Oregon enters fall camp with the kind of roster that can make people talk about a Big Ten Championship run in 2026, but there are still a few real decisions left for Dan Lanning and his staff. The Ducks have veteran pieces in place - quarterback Dante Moore, wide receiver Evan Stewart, and defensive linemen Bear Alexander, Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti, and A'Mauri Washington - yet several spots are still unsettled, and those battles could shape the season.
The most important one might be up front. Oregon has three starting jobs open on the offensive line, with only center Iapani "Poncho" Laloulu and right guard Dave Iuli back in the fold. That gives the middle of the line some stability, but the tackle spots loom as the bigger issue for an offense that has to keep Dante Moore upright and also build enough of a run game to stay balanced.
A'lique Terry has already shown he can piece together an offensive line with new faces, and Oregon appears comfortable leaning on internal options this time around. Yale transfer Michael Bennett is the only offensive lineman the Ducks added through the portal.
Fox Crader and Gernorris Wilson bring experience, Tommy Tofi stood out in the spring game, and former five-star recruit Immanuel Iheanacho is the wild card. Iheanacho has the talent to matter early, though it feels unlikely he can break into the starting five without enrolling early.
Safety is another spot worth watching, even with Minnesota transfer Koi Perich assumed to be a starter. That leaves one job next to him, and Aaron Flowers looks like the early name to beat.
Flowers held that role next to former Oregon safety and current Chicago Bears rookie Dillon Thieneman, and he finished with 70 total tackles in 15 games, along with one interception and two forced fumbles. That kind of production gives him a strong case, but Oregon has other options.
Trey McNutt is still something of an unknown after a broken leg wiped out his entire freshman season. Peyton Woodyard, a former Alabama transfer, saw action in 2025.
Jett Washington, another former five-star recruit, brings the kind of upside that keeps a competition alive. Even if one of them loses the starting job, the Ducks likely will still find snaps for the rest of the group, especially later in games when development can take priority.
At receiver, Stewart and Dakorien Moore look locked in as Oregon’s top two wideouts and two of Dante Moore’s primary targets, along with tight end Jamari Johnson. The next layer is where things get interesting. Jeremiah McClellan made noise in 2025 with some eye-catching catches, but he may end up in a fight with UAB transfer Iverson Hooks, who arrives in the Big Ten as one of last season’s highest-graded receivers.
Oregon could absolutely put Hooks and McClellan on the field together, but the Ducks also leaned on 21-personnel in 2025, with Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison, and Dierre Hill Jr. giving them plenty of backfield options. Injuries in the receiver room may have influenced some of those personnel choices, but the battle for the third wide receiver role is still one to track.
And then there’s the group behind the headliners. Gatlin Bair, Hudson Lewis, and Messiah Hampton are true freshmen who could push for rotation time if they can force their way into the mix. For Oregon, those are the kinds of decisions that can quietly define a season.
In Other News...
Dan Lanning And The Ducks Face Their First 2026 Big Test In Chicago
The Big Tens annual media days bring a familiar kind of preseason stagecraft, but for Oregon this week in Chicago it also marks the first real conference spotlight of 2026. Dan Lanning will meet the press at the Hilton Chicago alongside players Dante Moore, Jamari Johnson and Teitum Tuioti, with the Ducks represented across the event as the leagues coaches and players spend three days talking through the issues that tend to shape a season before it starts.
For Oregon, the setting matters because these sessions are where the bigger questions start to take form, from College Football Playoff expectations to conference scheduling and the broader direction of the sport. Lanning will get the main room, while Moore, Johnson and Tuioti handle their own podium turns, giving the Ducks a chance to frame their own message before the seasons pressure really arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Charlie Bird Had One Surprising Realization About The Oregon Duck
Charlie Birds time as BYUs mascot gave him plenty of chances to cross paths with other college football icons, but one of the most memorable came at an ESPN College Football Awards show. Bird said he ended up in a dance-off with the Oregon Duck, a performance that fit the mascots long-running reputation for being one of the sports most entertaining sideline acts.
The Duck has only added to that image lately, including a viral Autzen Stadium entrance in a Labubu costume that kept Oregon in the conversation well beyond game day. It also tracks with the broader way Dan Lanning talks about the program, which he has framed as innovative and built for the Big Ten spotlight, even if the people inside the costume still manage to surprise the folks sharing the stage with them. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Biggest Camp Battle Will Decide How Safe Dante Moore Is
The biggest August question around Dante Moore is not about his arm or his poise, but about the five men charged with keeping the pocket intact in front of him. Oregon has to replace key pieces up front after NFL departures, and Dan Lanning with offensive line coach Alique Terry are still sorting through left tackle, left guard and right tackle options as camp begins to sharpen the picture for 2026.
Spring gave the Ducks a first look at a mix of tackles and interior candidates, with younger players also getting a chance to make their case. Fox Crader, Zac Stacausky, Ziyare Addison and Michael Bennett were among the names getting evaluated on the edge, while Douglas Utu, Trent Ferguson, Kawika Rogers and Demetri Manning are in the mix inside, and freshmen Tommy Tofi and Immanuel Iheanacho could still change the conversation if they keep climbing. [Read more 🡒]