Following a relatively uneventful, injury-free offseason that saw the Ducks enter fall camp with a clean bill of health, it appears as if the first fall camp injury casualty has come after just four days on the field.

On Tuesday, Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal announced that senior wide receiver Brenden Schooler would be out for the next several weeks recovering from a foot injury suffered in practice over the weekend.

“Brenden hurt his foot and he hurt it pretty good. He had a procedure done yesterday,” Cristobal told members of the assembled media Tuesday. “It’ll probably be six weeks optimistically, eight weeks realistically before he’s back.”

Given the timetable for recovery, Schooler could return to action as soon as the September 16 tilt vs. FCS opponent Montana, though the more conservative estimate puts him back on the field for Oregon’s October 5 contest vs. Cal at Autzen Stadium. It’s also worth noting that the Ducks will be coming off a bye that week, allowing additional time for recovery, if needed.

In the meantime, the Ducks must identify a reliable replacement/replacements for Schooler, who is the most tenured Duck at receiver on the roster.

Though pegged as a starter at wide receiver entering the upcoming year, from a statistical standpoint, Schooler has produced modestly at the position over the course of his career. In the past two seasons combined, Schooler has compiled 41 receptions for 477 yards and four touchdowns. However, as a special teamer, Schooler is one of Oregon’s most impactful players, as he earned first team All-Pac-12 recognition from the conference’s coaches each of the past two seasons.

The player reported to be first in line to replace Schooler on Tuesday was junior Johnny Johnson. Johnson, who has shown flashes of big play potential early in his collegiate career, has also been the poster child for Oregon’s struggles with drops since the start of last season. Sturdily built, with a knack for making difficult catches appear routine, consistency is the only thing standing between Johnson and a prominent role on this team.

Providing Johnson with a steady diet of competition for reps with the first team is true freshman Josh Delgado, who was on hand for spring practice and has played well enough to garner a long look at early playing time, particularly if Johnson falters. He will be joined in the push for reps by fellow true freshman Lance Wilhoite, a talented 6-foot-3, 176-pound wide receiver from Nashville (Tenn.) who was a consensus four-star recruit during the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Mycah Pittman may also factor into the equation as a potential starter in Schooler’s absence, as the true freshman from Calabasas (Calif.) has been nothing short of sensational, per reports, since fall camp got underway last week. Pittman is currently slotted as Jaylon Redd’s back up in the slot, but given his skill set and the way he has performed of late, may be too good keep in a reserve role.