Oregon’s roster is looking every bit like one built for a national title chase.
With the Ducks sitting at No. 2 in the AP poll entering the 2026 season, ESPN’s preseason Top-100 only adds to the buzz around Dan Lanning’s team. Oregon landed eight players on the list, the most of any FBS program. Texas and Indiana were next with seven apiece, followed by Texas Tech and LSU with six, and Miami and Ohio State with five.
The headliners are easy to spot. Quarterback Dante Moore checks in at No. 11, defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington lands at No. 16 and cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. comes in at No.
- Moore and Washington both chose to return to Eugene for another season, while defensive linemen Matayo Uiagalelei and Bear Alexander also came back but were left off the rankings.
Moore’s leap stands out most. He moved from No. 24 in ESPN’s previous list, released in January, all the way up to No.
- That puts the Ducks’ Heisman hopeful fifth among quarterbacks, behind Trinidad Chambliss (No.
5, Ole Miss), CJ Carr (No. 7, Notre Dame), Julian Sayin (No.
8, Ohio State) and Jayden Maiava (No. 9, USC), and two spots ahead of Texas’ Arch Manning at No.
The number dinging Moore is his 78.5 total quarterback rating (Total QBR), which trails the four passers ahead of him. Maiava sits atop the quarterback group with an 89.9 QBR.
Washington, meanwhile, comes in as the top-ranked defensive lineman in the Big Ten at No. 16, four spots ahead of Michigan’s John Henry Daley. The senior turned down the NFL draft to come back to Eugene after starting all 15 games last season, when he posted 33 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. His eight pass breakups are what push him into elite territory and make him such a problem for opposing offenses.
Finney’s rise is just as eye-catching. He went from unranked in the January list to No. 24 overall, and he’s second among all defensive backs, trailing only Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore, the No. 2 player in the country.
As the lone underclassman in his tier, Finney was a headache for quarterbacks all season. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore posted a passer rating of 163.7 in 2025.
Finney held receivers to 42.3.
The sophomore has the look of a true lock-down defender. He was strong against the run, forced two fumbles and picked off three passes, including one returned for a touchdown.
Oregon’s depth beyond the top trio is part of what makes the list so striking. Center Iapani Laloulu has started 27 games and allowed just three pressures in the 2025 season. Tight end Jamari Johnson steps into bigger shoes after Kenyon Sadiq’s departure, but he showed what he can do last year with 32 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Teitum Tuioti lands at No. 76 even though his 9.5 sacks outpace the four linebackers ranked ahead of him. The senior has been relentless off the edge, recording a tackle for loss in each of Oregon’s first 14 games and in 15 of his last 16 dating back to 2024.
Koi Perich brings a different kind of resume. As a freshman, he led the conference with five interceptions and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors while splitting time on defense, offense and special teams. He followed that with 82 tackles in a more defense-heavy role with the Gophers, and now in Eugene he may focus entirely on defense.
Dakorien Moore is another name with plenty of room to climb. He caught 34 passes as a freshman last season, averaging 14.6 yards per catch.
When Evan Stewart was hurt, Moore started seven of 11 games and finished with 497 yards and three touchdowns. With Stewart back, Moore will need to do more with fewer chances.
Two other Ducks remain notable omissions. Uiagalelei, who many view as having first-round talent, saw his sack total fall from 10.5 in 2024 to six last year. Alexander finished 2025 with 50 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, and a sack, but his career production remains modest at 4.5 sacks in 43 games after stops at Georgia and USC.
Even with those omissions, Oregon’s place in the preseason hierarchy is clear. Eight players in ESPN’s Top-100 is more than any other team in the country, and that kind of top-end talent is exactly what championship contenders need. If Uiagalelei and Alexander outperform the projections, the Ducks’ ceiling only gets higher.
In Other News...
Bryce Boettcher May Have Just Played His Way Onto The Colts
The NFL preseason wrapped up with several former Ducks getting their final live reps before teams turn to cutdown decisions, and Bryce Boettcher made the kind of case players are always hoping to make in August. The Indianapolis Colts linebacker finished with five tackles and forced a fumble in a loss to Detroit, a busy enough night to stand out on a field full of rookies trying to carve out roles.
For Oregon fans, Boettchers showing was one of the more notable developments from the weekend, especially with other Ducks in different spots seeing lighter work. Chicago safety Dillon Thieneman started in a win at Tennessee but did not show up in the stat sheet, while Houston running back Noah Whittington and Jacksonville guard Emmanuel Pregnon did not play. A handful of other Oregon rookies were around the action in limited fashion, but Boettchers performance was the one that likely left the strongest impression as the preseason closed. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Transfer Andrew Olesh Opens Up About The Game That Changed Everything
Andrew Olesh arrived in Eugene with a pretty clear memory of what Oregon looked like from the other sideline. The former Penn State tight end, once a top recruit, pointed back to the Ducks double-overtime win over the Nittany Lions during his freshman year as a moment that stuck with him, and it is part of the backdrop to his move to Oregon. Now he is trying to carve out a role in a tight end room led by Jamari Johnson, where the immediate task is straightforward enough: earn backup snaps and fit into a program that has already made a strong impression on him.
Dan Lannings track record was always going to matter in a decision like this, but Olesh also cited the personal connection he felt with the Oregon coach as a major factor in choosing to transfer. For a player still early in his college career, that mix of winning, trust and familiarity can be hard to ignore, especially when the destination is a team that already showed him something memorable in one of the games he watched most closely. The next question is whether that connection helps him turn a fresh start into a real foothold in Oregons offense. [Read more 🡒]
Former Ducks Are Turning NFL Roster Cuts Into A Real Debate
The early NFL roster churn has already put a few former Oregon Ducks back in the spotlight, and not always in the way they would have hoped. Dillon Gabriel closed the preseason with a strong showing for the Cleveland Browns, throwing three touchdowns, while Bryce Boettcher turned heads with his play for the Indianapolis Colts and safety Dillon Thieneman flashed enough in three games with the Chicago Bears to stay on the radar.
Jabbar Muhammad also did enough in Jacksonville to make the conversation more interesting, even if the Jaguars ultimately went another direction when they set their 53-man roster. With Gabriel currently on injured reserve, the bigger question for Oregon fans is which of these ex-Ducks can turn a good summer into something more permanent once the regular season pressure starts shaping real opportunity. [Read more 🡒]