’s aerial attack wasn’t without considerable deficiencies. Just months prior to the start of the 2017 season, all-conference wideout Darren Carrington was booted off the team after a string of off-field incidents culminating in a DUII arrest ultimately forced former head coach Willie Taggart’s hand.
Carrington’s dismissal was not only a disappointing end to what turned out to be a roller coaster career for him in Eugene, but it also took serious bite out of Oregon’s receiving corp. With Carrington, the Ducks had a true go-to weapon on the perimeter who demanded attention from opposing defenses and took focus from Charles Nelson and Dillon Mitchell, enabling both players added opportunities to impact the game in their own special ways. Without him, Oregon lacked depth and the added dimension Carrington provided to the passing game, as neither Nelson nor Mitchell was necessarily equipped to fill the vacated alpha role.
With Nelson gone to graduation, the onus now falls to Mitchell to shoulder the weight of expectation.
Like every receiver on the team last season, Mitchell saw an exponential uptick in production when Herbert was healthy and in the starting lineup. In fact, with Herbert as the triggerman, Mitchell largely established himself as the preferred target, hauling in 40 receptions for 507 yards and four touchdowns in eight games – including back-to-back 100+ yard receiving performances to end the season versus Oregon State and Boise State.
Without Herbert, Mitchell managed only two catches for 10 yards in the other four games he appeared in.
Mitchell will once again be joined by fellow junior Brendan Schooler and sophomore Johnny Johnson, who as a trio, spent collective time in the starting lineup last season after Nelson suffered an ankle injury at Wyoming. Though neither proved to be as consistent as Mitchell when Herbert was healthy, both players showed they had a capacity to deliver when called upon.
A former defensive back, Schooler demonstrated a knack for making big plays in the downfield passing game, as evidenced by his 32-yard touchdown reception in last season’s win over Nebraska, and his 37-yard touchdown reception vs. Cal just before Herbert suffered his injury. Lightly recruited coming out of Phoenix area powerhouse Chandler High School, Johnson quickly emerged as one of the team’s top freshman contributors a season ago. Standing 6-feet and 194 pounds, Johnson isn’t the tallest receiver, though you’d never know it by the way he plays. Johnson earned a reputation early in fall camp last year as a player who routinely made acrobatic catches, and successfully carried over that ability to the regular season. The sophomore-to-be finished the year as the Ducks’ fourth leading receiver, catching 21 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown, and appears to be a player on the cusp of a breakout season coming off an impressive spring.
Jaylon Redd and Daewood Davis are two other players also looking to take the next step in their development this fall. Though he was seldom utilized for the majority of the season, Redd slowly but surely garnered more and more playing time, finishing the season on a high note with touchdowns in back-to-back games versus Oregon State and Boise State. Look for him to expand his role as one of Oregon’s top multi-purpose threats entering 2018. Davis didn’t see any game action last season as a redshirt, but appears to be another player primed for a big role this season. Speed is by far his greatest asset at this stage in his career, which he exhibited in a major way during the spring game with his three catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
They will be joined by Wake Forest grad transfer Tabari Hines, and a trio of true freshmen in Isaah Crocker, J.J. Tucker, and Jalen Hall. Hines comes to Eugene with one season to play after compiling 123 catches for 1,496 yards and 13 touchdowns in three seasons at Wake, and figures to be a player who – along with Redd – will push immediately for starter’s reps at slot receiver. Crocker and Tucker combined for 19 receiving touchdowns as high school seniors, and will likely have every opportunity to secure playing time of their own given Oregon’s glaring lack of experience at receiver. Hall was on campus for exactly one day this spring before informing head coach Mario Cristobal that he would be returning home to Southern California in order to tend to what was described as a “personal matter.” A former four-star recruit, it is unknown at this time whether Hall will return to the team once fall camp opens on August 3.
WFOD’s Prediction:
Despite the fact the Ducks still don’t know who will emerge as the guy at receiver this year, there’s no doubt that they’re better equipped to answer that question this season than they were last season. Given Mitchell’s experience and the way he was able to produce towards the end of last season, he’s perhaps the most logical bet to develop into the Ducks’ top receiving option. Keep an eye on Johnson, however. While his body of work last season was rather sparse, he made the most of those limited opportunities. With consistent quarterback play and a full offseason under his belt, don’t be surprised to see Johnson’s game elevate to Mitchell’s level, giving Oregon two true difference makers out wide.
Fall Camp Questions: Part I – Who backs up Justin Herbert?
Fall Camp Questions: Part II – Is Tony Brooks-James equipped to be Oregon’s lead back?