It’s been a while since we gathered around the roundtable, but at long last, we are back to offer some opinions and predictions. The Oregon Ducks’ annual spring game kicks off on Saturday afternoon at Autzen Stadium, and we will get a chance to see a whole host of new faces in Oregon uniforms, like Dillon Gabriel, Dante Moore, Evan Stewart, Jabbar Muhammad, and many others.
While the outcome of the game is largely unimportant, there are still so many takeaways that we can have from the game in general, getting our first good look at what this roster looks like on the field.
To preview the game, we go through our weekly roundtable with the writers from Ducks Wire. Here’s our first roundtable of the year.
Question: A lot has changed since the last time we met for a roundtable, and there are a lot of new faces in Eugene. To start things off, let’s keep it simple: What has been your favorite storyline of the offseason for the Ducks?
Zachary Neel: The fact that Oregon is slowly turning into a “wide receiver school” is so entertaining for me. As someone who grew up in Eugene, the Ducks were never known for their WR talent, but they’ve flourished in that area over the past few years, and now have one of the deepest and most talented group of pass-catchers in the nation, with Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart, Traeshon Holden, Gary Bryant, Kyler Kasper, Jurrion Dickey, etc.
Don Smalley: I think just the big picture of the Dan Lanning Era coming into view. You can say this is truly his team with just a very few holdovers from the last regime remaining. His recruiting efforts will be on display on the field and not just off-the-field stories. Lanning’s staff continues to get better and better with each season.
Miles Dwyer: I love the Ducks bringing in Jabbar Muhammad. In the era of the transfer portal, there are bound to be interrivalry defections like this. Muhammad is one of the best corners in the country, he’ll bring a lot of experience to the Ducks’ defense, and he already seems to be fitting in well with the team.
Question: The QB room looks drastically different now than it did a year ago, with Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore coming in. Austin Novosad is still competing as well. Which guy are you most excited to see in the spring game on Saturday?
Zachary Neel: Of course, I will be watching Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore closely, but I’m very intrigued to see what Austin Novosad brings to the table on Saturday. I’ve heard some really good things about him in Oregon’s scrimmages so far this spring, and the coaches say he has improved drastically since his freshman year. The other two QBs will get the headlines, but I think Novosadhas a lot to prove on Saturday.
Don Smalley: The easy answer is Gabriel. He’s going to be the quarterback for the 2024 season as the Ducks go into the Big Ten. How well he plays this season will determine a lot of how far the Ducks go this year. I’m anxious to see how he throws the ball and what kind of chemistry he has with the receivers.
Miles Dwyer: I’m excited to see all three — and Luke Moga as well — but I’m most excited to see Dante Moore. We’ve seen Dillon Gabriel perform at a high level in college for several years, but Moore is still relatively new. I’m excited to see how he’s grown this spring, after an up-and-way-down first year at UCLA offseason and how Will Stein wants to gameplan around him.
Question: A ton has been made of Oregon’s WR group this year, with some newcomers and returners leading the way. I’m going to take Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, and Gary Bryant off of the table — who will have your eye the most on Saturday?
Zachary Neel: Kyler Kasper will likely draw my attention the most on Saturday. From the sounds of it, he has had a great offseason and really established himself as one of the playmakers in this offense. Kasper brings some size to the room that nobody else on the roster can, so if he is able to carve out a role, it will be interesting to watch develop for the Ducks.
Don Smalley: I’m looking forward to Evan Stewart and Kyler Kasper for different reasons. Stewart is supposed to be that can’t-miss recruit and never really found a footing at Texas A&M. His talent is through the charts and hopefully, with equal talent around him, Stewart will get to show it. Kasper seems to have been in the system forever and now as a redshirt sophomore, he’ll get his chance to play significantly more and show us what he can do.
Miles Dwyer: I’m watching No. 99: Jurrion Dickey. Evan Stewart is exciting, but Dickey is a player we’ve been waiting over a year to see at full strength. Now that he’s fully recovered from his injury and has had a season to develop within Oregon’s offense, he could be one of the Ducks’ most dangerous weapons, and we may get our first glimpse of that on Saturday.
Question: Let’s look at the defense. Like the QB room, the secondary looks completely different from a year ago. Who do you most want to watch closely and see in live action in the secondary?
Zachary Neel: I’m going to go a little bit off the radar with this pick and say true freshman safety Aaron Flowers. There was some buzz after his commitment that the staff thought he could come in and eventually be a difference-maker in the secondary during his first season, so I want to see how accurate those projections were, and if the 4-star can stand out in his first live action.
Don Smalley: Jabbar Muhammad is the easy answer so I’ll go with Kam Alexander, the transfer from UTSA. It’ll be interesting to see if he can be as good on this level in the Big Ten (weird saying that) as he was on the C-USA level. Yes, it’s D-I, but will still be a jump up on a week-in, week-out basis for him.
Miles Dwyer: I want to see how Tysheem Johnson looks in year two as a Duck. Last year, Johnson’s primary role was the STAR position on Oregon’s defense, but this year it seems he’ll be moving back to strong safety. There are a lot of new faces on this defense, so I’m excited to see how Johnson leads that group.
Question: Yellow vs. Green, who do you think is going to win?
Zachary Neel: I don’t quite think these teams were split evenly… Green gets Dillon Gabriel, Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart, Ajani Cornelius, Jordan Burch, Jestin Jacobs, and Jabbar Muhammad? I’m going to ride with that squad.
Don Smalley: Although the teams are fairly even, I’m going with the white team to “win” over the green. The dual QBs of Moore and Novosad plus the overall receiver talent should be enough for the White team to come out on top.
Miles Dwyer: I like the Green Team. Dillon Gabriel throwing to Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart on offense doesn’t seem fair. And with Jordan Burch, Jestin Jacobs, and Jabbar Muhammad (the three Js) on defense, I think green is the team to beat.
Question: Let’s end it with this: You can’t answer Dillon Gabriel, and you can’t answer Dante Moore — who do you predict will be the Spring Game Ducks Wire Player of the Game?
Zachary Neel: If I were to bet on this, I would say Tez Johnson. But can I tell you who I most want to win the Player of the Game Award? Jay Harris. Give him 10-12 carries and let us see what he can do.
Don Smalley: How cool would it be for Noah Whittington to come back from injury and score two or three touchdowns? I’m rooting for that story.
Miles Dwyer: Again, Evan Stewart is an intriguing name, but I’m taking Tez Johnson. His speed and explosiveness is the perfect recipe for domination in an exhibition game like this one. Last year, he was introducing himself to Ducks fans, but this year, Tez is fully-established. There’s some concern that Johnson won’t be able to replicate his stellar first-season as a Duck, and while that remains to be seen, I think with Tez’s skillset, he’ll keep finding new ways to surprise us.