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.
Tuesday 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…
Is Jacob Breeland an All-Pac-12 level tight end?
Even though he’s played two full season at Oregon and led the team in touchdown receptions a year ago (5), it still feels like we haven’t fully realized who Jacob Breeland is. A former three-star prospect from Mission Viejo, Calif., Breeland remains as somewhat a mystery man within the Oregon offense. When he’s been featured as a pass catcher, Breeland has largely delivered, not only leading the Ducks in touchdown receptions in 2017, but also finishing as the team’s third leading receiver in terms of yards (320). The issue, however, is that opportunities for him to truly stand out have been fleeting.
Despite appearing in 12 games a season ago, Breeland dealt with nagging injuries that spilled over to the spring, preventing him from being a full-time participant. When healthy, however, he’s a reliable threat with the ability to unlock the Oregon offense; providing the passing game with an added dimension from the tight end position that hasn’t really been seen since Colt Lyerla.
Health, however, seems to be the caveat to whatever potential Breeland is capable of realizing – and it’s not just his own.
Similar to just about every other offensive weapon for the Ducks, the broken collarbone injury suffered by quarterback Justin Herbert last season derailed an opportunity for Breeland to produce at an All-Pac-12 level. In fact, through the first four games of 2017, Breeland accumulated half or more of his reception and yardage totals for the entire season, reeling in nine catches for 170 yards over that span.
It’s also worth noting that the competition behind Breeland on the Ducks’ tight end depth chart is some of the stiffest he’s faced to date.
Chief among the players vying for playing time is redshirt sophomore Cam McCormick, who has developed into an emerging playmaking threat and who often finds himself on the field alongside Breeland in certain offensive packages. Redshirt junior Ryan Bay has also seen his fair share of action, as has USF grad transfer Kano Dillon, who will look to provide added size and athleticism, particularly as a blocker.
New to the group is redshirt sophomore and converted defensive lineman Hunter Kampmoyer, as well as true freshman Spencer Webb – a four-star prospect who many believe has the potential to develop into a future all-conference performer in his own right.
WFOD’s Prediction:
Health and wellness is the ultimate variable with just about any player, but it particularly applies in the case of Breeland. With Herbert healthy, and with Breeland expected to be full-go by the time fall camp begins, everything is in place for an All-Pac-12 caliber season. Especially given some of the questions that still surround the capability of Oregon’s backs and receivers, Breeland could assert himself early this season as a highly-targeted safety valve as the rest of the Ducks’ offensive weapons work to find their rhythm. It won’t be easy to edge out guys like Stanford’s Kaden Smith, Washington’s Hunter Bryant, UCLA’s Caleb Wilson, and Oregon State’s Noah Togiai for all-conference honors, but Breeland has the quarterback in Herbert, and the overall talent to be named among the Pac-12’s best at season’s end. Expect him to improve beyond the honorable mention nod he received from the league’s coaches in 2017.
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?
Fall Camp Questions: Part III – Will consistent difference-makers emerge at receiver?