The last time the Oregon Ducks had a 5-star wide receiver come into the program was back in 2004. The last time that they had a WR drafted in the first or second round was 25 years ago. In the past eight years, there has been only one 1,000-yard WR on the team.
Give Oregon fans a bit of a break if they may be overly excited about the prospect of watching Jurrion Dickey in the coming months and years.
[lawrence-related id=45770]
Dickey, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound beast out in space, comes to the Ducks as the highest-rated WR since Cameron Colvin. He was rated by 247Sports as the No. 18 overall player in the 2023 class, and the No. 2 WR in the nation. The months leading up to his eventual arrival in Eugene have been anticipated, to say the least, and now that he’s got his webbed feet on the ground, the excitement is starting to bubble to the surface.
After practice on Thursday, I asked offensive coordinator Will Stein about his instant impressions of Dickey through two days of fall camp. He’d seen the film, and heard all of the buzz, but what was it like actually watching the 5-star at work?
“He’s a football player, you know? He’s got really, really good ball skills. He wants to be really good,” Stein said. “And he shows up early, he takes notes. He’s doing his best to be a pro. There’s still a lot of growth for him. He’s nowhere near ready to go out and produce at the level that he wants to, but day by day, he’s getting better.”
[lawrence-related id=45737]
Whether fans get a chance to see Dickey this fall is yet to be seen. At the moment, the Ducks have an incredibly stacked WR room, with the likes of Troy Franklin, Kris Hutson, Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, and Gary Bryant at the top. Below that group, you also have Kyler Kasper and Justius Lowe looking to make the jump as second-year players.
There is a lot of competition ahead of him, but early on Dickey has shown the desire to be great, and will work towards the future that he wants.
“I see a kid that wants it,” Stein said. “And you know, he’s a football player. He’s gonna block, he’s gonna catch the ball in traffic. He’s an exciting player. I’m excited about him.”
Join the group, Coach Stein.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]