Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson was cited for speeding in Springfield early Sunday morning, according to online court records, adding another Oregon football name to a turbulent night in the city.
The citation landed the same morning as teammate Evan Stewart’s DUII arrest in Springfield, though Johnson’s stop came first. Court records place Johnson’s citation at 3:51 a.m. Sunday, more than an hour before Stewart was pulled over and arrested in a separate incident.
Johnson’s case number lines up with a separate high-speed pursuit Springfield Police are investigating involving two vehicles. But Springfield Police deputy chief George Crolly said Wednesday that neither Johnson nor Stewart is believed to have been one of the suspected drivers.
“He was not involved in the high-speed pursuit,” Crolly said Wednesday afternoon of Johnson. “We are still seeking the drivers in that case.
He was stopped well before Mr. Stewart’s arrest, so he was not part of the group of cars that were in the area when Mr.
Stewart was stopped.”
Police dispatch logs show the high-speed chase happened around 3:51 a.m. Sunday. After an abandoned vehicle connected to the pursuit was found, Stewart was among those pulled over and later arrested for DUII at about 5 a.m.
Springfield police said Sunday that a group of Oregon football players left the nearby area when officers found the vehicle from the chase. Police have not identified any Ducks players as suspects in that investigation.
Johnson’s citation carries a $440 fine, which online records show is the standard presumptive fine for a Class A violation under Oregon law. The citation does not say how fast police believe he was traveling, and Crolly declined Wednesday to provide further details.
In Other News...
Oregon Could Get Another Shot At A Huge Former Recruiting Miss
Marylands decision to move on from Mike Locksley after a 2-5 start has already sent ripple effects beyond College Park, and Oregon has reason to pay attention. Locksleys tenure ended with a 39-54 record, counting his interim run in 2015, and whenever a program changes direction this abruptly, roster movement can follow. For the Ducks, that means the situation could reopen a familiar kind of opportunity on the recruiting trail, especially with a player who was once viewed as one of the nations biggest prizes.
Zion Elee, a freshman edge rusher at Maryland and former top recruit, is the name to watch in the aftermath. Nothing is settled, and any move from here is still speculation, but Oregon has spent enough time chasing elite defensive talent to know how quickly these windows can appear. If Elee decides the coaching change gives him reason to look elsewhere, the Ducks would almost certainly be among the programs with a reason to get involved. [Read more 🡒]
Dante Moores Return Could Decide How NFL Teams View Him
Dante Moores absence has become one of the quieter but more consequential storylines around Oregon this fall. The Ducks quarterback missed two games after sustaining a concussion against USC, and there is still no firm timetable for when he will be back. For NFL evaluators already tracking his development, the pause matters because Moore has the kind of talent that keeps him in the conversation, but he has also had to deal with a limited sample this season.
Scouts see a player with draft appeal, even if the opinions are split on where he fits in the 2027 NFL Draft picture, with some viewing him as a first-round type and others leaning toward early Day 2. The longer he is sidelined, the more the conversation shifts from upside to availability, which is often the difference between a team dreaming on a quarterback and trusting him. Inside the locker room, though, teammates continue to point to Moores leadership away from the field as part of what has made him such an important presence. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Heads To Illinois With One Huge Offensive Question
Oregons trip to Illinois comes with the kind of offensive uncertainty that can make even a talented team feel hard to pin down early in the week. Both sides are dealing with questions at quarterback, and that alone gives Saturdays matchup a different edge than a typical nonconference meeting. For the Ducks, the focus is less on what theyve shown on paper and more on how quickly the offense can settle into a rhythm in a road environment where every drive matters.
The setup has made this one a natural candidate for the simulation crowd, with EA Sports College Football 27 offering a preview that leaned toward a tight Oregon win. Simulated results cant answer the real questions, of course, but they do underscore how much hinges on execution and composure when the first snaps arrive. Until the Ducks show who is handling the offense and how that unit responds, theres going to be plenty left to sort out before anyone can feel certain about how this game will unfold. [Read more 🡒]