Johnny Johnson III – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Ducks Depth Chart Preview: Special teams can be special with starters running the show

Oregon special teams will consist of several first-stringers with speed and talent making them even more dangerous for opponents.

It used to be that the special teams were made up of second and third stringers, mostly freshmen, looking to participate on the field in any way they possibly can.

Oregon is looking to throw that notion in the garbage.

The Ducks special teams are going to consist of offensive and defensive starters looking to make that much of a difference that could turn a loss into a win thanks to either better field position or explosion plays.

Players such as starting wide receivers Mycah Pittman and Johnny Johnson III will be returning punts and kickoffs, respectively. Mykael Wright has already shown his explosion capabilities as a kick returner (ask USC) and while there is still a competition or the top kicking spot between Henry Katleman and Camden Lewis, we can at least have confidence that the Ducks have a solid option there.

But Oregon does have other world-class athletes who can pick up the slack if Pittman and/or Johnson need a break. Jaylen Redd has experience in the return game, as does Kris Hutson. Freshman Seven McGee’s speed and ability to shift through players also make him a candidate to see some time as a returner as well.

Here is our projection for the depth chart at the start of the season:

‘We’ve got some future Biletnikoff winners:’ Trio of freshmen WRs showing out at Oregon camp

The three freshmen receivers have incredible upside, and their performance throughout Oregon’s fall camp has been impossible to ignore.

Coming into the 2021 season, the Oregon Ducks were sporting a trio of 4-star recruits at the wide receiver position, and there were some high hopes that they could potentially get onto the field early in their freshman seasons, getting a jump start on their college careers.

After almost two weeks of fall camp, those expectations have been blown out of the water. Now it’s not a question of whether or not any of these receivers can see the field in 2021, but rather a wonder of how big of an impact they can ultimately have.

With Troy Franklin, Dont’e Thornton, and Isaiah Brevard all vying for meaningful playing time in the offense, the Ducks have as good of a problem as they can ask for.

“They’re hard workers, you know they’re technicians and they really want to take the coaching points and put it on the field,” said super-senior WR Johnny Johnson III after Thursday’s practice. “I love the way those dudes work, and they’re going to continue to be great. I think we’ve got some future Biletnikoff winners over here.”

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The Biletnikoff Award, given to the best WR in college football for that season, has never been won by an Oregon Duck, but Demetrius Williams was a semifinalist in both 2004 and 2005.

The majority of the spotlight this fall has been on both Franklin and Thornton, due to their already high name recognition with the fanbase. Both freshmen were able to enroll early at Oregon and participate in the spring game, where they surely turned heads. The two led the team in receiving on the day, with Franklin hauling in four catches for 93 yards and Thorton adding 3 catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.

“I think with Dont’e and Troy, the fact that they’ve been here since January, so they’ve had the whole spring and those guys have done a good job of making plays,” said Offensive Coordinator Joe Moorhead. “And Isaiah has come in with the rest of the other freshmen, and he’s actually — we’ve got to get him up to speed on what to do — but he’s made a lot of plays and caught a lot of touchdowns in camp. Between the three of those guys, it’s as impressive of a true freshman recruiting class as I’ve been around in a long time.”

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Fans may not have been too familiar with Brevard before fall camp started, but the freshman has done a good job of getting up to speed with the rest of the guys. In Oregon’s first scrimmage of fall camp, which was open to season-ticket holders, Brevard caught the only touchdown of the day in 11-vs-11 drills, hauling in a 38-yard pass from QB Robby Ashford. Brevard also had two other catches on the drive to set up the score.

“He has all of the physical abilities,” Johnson said of Brevard. “I think at the beginning, the playbook was kind of the biggest thing for him to figure out, and I think he’s starting to tighten up on that. He’s continued to make plays. He made a lot of plays in the last scrimmage, and he’s going to continue to do that.”

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With so many veteran and experienced receivers ahead of them on the depth chart, it may be hard to crack the starting lineup for any of these freshmen. With Johnson, and Mycah Pittman, and Jaylon Redd, and Devon Williams all jockeying for touches, there could simply be too much talent on the field to get everyone the targets that they deserve.

At a position group where the Ducks have historically underachieved over the years, that sounds like a great problem to have.

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Johnny Johnson III is slowly making himself into an all-time great Duck

Oregon’s Super Senior Johnny Johnson III is making himself into an all-time great Duck in Eugene.

When you think of all-time great Oregon Duck receivers throughout time, names such as Samie Parker and Jeff Maehl come to mind.

Slowly, but surely, however, Johnny Johnson III is creeping into the conversation of the school’s best pass catchers in history. If you ask Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal or offensive coach Joe Moorhead, what Johnson means to this program goes far beyond the numbers.

“Him announcing that he was going to return tells you a couple of things,” Cristobal said of his star wideout in an Oregon Sports Network interview on Media Day Monday. “His commitment to improvement for himself individually, but also the fact that he wants more for Oregon and out of Oregon.”

Johnson could have easily been a second or third-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft but instead announced he would spend his senior season in Eugene. But for Johnson, choosing to stay at Oregon as a “super senior” went beyond football.

“It gives me more of an opportunity to lead, for sure,” he said on Oregon media day. “I get to be around a lot of these young dudes I wouldn’t have the chance to meet. It’s a blessing for me and I get to grow relationships as well as become a better football player at the same time.”

Those young dudes Johnson was talking about will get to watch a real veteran go about his craft and learn. Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead says the development of the young receivers in camp is a lot due to having Johnson there.

“Just his veteran presence and the fact that he’s performed very well, and in big games,” Moorhead said in an interview with OSN. “The young guys and even the older guys see how Johnny operates and the way he conducts himself, how hard he works in the weight room and on the field with every practice rep is at a very high level and he translates that to games.”

But they also have some big shoes to fill once Johnson does move on to the next level.

In his four seasons at Oregon, including the shortened season of 2020, Johnson has 114 receptions for 1,617 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s averaging over 14 yards per catch.

The Ducks have as much depth at the receiver position as any team in the country. But what most teams don’t have is a receiver that has had as much experience as Johnson will bring to the 2021 season.

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With experience on their side, Oregon’s wide receivers are leading the way

Experience and leadership have propelled Oregon’s veteran receivers to set an example for younger guys at spring practice thus far.

It’s not often that you get a group of wide receivers that is as experienced and talented as the one that the Oregon Ducks are working with right now.

Sure there are teams like the 2019 Alabama Crimson Tide, who had Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, and Henry Ruggs all on the roster, all of which will end up being first-round draft picks once this week is in the rearview mirror. However, that’s an absolute anomaly in the NCAA. Typically, a good team will have one or two experienced pass-catchers and an up-and-coming young guy that can help pick up the slack.

For the Ducks, there are at a minimum four guys who could be the WR1, with a group of underclassmen ready to hit the ground running behind them. When you’re looking at good problems to have, there may be too much talent to deal with at times, with just one ball going around.

The depth chart is headed up by seniors Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd, as well as sophomores Mycah Pittman and Devon Williams. Between those four players, there is a deep well of experience, and head coach Mario Cristobal said on Saturday that the knowledge and leadership they’re bringing to the table is helping tremendously when it comes to bringing the younger class of players along.

“The older guys have been great,” Cristobal said. “The older guys have done a really good job, making plays, pushing the tempo. Inforcing the culture in a big-time way.”

Behind those top players, Oregon has a wealth of guys who could potentially break out this season if given the chance. We’ve heard great things already about sophomore Isaah Crocker this spring, and the arrival of both Troy Franklin and Dont’e Thorton has given the Ducks some real depth at the position. You also have players like Kris Hutson and Josh Delgado returning this season as well.

All in all, there should not be any lack of production at the wide receiver position for Oregon. Assuming that they can get some high-level production for the quarterback spot, which seems to belong to Anthony Brown at this point, then there is no reason to believe that the Ducks’ offense won’t be firing on all cylinders once the season begins.

We may not have to see it in action on September 4th against Fresno State, but when Oregon travels to The Shoe at Ohio State on September 11th for a blockbuster matchup with the Buckeyes, you can bet that Joe Moorhead will have everything clicking just the way we are expecting.

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Spring Position Preview: Johnny Johnson III heads up a deep and talented receiver corps

When Johnny Johnson III announced he was returning for one more season, Oregon’s receiver group went from good to great just like that.

Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal may have a big decision to make where it comes to his quarterback, but whoever that is, he’s going to have plenty of targets to throw to as the Ducks will feature a group of receivers that is second to none.

That receiving group was already going to be outstanding with Mycah Pittman and Devon Williams on the field. The group went from great to possibly elite when senior Johnny Johnson III announced he was coming back for another season.

(Pool photo by Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard)

The Chandler, Ariz. native has turned into a dependable playmaker that can beat nearly every defender despite his 6-foot, 199-pound frame. Johnson comes into the 2021 season with 114 career receptions for 1,617 yards and 14 touchdowns. His breakout season came in 2019 when Johnson caught 57 balls for 836 yards and seven scores.

Johnson was primed to have another monster season in 2020 until the world was turned upside down. He also had to learn a new offensive scheme under coordinator Joe Moorhead, plus a new quarterback tossing the pigskin. All of those factors, as expected, put a damper on his season as Johnson caught just 19 passes for 267 yards and two scores.

Now with more of a normal senior season ahead of him, Johnson can have a year the Ducks know he can have, But Johnson isn’t nearly the only weapon at Oregon’s disposal.

On the other side of the field, Pittman is also out to prove that 2020 was a fluke, but for different reasons than his receiving counterpart. He was sidelined after five games due to COVID-19. His freshman season was also cut short due to injuries, so the Ducks are hoping those maladies are history and they can see what Pittman can do in a full 12-game season.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder came to Eugene in 2019 as one of the top prep wide receivers in the country and has shown flashes of brilliance on the field.

With names like Johnson and Pittman on the roster, it’s easy to forget players such as Jaylon Redd and Williams. Oregon is looking forward to having all four of those players healthy at the same time just to see the havoc they can do against opposing defenses.

Redd is entering his senior season with 118 career receptions for 1,238 yards and 14 touchdowns. He chose to use his extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic and the Ducks have to be thrilled with that decision. Redd can be used in multiple ways due to his size and speed.

At 5-foot-9 and 187 pounds, he has been used as a scatback or a slot receiver, making it difficult to find him in the formation. Redd has five career rushing touchdowns.

Williams, at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, led the Ducks with 286 yards and two touchdowns in the six games he played. When he committed to USC in 2018, he was considered the top athlete in the country. He played all 12 games for the Trojans in 2018 but caught just four passes for 87 yards.

With his size, the Ducks will be able to exploit mismatches in the secondary for easy touchdowns. He classified as a sophomore, so Oregon hopes it gets two or maybe three full seasons with Williams on the field.

If for some reason an injury occurs to one of the four main receivers, the Ducks will be able to turn to players such as freshman Troy Franklin, a 6-foot-2, 170-pounder from East Palo Alto, Calif. He was one of the top receivers in the 2020 recruiting class.

Freshman Kris Hutson saw limited playing time last season as did sophomore Josh Delgado.

The only thing that could stop this group is injuries because defenses are going to have a difficult time keeping these Ducks covered.

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