Tag: Junior Adams

Michigan State WR with close ties to Oregon coach Junior Adams enters transfer portal

From Junior Adams to former high school teammates, there are endless connections between MSU transfer Germie Bernard and the Ducks.

When it comes to players entering the transfer portal in college football, a common thing that fans often do is try to figure out what connections there are between said player and their own team, hoping to find a link that might bring the prospect to their town.

For the Oregon Ducks, there are some easy connections to see when it comes to former Michigan State Spartans’ wide receiver Germie Bernard, who entered the portal this week after one season in East Lansing.

Bernard, who was a 4-star recruit in 2022 and was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 37 WR in the class, has a close connection with Oregon WR coach Junior Adams. Bernard was committed to play for the Washington Huskies last year, but just a few days after Adams accepted the job with the Ducks, Bernard announced that he would be decommitting from Washington.

Not enough? Consider that the Ducks also have a couple of recruiters on the roster that know Bernard well; DE Anthony Jones and DL Sir Mells were teammates with Bernard at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nevada.

Maybe all of that means very little, and the highly-talented WR with 3 years of eligibility remaining will choose his next team purely based on opportunity and scheme. Or maybe Germie Bernard will look for teams in the college landscape with a need at the WR position — the Ducks — who have a coach that he knows well — Adams — and a couple of teammates in the locker room that he is familiar  with — Jones and Mells.

It’s just a thought.

Germie Bernard’s Transfer Portal

Position Outlook: How future of Oregon’s WR room looks after recent transfers, recruiting news

A look at how Oregon’s WR room stacks up in the coming years after recent transfers, recruiting news.

At this point in the college football season, nearly everyone in the nation is seeing their roster go through a makeover of sorts. For some teams, that means a complete overhaul, and droves of players decide to enter the transfer portal and find a new home. Other teams will see numerous players leave for the NFL draft, leaving a spot to fill behind them. A lot of schools will also have the prospect of highly-rated recruits coming to town to fill a need.

For the Oregon Ducks, we’ve got a little bit of all three of those scenarios. We’ve already seen a few players enter the transfer portal, and as the offseason grows longer, you can expect more to declare for the NFL draft. That allows us to take a look at some position groups as a whole and assess how the future looks.

Today, we want to look closely at the wide receiver room. With news that Dont’e Thornton intends to transfer, plus the loss of Seven McGee from weeks ago, it’s clear that this position will look different next year than it did this last season.

Let’s take a closer look.

7 candidates to replace Kenny Dillingham as offensive coordinator for the Ducks

Who takes over at OC now for the Ducks? Will it be an in-house promotion or an outside hire? We came up with a few candidates to consider.

This is a song and dance that Oregon Duck fans know all too well at this point.

On Saturday afternoon, less than an hour after the Ducks suffered an embarrassing collapse against the rival Oregon State Beavers and saw their regular season come to an end, it was reported that offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham would be leaving Eugene to take over as the new head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. Dillingham will now be the first head coach in college history to be born in the 1990s.

With the departure, Oregon now has a coaching vacancy at the offensive coordinator spot. This is not something new to Duck fans, as the OC and DC roles have been virtually a revolving door over the past decade, with several guys moving on to take better, higher-paying jobs elsewhere. It’s a good problem to have because it means that the team is finding success on the field.

However, it leaves us wondering who is going to be the next man to be calling plays in Eugene.

The search is still in very early stages, of course, but we cobbled together a few names that might be of some interest to either be promoted or hired, at Oregon. Take a look.

‘He lives in the WR room;’ Dont’e Thorton is putting in the work to have special 2022 season

“Dont’e is one of those guys that literally lives in the receiver room, like, every time I’m coming in there, he’s sitting at the computer and he’s watching something.”

After a true-freshman season that saw minimal chances to shine, wide receiver Dont’e Thornton finished the year on a high note. The Ducks’ young star hauled in 4 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Alamo Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Now he’s looking to carry that success into a sophomore campaign that could see Thornton rise to the top of the Ducks’ WR depth chart.

The talk of spring ball was that Thornton was working hard to take over a leadership role in the receiving room. That was an important development as the team worked to welcome a new coaching staff and get the early weeks of the quarterback competition off the ground.

[lawrence-related id=28104]

Over the summer months, it doesn’t seem like much has changed.

”Dont’e has put in a lot of work this summer, and he’s making plays,” said Oregon’s WR coach Junior Adams. “Dont’e is one of those guys that literally lives in the receiver room, like, every time I’m coming in there, he’s sitting at the computer and he’s watching something.”

While showing up and working on the field would sometimes be enough in a normal year, this is by no means a normal year for the Ducks. An entirely new coaching staff and offensive scheme is now being implemented, leaving the players with pages and pages of install to memorize forward and backward before the start of the season rolls around.

[lawrence-related id=27859]

Though offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham’s scheme is complex, the offensive coaches said on Tuesday that they feel the team is starting to feel comfortable with it. Thornton is certainly helping that process.

”He’s the guy that night before a practice or a meeting the next day, he’s the one that’s texting the group like ‘Hey, can we get the install for tomorrow?’” Adams said. “He’s one of those types of guys, so I enjoy being around Dont’e, he’s a great kid.”

The Ducks have an incredibly deep — although inexperienced — WR corps with 11 former 4-star recruits. Competition for targets will be tight, but with the work that Thornton has been putting in this off-season, he’s sure to be near the top of the pecking order.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=none image=https://duckswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=27998]

Caleb Chapman is ready to put his injuries in the rear view mirror

Oregon wide receiver Caleb Chapman looks to put his injuries behind him and wants to make an impact for the Ducks.

Caleb Chapman wasn’t in Eugene for spring practices, but it looks like that won’t matter much.

The former Texas A&M wide receiver joined the Ducks via the transfer portal early this summer and it didn’t take long for Chapman to open a lot of eyes within the Oregon program.

At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, the senior has been battling injuries throughout his career, including two ACL tears and a foot ailment, so his statistics don’t jump off the page. Now completely healthy, Chapman looks to jump up the depth chart and become a major threat to take a starting spot from someone in an already deep and talented receivers room.

Here’s everything of note Chapman had to say in his first media session as a Duck.

Junior Adams named one to watch for future D-1 head coach jobs by ESPN

Oregon Ducks wide receivers coach Junior Adams was named as an assistant coach to watch for future D-1 head coaching jobs, per ESPN.

The Oregon Ducks are not only led by a 36-year-old first time head coach in Dan Lanning, they have a handful of other young, hungry coaches on staff ready to help this team break through in 2022.

Among them is wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Junior Adams, 42, who was recently named by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg as one of 45 minority coaches under 45 who could become a D-1 head football coach in the future.

Adams came to Oregon after spending the past three seasons up north in Washington with the Huskies. He was at Boise State, Eastern Washington, and Western Kentucky before that, and played football at Oregon State and Montana State prior to coaching.

“Junior has been on the radar,” an industry source told Rittenberg. “Oregon has put together a strong and diverse staff.”

Adams has proven his worth as a recruiter already, with 247Sports ranking him the third best recruiter in the Pac-12 and 60th nationally.

He’ll get a chance to prove he is more than that once the season starts, however, as he will share offensive coordinator duties with Kenny Dillingham in their first year in Eugene.

[listicle id=26245]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=none image=https://duckswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Kenny Dillingham credits receiver development to Junior Adams

“I think those guys [Thornton and Franklin] are some of his next pupils that are going to follow in the footsteps of some of the guys like Cooper Kupp.”

[jwplayer f2mmurLr]

Much has been made about the three biggest newcomers to the Oregon Ducks coaching staff: head coach Dan Lanning, offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi.

However, with three new coaches came countless other positional coaches, coordinators, and analysts – many who come to Eugene with extremely impressive resumes.

One of those newcomers is Junior Adams, who has the title of co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach after getting hired in early January away from the University of Washington.

“Junior Adams has tremendous experience on the West Coast both as a player and a coach, as well as knowledge and familiarity working in the Pac-12 Conference,” Lanning said at the time of the hiring. “Coach Adams is a terrific teacher and mentor of young men, and I am excited for our student-athletes to get the opportunity to learn from him.”

Adams worked with multiple high level receivers while at UW (2019-2021) and has experience at Western Kentucky and Boise State as well – although his biggest claim to fame may be as the primary recruiter and positional coach at Eastern Washington, where he brought in future Super Bowl star Cooper Kupp.

Now, Adams is helping to mentor a bevy of young receivers at Oregon, including Dont’e Thornton and Troy Franklin.

“I think I think Coach Junior Adams is one of the best one out coaches in the profession,” Dillingham said. “When you look at his track record of developing wide receivers, and I think those guys [Thornton and Franklin] are some of his next pupils that are going to follow in the footsteps of some of the guys like Cooper Kupp that he’s had in his past. And they’ve just come to work every day. And it’s been that the entire room has just grown so much from top to bottom.”

Oregon may have a very young, mostly inexperienced group of receivers heading into 2022, but they have the right personnel to get the most out of these guys for this upcoming season and beyond.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1ka9pj1bee6x305k7 playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1ka9pj1bee6x305k7/01g1ka9pj1bee6x305k7-c3b9c90d6c04b8d9a748ae92a9f308d8.jpg]

[listicle id=23380]

Breaking: 4-star WR Kyler Kasper commits to Oregon Ducks

Big-time commitment for the Ducks. Kyler Kasper, a 6-foot-5, 4-star WR is coming to Eugene in 2023.

[jwplayer oXmJcGLx]

The receiver talent in Eugene just got a major boost for the class of 2023.

On Sunday morning, 4-star wide receiver Kyler Kasper announced that he will be committing to the Oregon Ducks and joining the 2023 class of commits. Kasper is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound WR from Gilbert, AZ. He is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 20 WR in the 2023 class, and No. 125 player overall.

Kasper made a number of trips to Eugene over the past several months with his father, Kevin Kasper, who was an 8-year NFL veteran. In the end, Kasper chose the Ducks over teams like the Tennessee Volunteers and Iowa Hawkeyes.

Kasper now joins an Oregon 2023 recruiting class that includes 4-star CB Cole Martin and 3-star DL Tevita Pome’e. With the addition of Kasper, the Ducks now have the third-best class in the Pac-12, trailing the Colorado Buffaloes and USC Trojans.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[mm-video type=video id=01g0tps1x8j9ysrng61t playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g0tps1x8j9ysrng61t/01g0tps1x8j9ysrng61t-1944c690b28959eb2efc17e78ce693f7.jpg]

[listicle id=22743]

Oregon coaching staff impressed by WR Justius Lowe after being ‘thrown into the fire’

Ducks WR Justius Lowe was thrown into the deep end and asked to swim this spring. The Oregon coaches have been impressed thus far.

[jwplayer rKN7sz1K]

Take a trip back in time to the spring of your senior year of high school. You may have been getting ready for prom or feverishly applying for colleges and hoping to get that acceptance letter.

For Oregon Ducks wide receiver Justius Lowe, that spring has gone a bit differently. After enrolling early with the Ducks, Lowe, a Portland native, has spent his past couple of months in Eugene getting used to college life. While it’s one thing to pick up and move to a new town, it’s another to throw in a season of spring football on top of that.

[lawrence-related id=22764]

Lowe is being thrown into the deep end and asked to swim when it comes to that matter. After picking up football late in his career, Lowe impressed college recruiters and earn a four-star rating despite his relative lack of experience. Much of that was based on his intangibles and athleticism, not to mention his impressive track abilities.

At Oregon, he is being asked to hold his own against players who have lived and breathed football as long as they could walk. Early reports out of spring camp are that he is adapting adequately.

“Justius has been good,” said wide receivers coach Junior Adams. “Just to graduate early and be able to get here for spring ball, and I want to say his second or third day being here he was in pads and making plays.”

[lawrence-related id=22705]

That hasn’t been without some growing pains, though. Adams remarked the first couple of days were tough for Lowe to get into the groove. Understandably so, as the college game is faster and more physical than the high school game, regardless of how much experience you have.

“His first play, I’ll never forget it — he had a ball over the middle and doinks him off the head, and we see him respond the next time and makes a play. That’s how Justius is. Since he’s gotten here, he’s progressed, and steadily gotten better and competed. I can’t even imagine what it’s like being in his shoes coming in and being thrown into the fire and being able to adjust. He’s been impressive that way.”

It’s not just the receivers coach Lowe is impressing, but the top man himself. When I asked head coach Dan Lanning on Saturday what he’s seen from the Lake Oswego prospect over the past few weeks, Lanning remarked he actually made note of how Lowe played in Saturday’s scrimmage and the progress he showed.

[lawrence-related id=22718]

“He’s actually a guy I made a note on today because he’s had some tough days early coming on and I thought he made a stand, you know, a big improvement today,” Lanning said. “He got some competitive balls, played physical at times. So I was excited to see that from him, looking for him to continue to progress.” 

While Oregon’s WR room is young, there is a lot of talent looking for minutes on the field. At the top of the depth chart are guys like Troy Franklin, Dont’e Thornton, Kris Hutson, Chase Cota, and Seven McGee. Then there are proven assets like Isaah Crocker and Josh Delgado fighting to get their reps. With all of that in front of him, it’s hard to say how quickly we will see Lowe get onto the field for the Ducks.

However, if he continues to improve at the rate he is and pick up the nuances of the sport in such a rapid fashion, there’s a good chance we will be hearing his name over the loudspeaker at Autzen Stadium sooner than we think.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[mm-video type=video id=01g0pp56cxv5n8j26prp playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g0pp56cxv5n8j26prp/01g0pp56cxv5n8j26prp-5beee4f5a8fb45fe17ea0eb8a04a3177.jpg]

[listicle id=22743]

Chase Coda cherishes the opportunity to carry on family legacy at Oregon

It took four seasons, but Chase Cota is finally back home playing for his favorite childhood team.

[jwplayer tphjcRgu]

It took four seasons, but Chase Cota is finally back where he belongs.

Oregon recruited the son of famed safety Chad Cota when he was one of the top players in the state coming out of Medford. The Ducks really wanted the 6-foot-3, 210-pound receiver and it was a surprise when Chase chose to go play for UCLA instead.

But thanks to the pandemic year of 2020, Cota still has one more year of eligibility and he has decided to play his final season where his father helped lead the Gang Green defense.

[lawrence-related id=22588]

“It was definitely still a tough decision because it was like, as much as it’d be great to come back home, which I ended up doing, and playing for the Ducks after I grew up a Duck fan, it was also just like the best spot for the last year of college football,” he said. “I thought I could fit in the best and have an impact and set myself up for success.”

At UCLA, Cota caught 67 passes for 883 yards and scored six times. With his size and experience, Cota could have gone to a few other schools. Coming to Oregon wasn’t a sure thing. But Cota says that he clicked with the new coaching staff and coming back home was the right thing to do.

“I really liked Coach (Junior) Adams and Coach (Kenny) Dillingham. I just thought my communication with them and hearing what they had to say about the offense and the opportunity. It sounded really good,” he said.

The Ducks have a receiver room full of talent but are low on experience. They’re all either freshmen, redshirt freshmen, or sophomores, except junior Isaah Crocker. Having a senior with Cota can only be beneficial for all involved.

“It’s not like I came here because there are no receivers,” Cota said. “There’s a bunch of really good receivers here so just to be in a really good room and to think that I can help enhance it is the experience I wanted to be in.”

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[mm-video type=video id=01g0hjkd4m4ztpbs8t72 playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g0hjkd4m4ztpbs8t72/01g0hjkd4m4ztpbs8t72-d6b0d8b4e7ce4c4a8e4321fc518dd1cb.jpg]

[listicle id=22592]