Competition and fall camp walk hand-in-hand, but in Eugene, there is one position battle being waged that may well produce unexpected results.

Entering the month of August, redshirt junior Jacob Breeland was the obvious bet to line up as the starting tight end for the Ducks when the season kicks off September 1 versus Bowling Green. And after leading all Oregon pass catchers with five touchdown receptions last season, why wouldn’t he be?

Even in this very space we openly wondered whether Breeland would take that next step in his development, and elevate his game to an All-Pac-12 level. And the belief was that he would, particularly given the chemistry he displayed with junior quarterback Justin Herbert in the first four games of the 2017 season before Herbert suffered a broken collarbone last September versus Cal.

However, if the first two days of fall camp have indicated anything, it’s that Breeland is going to have a fight on his hands with redshirt sophomore challenger Cam McCormick.

Over the course of two days, McCormick has reportedly had the leg up on Breeland in receiving reps with the first team offense. And while Breeland has gotten opportunities of his own to work with the first team, it’s McCormick who has surprisingly held the early edge in the competition.

Last season, there was essentially no comparison in the production the Ducks received between the two players. Breeland not only led the Ducks in touchdown receptions, but he also led all Oregon pass catchers with 10 or more receptions in yards per catch (17.8) and finished third on the team in receiving yards (320); both statistics serving as testimony to his ability as a field-stretching threat in the passing game.

McCormick, on the other hand, had no where near the impact of Breeland. Though athletically built with the speed and hands to be a factor in the passing game, McCormick was often under-utilized, as he was often employed as an extra blocker in two tight end sets. In fact, in his first year of action following a redshirt season, the Bend native appeared in 13 games, though only registered six catches for 89 yards and a score.

It was reported during the spring that McCormick had made steady strides building off an encouraging, if not modest, start to his Oregon career, but it wasn’t widely believed to be the kind of emergence that necessarily portended a significant move up the depth chart.

It seems now, evidently, that it should have.

It’s notable that nagging injuries have often impacted Breeland’s ability to provide consistent production. However, aside from being limited this past spring, there have been no documented issues with Breeland with fall camp now in swing – lending credence to McCormick’s rise being merit-based opposed to an opportunity gifted to him due to injury.

With all that said, it really cannot be emphasized enough that only TWO fall camp practices have transpired, and plenty can and will change over the course of a matter of days, let alone the four weeks that separate the Ducks from the start of the season.

Making any sort definitive statements or conclusions at this point would be folly, but given the early indications, it seems almost certain that the tight end battle will have no shortage of intrigue as fall camp unfolds.