Tag: DJ Johnson

Oregon’s DJ Johnson pushes for College Football Playoff expansion

Oregon’s DJ Johnson is in the group of people in favor of an expansion to the College Football Playoff.

While the talk of the college football world has been conference realignment over the past couple of months, at the heart of that conversation is the subject of expansion in the College Football Playoff.

At the moment, the CFP consists of 4 teams, voted on by a committee based on season success, strength of schedule, and quality of wins and losses. That has been the case since the inaugural playoff which took place in 2015, where the Oregon Ducks beat the Florida State Seminoles in the semi-finals, but fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the championship.

Since then, only one other team from the Pac-12 — the Washington Huskies — has made the playoff. For that reason, among many others, a large swath of people have been pushing for an expansion of the playoff, trying to get up to 12 or 16 teams in the mix.

Oregon linebacker DJ Johnson is one of those players to recently touch on this subject.

“I just feel it’s something that we want and need,” Oregon linebacker DJ Johnson said, via ESPN. “To not have a team on the West Coast in the Playoff just irritates you, because we definitely have talent.”

A larger playoff would mean more games for the athletes, but if you were to make the quarter-final and semi-final games aligned with bowl games and potentially cut down on non-conference games, it can be made to work in the schedule.

While the world of college football continues to shift in front of our eyes with NIL, the transfer portal, and conference realignment, don’t be shocked if we see more news about playoff expansion. It seems more likely than not that it is coming.

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A few takeaways from Oregon’s first spring practice in the Dan Lanning era

Media members were only allowed to watch for 15-20 minutes, but that was enough to give us a few takeaways from Oregon’s first spring practice.

For the first time since he was hired back in December of 2021, media members got to see Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning in action with his players on the field. Thursday marked the first day of spring football in Eugene.

Of course, media members only got to watch practice for about 20 minutes, and a good portion of that time was occupied with warm-ups and stretching. However, players eventually broke out into position drills and we got to see a bit of where some guys are lining up, how they look after an offseason away from the spotlight, and who is taking reps with who.

Here are some initial takeaways from the first day of spring ball:

Oregon football storylines to follow: Who is changing or adding positions?

Seven McGee, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and DJ Johnson could all be playing new positions during Oregon’s spring practices.

The past couple of months of Oregon Football have certainly been eventful, all the while very little action took place on the field. A new coaching staff has been put into place, and a top-25 recruiting class has been signed. Meanwhile, highly-rated transfers have come to Eugene, and a few key players have left for new destinations.

For an Oregon fan, there are a lot of storylines to keep track of, and with Spring Practice starting on March 10th, we will likely get a few answers in the coming weeks. So which ones should you be paying the most attention to? We tried to help answer that question in our continuing Spring Preview by singling out a few and highlighting what makes them so interesting.

Same players, but at new positions

(AP Photo/Andy Nelson)

There’s no doubt the primary focus for Oregon Ducks fans and analysts during spring football will be on the newcomers: how the key transfers look, how any incoming freshmen who are already on campus look, and of course what we can expect from new head coach Dan Lanning and his coordinators, Kenny Dillingham (offense) and Tosh Lupoi (defense).

That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of exciting storylines to follow regarding returning players, however, including three players are returning – but potentially in an entirely different role.

The first of those is Jackson Powers-Johnson, who is definitively moving from the offensive line to the defensive line this spring, a move that first happened against Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl when Powers-Johnson stepped up and played defensive line for a team ravaged by injuries and opt-outs.

“Jackson is going to start off on defense for us this spring,” Lanning told media after signing day. “We’ll continue to evaluate that. We want him to be able to help us. How can he help our team as fast as possible and how can he enhance himself and his career. So right now Jackson is gonna be on defense, but [that’s] always subject to change.”

Powers-Johnson initially joined the Ducks as a highly ranked offensive line recruit, and he played as a backup at both guard positions in 2021 – doing well in his limited role. This gives him an opportunity to carve out a bigger role on the team right away.

“I really don’t care. Whatever is best for the team,” he said in response to which position he’d like to play. “I love both [offense and defense], I played both in high school. I just like hitting people and being violent. So, whatever gives me the opportunity, I’ll go.”

Next up is a running back who could pull a De’Anthony Thomas for this team next year…

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DJ Johnson’s jersey number swap offers hint at position in 2022

DJ Johnson played both TE and DE in 2021, but based on his jersey number switch, we can presume which side of the ball he will be playing on.

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Going into the offseason following the 2021 season, there were some questions about whether or not tight end/defensive end DJ Johnson was going to return to Eugene for his final year with the Oregon Ducks. After the hiring of Dan Lanning, it became clear that Johnson was committing to one more season with the new regime, and now as the offseason rolls along, there are some hints being dropped about what his future with the Ducks holds.

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Those hints are subtle, and they have to do with his position designation for the upcoming season. Going into the 2020 season, Johnson moved over to the TE position, but split time between offense and defense in 2021, excelling in both spots. Now, based on a recent picture he posted to Twitter, we can determine that DJ plans to play mostly on defense this upcoming season.

It appears that Johnson will be switching from No. 12 to No. 2 this coming year, according to his locker. Why does that mean that he’s going to defense? Well, if you had also noticed that wide receiver Dont’e Thornton was switching from No. 10 to No. 2, then you’ll follow the breadcrumbs. You can’t have a pair of offensive players wearing the same jersey number, but you can have a defensive and offensive player in the same number. We often ran into this scenario last season with QB Robby Ashford and WR Jaylon Redd wearing the same jersey.

We feel pretty confident that Thornton will see a lot of playing time on the offense, so this would lead us to believe that Johnson will primarily line up on the defensive side of the ball.

With Lanning coming in as a national championship-winning defensive coordinator, you can bet that was part of his pitch to bring Johnson back to Eugene for one more run.

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Oregon TE/DE DJ Johnson announces return to Ducks for final season

Dan Lanning spoke about how valuable DJ Johnson’s 2-way ability was on Thursday, and Johnson announced his return a day later.

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The Oregon Ducks got another major commitment on Friday morning, this time with a former player announcing that he would be returning for his final year of college eligibility in Eugene.

DJ Johnson, who played both defensive end and tight end in the 2021 season, said on his Twitter account that he has “#unfinishedbusiness” and wants one more go at it with his team.

After playing only tight end in 2020, Johnson flipped to the defensive side of the ball in 2021, where he had 18 total tackles and one sack, which came in game-sealing fashion against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

On Thursday when talking to the media, head coach Dan Lanning mentioned how important it was to find players who could play multiple positions, and he mentioned Johnson in the conversation. We now know how valuable Lanning thinks he is.

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Patrick Herbert sustains knee injury in scrimmage

The injury bug bit Patrick Herbert once again as Mario Cristobal announces the tight end suffered a knee injury in the scrimmage Saturday.

It’s never good when an injury occurs in football, but when it’s during the first scrimmage of fall camp, it especially hurts.

According to Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal, tight end Patrick Herbert sustained what he called a “pretty good knee injury” during Saturday night’s scrimmage inside Autzen Stadium.

Herbert has had to deal with injuries ever since he arrived at Oregon and this is just the latest blow to what was, and possibly still could be, a promising career. When Herbert was finished at Sheldon High School in Eugene, he was the No. 1 recruit from the state and fans were hoping to see a Herbert-to-Herbert connection with star quarterback Justin Herbert, but that never materialized.

With Patrick Herbert out of the mix for the time being, the tight picture just got a little more clear. Oregon welcomed DJ Johnson back to practice and Cam McCormick, also with a history of injuries, has had a great fall camp so far.

Spencer Webb will definitely see time on the field and Terrance Ferguson, the four-star out of Colorado, has already opened a lot of eyes in camp.

With Patrick Herbert and Spencer Webb healthy, Oregon’s tight end depth is looking dominant

Both Herbert and Webb struggled with injuries during the 2020 season, but their return this spring has Oregon’s TE group looking deep.

Sharing a last name with one of the most famous players to put on a Ducks uniform is definitely a pressure-packed spot to be in, but for redshirt freshman Patrick Herbert, the stove isn’t likely to be too hot.

His 2020 season was cut short due to an injury, but the younger brother of Justin Herbert has bounced back and is ready to write his own story with the Ducks this year, hoping to carry on the family name and have an impact on the offense.

“It was great to see Patrick bounce back because Patrick is a guy we all know is going to be a really good football player,” head coach Mario Cristobal said after Saturday’s scrimmage. “You can coach him hard and he responds and he’s continued to develop and grow.”

Herbert has played in just a single game in his college career, but the high school standout came to Oregon as a 4-star recruit from Sheldon High School as the consensus top-ranked TE in the state.

Alongside him is Spencer Webb, who is also coming back from an injury last season that saw a promising season ended early. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end had 209 yards and three touchdowns in 2019, and he projects to be one of the top guys at that position this season.

“Losing (Webb) last year was something that really hurt us offensively. It’s good to see him have a really good spring as well,” Cristobal said.

While the return of both Herbert and Webb are helpful, it will still likely be a combo of Cam McCormick and DJ Johnson at the top of the depth chart. McCormick has had an injury-riddled career at Oregon, but he’s shown flashes of talent that give us hope for eventual production.

Health has played a significant role at this position for the Ducks over the past several years, unfortunately, but we may now be in a position where a knick or a bruise won’t tank the spot as a whole. Any one of these guys can step up when called upon and will have Oregon’s receiving group clicking on all gears.

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Spring Position Preview: It might finally be time for Herbert 2.0 to lead Oregon tight ends

Patrick Herbert will finally have the chance to show his stuff for Oregon as the starting tight end spot could be up for grabs.

When it comes to the depth chart for tight ends at Oregon, size certainly won’t be an issue.

What might be an issue is to figure out who is going to step up in the spring and fall to claim the starting spot on the roster, though. Thankfully for Mario Cristobal and his staff, they have a lot of good options to choose from.

(AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)

Most, if not all of the Ducks faithful are going to want to see what Patrick Herbert has to offer. Justin Herbert’s younger brother was a standout himself at Sheldon High School as a tight end, and his 6-foot-5, 244-pound frame makes for a perfect target over the middle, while also providing some value in pass protection.

Herbert was the No. 1 recruit to come from the state in 2018 and he was a USA Today first-team All-Oregon selection at the tight end position, earning first-team 6A All-State honors by The Oregonian as a tight end and honorable mention recognition as a punter. Herbert had 43 receptions for 797 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior for the Irish.

Many were hoping for that Herbert-to-Herbert connection when Justin was a senior, but the younger Herbert played in just one game in 2019 before redshirting and didn’t see any game action in 2020. Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s scheme does feature the tight end, which should highlight Herbert’s unique abilities.

Most likely, however, junior DJ Johnson and sophomore Spencer Webb will be the frontrunners to be the starting tight end for Oregon.

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

After transferring from Miami and sitting out a season, Johnson was able to finally make some plays for the Ducks in 2020. At 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, the former defensive end turned TE caught 10 passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns.

As for Webb, the 6-foot-6, 240-pounder played in all 12 games in 2019 as a redshirt freshman, catching 18 passes for 209 yards and three scores. Unfortunately for Webb, he was injured for most of 2020 and didn’t get to play. Oregon is hoping those injury days are behind him and Webb can turn back into his 2019 form.

The same can be said for Cam McCormick, a 6-foot-5, 251-pounder from Bend, Ore. His career has been plagued with injuries for the past three seasons. If he can somehow avoid the injury bug, the senior can provide some extra muscle and another huge target to throw at.

If for some reason Webb and/or McCormack can’t play at full capacity, Oregon brought in one of the top prep tight ends in the nation in 6-foot-6, 240-pound Moliki Matavao from Henderson, Nevada. Nearly every school gave him a scholarship offer despite his senior season being canceled for the pandemic.

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