The Oregon Ducks are bringing back a loaded roster in 2026, and Pro Football Focus thinks the talent level shows up right away. In its ranking of the 50 best college players heading into the season, PFF included six Ducks on the list.
At the top of Oregon’s group is Dante Moore, who enters his third season with the program and his second as the starting quarterback. Moore checked in as the second-highest ranked quarterback on the list, trailing only Ohio State’s Julian Sayin at No. 4.
Moore backed up the hype in 2025. He started all 15 games, guided Oregon to 13 wins and a College Football Playoff semifinal berth, and finished with 3,565 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
He also earned Third-team All-Big Ten honors. After the season, Moore was projected as an early first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he chose to return to Eugene for another year.
Oregon’s defensive front is represented as well, starting with A’Mauri Washington. Now heading into his fourth season with the Ducks, Washington has improved every year in Eugene and will try to finish his college run strong.
Last season, he posted 33 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and eight passes defended. That effort earned him First-team All-American recognition and a spot on the Third-team All-Big Ten.
Teitum Tuioti also made the cut after another productive year. The senior has been one of Oregon’s most consistent defenders since arriving in 2023, and his career line through 42 games is packed: 156 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, five passes defended and two forced fumbles. He was named Third-team All-Big Ten in 2025.
Matayo Uiagalelei gives Oregon another proven piece on defense in year four. Across 42 games for the Ducks, he has compiled 90 total tackles, 25.0 tackles for loss, 18.8 sacks, one interception, four passes defended, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
The Ducks also got a breakout season from Brandon Finney Jr. as a true freshman in 2025. He played in all 15 games and finished with 42 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, eight passes defended, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Finney was named Second-team All-Big Ten and also took home 2026 Orange Bowl Defensive MVP honors in Oregon’s playoff win over Texas Tech.
The sixth Oregon player on PFF’s list is Jamari Johnson, who transferred in from Louisville after the 2024 season and became a valuable complement to Kenyon Sadiq in 2025. Johnson caught 32 passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns. With Sadiq now in the NFL, Johnson steps in as Oregon’s top tight end.
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Oregon Just Missed On A Massive 2028 Receiver Recruit
Oregon was in the mix for one of the most coveted wide receiver prospects in the country, but the Ducks came up just short in the race for Jett Harrison, the five-star standout at the top of the 2028 class. The son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and younger brother of Marvin Harrison Jr., Harrison brings a name that already carries real weight in recruiting circles, and his decision adds another chapter to a family line that has long been tied to elite receiver play.
For Oregon, the miss is notable, but it is not a sign that the Ducks are backing off at the position. The staff remains active with several other high-end receivers in the 2027 and 2028 classes, keeping the focus on a group that could still shape the future of the offense. Harrison may be off the board, but the broader chase for blue-chip pass catchers is very much still on. [Read more 🡒]
Former Duck Payton Pritchard Suddenly Faces A Career Defining NBA Chance
Payton Pritchard has already shown he can do more when the Celtics need him to. The former Oregon guard just put together his best season yet, and his numbers jumped when key players were out of the lineup, giving Boston a useful reminder that he is more than a steady reserve. With the roster now shifting after the Jaylen Brown trade, Pritchard suddenly looks like one of the players most likely to inherit a larger slice of the offense.
For Boston, the question is no longer whether Pritchard can handle a bigger role in spurts, but whether he can turn that into something more lasting over the course of a season. He has been productive enough to make the conversation real, and the Celtics will be counting on him to carry that form into next year. If he does, this could become the kind of opportunity that changes how the team views him going forward. [Read more 🡒]
