The Oregon Ducks continue to roll through spring practices, as the new staff gets a closer look at the talent on this roster ahead of the 2022 fall season.
Much of the talent is returning from last year’s squad, but new head coach Dan Lanning did some work of his own, snagging a handful of commitments for the incoming class of 2021 while pulling some high profile players via the transfer portal.
Two of the most recent additions to the roster are playmakers on the offensive side of the ball; running back Noah Whittington and wide receiver Chase Cota, transfers from Western Kentucky and UCLA, respectively.
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Whittington was a dynamic back for Western Kentucky last season, rushing for over 600 yards and averaging a whopping 6.1 yards per carry. He follows coach Carlos Locklyn out west, as Locklyn is now the running backs coach under Lanning in Eugene.
That familiarity certainly played a factor in both sides agreeing to bring him on board.
“I mean, obviously he’s a guy that we had a background on with Coach Locklyn coaching him before,” coach Lanning said after practice on Tuesday. “So he’s a guy we were familiar with and once he became available, he’s a guy that we thought could help our roster and benefit us.”
Whittington will help shore up a running back room that has seen a ton of departures this offseason, and helps give the team flexibility to move Seven McGee out to a wide receiver role. That’s also an area with a lot of turnover this season, which includes the addition of former UCLA receiver Chase Cota.
Cota is not only familiar with Oregon thanks to his time with the Bruins, his dad – Chad Cota – was one of the most iconic defensive backs in school history, even making the school’s Hall of Fame in 2012.
“I think this place means a little bit to Chase,” Lanning commented. “You can see that he’s intelligent, he has experience, so certainly excited to see what he can do out there.”
Cota had 883 receiving yards and six touchdowns in four years at UCLA, and comes home to join the Ducks for his final year of eligibility in 2022.
Whittington and Cota may not be the stars of Oregon’s offense this fall, but both will play key roles and add experience and depth to this team as they get set to begin the Dan Lanning era in Eugene.
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