Tag: terrance ferguson

Spring Position Preview: Veteran experience leads athletic group of tight ends in Eugene

With Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert leading the way, the Oregon Ducks have veterans leading an athletic group of tight ends.

After a couple of long off-season months, the grass is starting to grow and trees are getting ready to bloom. Spring is coming in Eugene, and with it comes the long-awaited return of football for the Oregon Ducks. A lot will look different in this new year for Dan Lanning and his team, with several of last year’s top players moving onto the NFL, including guys like Bo Nix, Troy Franklin, Bucky Irving, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Brandon Dorlus. All of that is not to mention the fact that the Ducks are joining the Big Ten, and have a new-look conference to get used to on top of a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff to strive for. 

It’s safe to say that there are a lot of things to talk about going into this spring season, and a lot of storylines to discuss. To get things started, we want to give a position-by-position breakdown of Oregon’s current roster, getting readers up to date on which players left, which players are returning, and what the overall outlook is going into the spring. 

Already this week, we’ve covered the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers. Now let’s move onto the tight ends.

A year ago, the Oregon Ducks were in a relatively tough spot at the tight end position. While Terrance Ferguson was returning after a strong sophomore campaign, an injury during spring practices sidelined him for a period of time. The future was a bit unknown as far as Patrick Herbert’s ceiling went, and the transfer of Moliki Matavao left the position group a bit thin.

Fast forward to this year, and the TE position is looking like one of the strongest groups on the Oregon roster, with Ferguson returning for a fourth season that could be filled with broken Oregon records. Behind him, Herbert is looking as healthy and productive as he ever has in his college career, and Kenyon Sadiq is verging on a breakout season, representing the most athleticism we’ve seen from a Ducks’ TE in quite some time.

It’s safe to say that TE coach Drew Mehringer has things going in the right direction. Here’s a complete breakdown of how things stand at the position, and the names and storylines that you need to know.

Former Oregon TE Casey Kelly transfers to East Carolina

Casey Kelly, the one-time Oregon Ducks TE, has transferred to East Carolina.

Casey Kelly, the former Oregon Ducks tight end who entered the transfer portal in December, has finalized his transfer to East Carolina University. 2023 was Kelly’s first and only season with the Ducks, and he finished the year with 5 catches, 43 yards, and 2 TDs.

2024 will be Kelly’s final year of eligibility, so a desire for a bigger role probably drove his decision to transfer. If he stuck with Oregon for his final season, he would’ve had to sit behind Terrance Ferguson, Patrick Herbert, and Kenyon Sadiq.

One of the likely reasons Kelly chose East Carolina is his relationship with their offensive coordinator. John David Baker, the Pirates’ OC, was Kelly’s TE coach at Ole Miss, where Kelly played for three years before his time at Oregon.

The East Carolina Pirates went 2-10 in 2023, so adding transfers like Kelly could make a big impact for them in 2024. ECU’s 2024 recruiting class doesn’t have any blue-chip recruits, but they have plenty of 3-star high school recruits and transfers that could round out their roster.

Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson to return to Eugene for 2024 season

Oregon Ducks tight end Terrance Ferguson will return to Eugene for the 2024 season.

The Oregon Ducks got some welcomed news on Saturday, with tight end Terrance Ferguson announcing that he will return to Eugene for one final season in 2024.

Ferguson is among the best tight ends to play for the Ducks in recent memory, hauling in 89 passes for 928 yards and 12 touchdowns in his three-year career. Ferguson is just three touchdowns away from tying the Oregon Ducks school record for most by a TE in a career.

There was some speculation about whether or not Ferguson would choose to enter the 2024 NFL Draft rather than utilize his final year of eligibility in Eugene. Had Ferguson tested the draft waters, he likely would have been a mid-to-late-round draft pick.

With another solid year in Eugene, there’s a good chance that he can establish himself as a Day 2 pick, bringing a high upside and great size — 6-foot-6, 230 pounds — to the table.

Oregon TE Casey Kelly enters the transfer portal

Casey Kelly, a former Ole Miss TE who transferred to Oregon, entered the transfer portal again on Thursday.

Following the Oregon Ducks Fiesta Bowl win, the group of Ducks in the transfer portal has grown, and on Thursday, Oregon’s tight end room got a little smaller.

Ducks TE Casey Kelly entered the transfer portal on Thursday, after spending one season at Oregon. Kelly played his first three seasons at Ole Miss, the alma mater of his brother Chad Kelly and uncle Jim Kelly — a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Casey Kelly will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Despite appearing in 13 of 14 games for the Ducks in 2023, Kelly didn’t have much of a role in the Oregon offense. Kelly finished the season with 5 catches for 43 yards and 2 TDs. His size and strength made him a valuable goalline target for the Ducks, but it’s likely he wants a bigger role in his final season of eligibility.

For 2024, it seems likely the Ducks will return starting TE Terrance Ferguson for his final year as a Duck. Oregon will also bring back senior TE Patrick and standout freshman Kenyon Sadiq for his second season.

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2024 Tight End Outlook: Ducks have talent, but could use more depth

The Oregon Ducks have a lot of talent at the TE position going into the 2024 season, but they could stand to add a bit of depth.

The 2023 season is now behind us, and while there is still a bowl game to be played — The Fiesta Bowl vs. The Liberty Flames — Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks are working hard on the construction of their roster and hitting the transfer portal in attempts to formulate what this team will look like going into the 2024 season, the team’s first year in the Big Ten Conference. While they work on bringing new players in via the transfer portal, we want to look at the future breakdown of each position, detailing current players on the roster, incoming recruits, and potential targets on the market right now. Earlier this week, we broke down the future of the quarterback position, took a look at the wide receiver room in 2024, and dove into the RB room. N let’s focus on the tight ends. 

In the new Oregon offense over the past couple of years, we’ve seen the tight end position grow in value for the Ducks, with players like Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert utilized heavily in the game plan for Will Stein.

That shouldn’t be expected to change at all going forward, but it will be interesting to see how the personnel at the position does change. At the moment, Oregon has four tight ends in rotation, led by Ferguson, but there’s a chance the room looks quite a bit different at the start of the 2024 season. With potential NFL Draft decisions, impending transfers, and incoming freshmen, here’s a glance at the outlook for the tight ends going into next season:

Ducks Wire Player of the Game: Terrance Ferguson gives the Ducks a shot

Ducks Wire Player of the Game: Terrance Ferguson gives the Ducks a shot

It didn’t seem like the Washington Huskies could twist the dagger they have in the Oregon Ducks any further after their win back in October, but that’s what they did in their 34-31 win in the Pac-12 Championship on Friday night.

Things started ugly for Oregon. Washington was the more physical team and Oregon’s offense couldn’t stay on the field. With a few minutes left in the first half, it looked like the Ducks would head into the locker room down 3-20. But, the Oregon offense strung together a few chunk plays, got down to the goal line, and cashed in for a TD on a beautiful catch from TE Terrance Ferguson.

Ferguson scored later in the game on a 4th down goal line situation. This time, Nix didn’t have his first read, rolled right, and threw back inside to a sliding Ferguson, in a spot where only No. 3 could catch it.

Oregon lost, but without Terrance Ferguson they didn’t stand a chance. Ferguson is probably the only Duck on the roster capable of making the first TD catch (due to his size and athleticism) and the second score was also spectacular. Without that catch, Oregon wouldn’t have gotten the spark they needed to come back in the game and play for the win.

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Transfer TE Casey Kelly is integrating into the Ducks’ offense quickly

“Casey is a super tough kid. He’s a guy who comes in with experience, so the learning curve with that is much smaller.”

Casey Kelly was one of 15 transfers that Oregon brought in this past offseason, and so far things seem to be working out. Recently, tight-end coach Drew Mehringer spoke with the media and had plenty of good things to say about the newest member of Oregon’s TE group.

For the first three seasons of his college career, Kelly was a player for the Ole Miss Rebels. In 2022, Kelly played in the most games of his career but had the lowest production, due to Michael Trigg becoming the primary TE, which likely contributed to his decision to leave. When speaking about Kelly, Mehringer highlighted that it was former Ole Miss Rebels who turned him on to Kelly.

“He was a guy that was out there. I knew that he was out there, but in this day and age in the portal, you’ve got to do a lot of research on the players,” Mehringer said. “Thankfully, Wilson Love, our strength coach, had been there and knew him personally. Then I asked Tysheem [Johnson] ‘Tell me about this guy’. Both of those guys had great things to say. Everything I was told is everything this guy has been. He’s been awesome. We’re super glad to have him.”

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When Kelly joined the Ducks, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the TE position for 2023, due to a spring injury to Terrance Ferguson, the team’s No. 1 TE in 2022. It seems now that Ferguson will be ready for 2023 week one, but with how much Oregon used multiple-TE sets last season, depth at the position will be key. The Ducks also added freshman Kenyon Sadiq for 2023 who has shown promise early.

Even though he’s only been with the team for a short time, Mehringer had high praise for the quickness with which Kelly has fit into place.

“Casey is a super tough kid. He’s a physical player and a smart football player,” Mehringer said. “He’s obviously played a lot of football. He’s played in some big games and stuff like that. He’s a guy who comes in with experience, so the learning curve with that is much smaller. The terminology might be a little different, right? But he’s a guy who can integrate himself in there pretty quickly. Like I said he’s played a lot of good football. He’s got a really good skillset, but he brings a lot of energy into that room. Last year we played with some guys who had played a bunch, so to have another one in the room right there that competes and levels up our depth and potentially be a starter is fantastic.”

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It will be interesting to see what the Ducks’ depth chart at TE looks like come week one. I’d be surprised if Ferguson wasn’t the defacto starter, but after that, things are up in the air. Coaches have had high praise for both Sadiq and Kelly, and there is also Patrick Herbert to consider. Regardless of who sees the most snaps, Bo Nix should have plenty of good TE options to target all season, both in the flats as well as up the seams.

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Drew Mehringer discusses Matayo Uiagalelei, Ducks’ TE room depth

Drew Mehringer discusses Matayo Uiagalelei, Ducks’ TE room depth

During the spring football season in Eugene, an injury to starting tight end Terrance Ferguson caused a little bit of unease for the Oregon Ducks. With Ferguson out, the depth at the position was waning. Patrick Herbert and true freshman Kenyon Sadiq were the only scholarship players suited up in that spot during the spring game.

Fortunately, the Ducks had true freshman EDGE Matayo Uiaglelei that they could lean on as well. At 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, Uiagalelei excelled as a pass-catcher in high school. Though he came to Oregon as an elite pass-rusher, but his versatility allowed the Ducks to plug him into the offense for a few plays during the annual scrimmage.

Since then, Ferguson has come back healthy, and Oregon has added a handful of depth pieces at TE, including Ole Miss transfer Casey Kelly. So does that mean that Uiagalelei will no longer see both sides of the ball?

TE coach Drew Mehringer was asked that question on Wednesday after practice. He said that unfortunately may be the case right now, but not by his own desire.

“He’s an impressive individual. I think if you wanted him to play quarterback, he could probably figure out a way to do it,” Mehringer said. “He’s super smart and super tough. If I had the option to keep him out there a little bit more, I probably would.”

It’s not strange to see a handful of players excel at multiple positions. A couple of years ago, we saw DJ Johnson play both DE and TE for the Ducks, and the previous decade saw Charles Nelson play both DB and WR as well.

However, when you get a true freshman that comes in and is trying to learn the playbook, it can be a bit of an overload to have him try and double his knowledge intake. Because of that, it would be a surprise to see Uiagalelei on the offensive side of the ball any time soon.

“He’s digesting the entirety of a pretty complex defense,” Mehringer said. “You can’t stunt him on one side or slow him down, just to say we’re going to do something else with him. I’m sure we’ll find something to do with him, but we feel pretty good with where we’re at tight end depth-wise as well.”

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Lanning says tight end Terrence Ferguson is ready to go

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning says tight end Terrance Ferguson will be ready to go in fall camp and the 2023 season.

One of the big mysteries heading into Oregon Ducks football fall camp was the health and availability of tight end Terrance Ferguson.

The Ducks’ junior tight end missed the majority of the spring due to what was called a significant leg injury. Although the coaching staff or trainers didn’t do into specifics, the term significant is never good where injuries are concerned.

But now as fall camp is finally here in preparation for the 2023 season, Oregon coach Dan Laninng has said Ferguson has healed up from the injury and not only will be ready to go for the season, he’s going to fully participate in fall camp.

Regaining the services of Ferguson is a huge addition to the Ducks as depth at that position isn’t all that great. Oregon has Patrick Herbert as well as top recruit Kenyon Sadiq.

Ferguson is a 2023 pre-season Pac-12 honorable mention after he caught 32 balls for 391 yards and five touchdowns last season.

No. 7 TE in the class of 2025, Jack VanDorselaer names Oregon among his top schools

No. 7 TE in the class of 2025, Jack VanDorselaer names Oregon among his top schools

As we near the end of the 2024 summer recruiting cycle, coaches will begin to look to next year’s class of recruits. One of those 2025 prospects, Jack VanDorselaer, recently showed interest in the Oregon Ducks, when he included them among his top nine schools.

VanDorselaer is listed as a wide receiver and tight end hybrid. At 6’5″ and 230 lbs, VanDorselaer would likely be fully a TE in college, but if he were to lose some weight, he could also become a high-point, possession WR for QBs to target over the middle of the field, and at his back shoulder along the sideline.

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VanDorselaer is a 4-star recruit as of right now according to 247 Sports, though there is plenty of time for that ranking to move in either direction. Currently, 247 Sports has him ranked as the No. 7 TE in his class. Schools seem to agree with 247’s assessment because VanDorselaer has drawn the interest of top-quality programs such as Georgia, Alabama, USC, and more.

Since VanDorselaer is part of the class of 2025, we have to look further into the future to estimate his place in the team, and I have to make guesses as to what the team will need then. From my perspective, Terrance Ferguson will be an NFL TE by the start of the 2025 season, and Kenyon Sadiq (or someone else that gets picked up along the way) will be Oregon’s lead TE. That would leave room for someone like VanDorselaer to grow because he could get reps early in his career, while also getting to study under a talented TE such as Sadiq.

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