2024 Wide Receiver Outlook: Promising young talent set to take over for Ducks next season
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. On Wednesday, we broke down the future of the quarterback position. Today, let’s turn to wide receivers.
Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen the wide receiver position take off in Eugene in ways that Oregon Duck fans haven’t seen for a long time. A lot of that is thanks to the style of offense that Dan Lanning and his offensive coordinators — Kenny Dillingham in 2022, Will Stein in 2023 — have chosen to deploy, and part of that is due to the wide receiver talent that is currently residing in Eugene.
There’s no reason to believe that anything should change going forward.
While the Ducks are likely to be without Troy Franklin next year — the arguable best WR in school history is expected to enter the 2024 NFL Draft — there’s a long list of players on the roster and in the 2024 recruiting class who could step up and make a huge difference going forward.
On top of that, there is a high likelihood that Lanning and Co. bring in at least one, and potentially two pass-catchers via the transfer portal this offseason to further bolster the roster.
Let’s look at the various players on the roster, and provide an overview of the projected WR room in 2024 for the Oregon Ducks.
2023 Departures
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Troy Franklin
Kris Hutson
Ashton Cozart
Josh Delgado
Analysis: While Troy Franklin hasn’t officially declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, and he could return for another season, it would come as a massive shock to all if he ended up doing that. He had a career year in 2023 and will likely be a late-first or early-second-round pick in 2024 should he declare.
The other three players — Hutson, Cozart, and Delgado — all entered the transfer portal, which did not come as a major surprise. There could potentially be a couple of other departures via the portal, but for the most part, the room feels solid.
Already Rostered: Tez Johnson
Career Stats: 49 games | 216 catches, 2,819 yards, 17 TD
Years of Eligibility: 1 Year
2024 Major Impact Likelihood: High
Analysis
Assuming that Tez Johnson returns for another year, which I expect him to do, he will step into the WR1 role on the Oregon offense with Troy Franklin gone. Johnson proved over the back half of the 2023 season that he can be an elite WR1 and easily hold down the top spot in a passing game.
Already Rostered: Traeshon Holden
Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 38 Games | 78 catches, 953 yards, 12 TD
Years of Eligibility: 2 Years
2024 Major Impact Likelihood: Medium-High
Analysis
Traeshon Holden has shown flashes of being a really dynamic player at Oregon, but he didn’t get a big enough opportunity in the offense this year, taking a back seat to both Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson. I think Holden has a great opportunity to break out with a bigger role in 2024, but he will have some competition from younger guys on the roster as well.
Already Rostered: Jurrion Dickey
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: None
Years of Eligibility: 4 Years
2024 Major Impact Likelihood: High
Analysis
While Dickey redshirted in 2023 with no stats in a few games played, there is some extreme confidence that he can step up and be a major difference-maker in 2024. I’ve been told by a couple of people inside the program that Dickey has the chance to be a very special player, and they expect that to be clear and obvious as soon as he can fully grasp the offense with a full offseason under his belt. Look out for the breakout season from No. 99 in 2024.
Already Rostered: Gary Bryant Jr.
Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa
Career Stats: 31 Games | 79 catches, 1,025 yards, 10 TD
Years of Eligibility: 2 Years
2024 Major Impact Likelihood: Medium-High
Analysis
I feel pretty confident that with more of an opportunity, Gary Bryant Jr. can have an impactful role in this offense. Similar to Traeshon Holden, it feels like he wasn’t given enough of an opportunity behind Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson in 2023, and while he will have competition for targets next season, it wouldn’t at all be a surprise to see his production increase.
Already Rostered: Kyler Kasper
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 14 Games | 2 catches, 9 yards
Years of Eligibility: 3 Years
2024 Major Impact Likelihood: Medium
Analysis
Kyler Kasper shows a lot of promise with his long frame and his high ceiling, but we need to start seeing some production from him going forward. The redshirt freshman was unable to crack the rotation this season, and he will only be facing more competition next year. There have been some rumblings about a potential transfer portal entry, which would be somewhat surprising, but understandable at this point as well.
Already Rostered: Justius Lowe
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: None
Years of Eligibility: 4 Years
2024 Major Impact Likelihood: Low
Analysis
Justius Lowe redshirted as a freshman and then missed the 2023 season with an injury, so there’s a chance that he can get another year of eligibility with an injury redshirt. However, his future at Oregon is a bit unclear, much like Kyler Kasper’s. There is a lot of talent there with a decently high ceiling, but Lowe will face a lot of competition going forward, and he will need to start producing on the field before too long.
2024 Recruit: Jordan Anderson
Photo Courtesy of Jordan Anderson
Editor’s Note: Jordan Anderson decommitted from the Ducks a few hours after this article was published. He is no longer a member of the Oregon Ducks’ 2024 recruiting class.
247 Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (No. 177 overall, No. 27 WR)
2024 Major Impact Likelihood: Low
Analysis
Jordan Anderson is Oregon’s highest-rated WR in the 2024 class, and he possesses some really solid upside, though it’s fair to expect him to need a year or two before breaking out as a major piece in this offense.
2024 Recruit: Dillon Gresham
Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports
247 Sports Recruiting Rating: 4-star (No. 178 overall, No. 28 WR)
2024 Major Impact Likelihood: Low
Analysis
Dillon Gresham is rated one spot below Jordan Anderson, so a lot of the same things apply to this talented incoming freshman. While there are hopes for a really solid Oregon career, it’s fair to expect a year or two before things start to formulate on the field.
2024 Recruit: Jack Ressler
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
247 Sports Recruiting Rating: 3-star (No. 1,294 overall, No. 157 WR)
2024 Major Impact Likelihood: Low
Analysis
The Ducks like what they see from Ressler, and they like the skillset that he brings to the table. As with the other incoming freshmen, it’s likely going to be a couple of years before we see some real production on the field.
Transfer Portal Target: Will Sheppard
Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 42 Games | 152 catches, 2,067 yards, 21 TD
Years of Eligibility: 1 Year
Analysis
The Ducks are in talks with several wide receivers in the transfer portal, and Will Sheppard is one of the few that they are after the hardest. Standing at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Sheppard would offer a great replacement for Troy Franklin, coming in with a ton of SEC experience and working to up his draft stock in his final year of eligibility. We’ll see if Lanning and Junior Adams can finish the deal.
Transfer Portal Target: Antwane 'Juice' Wells Jr.
[Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Career Stats: 16 Games | 71 catches, 965 yards, 7 TD
Years of Eligibility: 1 Year
Analysis
Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells is arguably the most coveted WR in the transfer portal this year, and the Ducks are reportedly making a strong push to try and land him. Wells missed most of the 2022 season due to an injury, but he had a great 2022 season at South Carolina after thriving in 2020 and 2021 at James Madison.
Transfer Portal Target: Ja'Mori Maclin
(Cal Sport Media via AP Images)
Career Stats: 27 Games | 74 catches, 1,389 yards, 13 TD
Years of Eligibility: 1 Year
Analysis
Ja’Mori Maclin is one of the few wide receivers that Oregon has been in talks with, hoping that he can come to Eugene and take over in a similar type of role that Troy Franklin had, acting as a deep threat and thriving over the middle on crossing and slant patterns. Maclin started his career at Missouri, but went to North Texas and found the most success. He is now looking to up his NFL Draft stock with his final year of eligibility.
Transfer Portal Target: Zavion Thomas
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Career Stats: 22 Games | 42 catches, 503 yards, 1 TD
Years of Eligibility: 2 Years
Analysis
The Ducks have extended a scholarship offer to Zavion Thomas, and they are intrigued by the skillset that he can bring to the table. His production wasn’t through the roof at Mississippi State, but he is a former highly-rated recruit who could thrive in an open offense.
WR Room Overview
(Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa)
Confidence in Future Success: High
While there’s a good chance that the best WR in Oregon history is leaving this offseason and heading to the NFL, confidence should remain high in this position group as we go forward thanks to the depth and talent still on the roster. There is enough returning production in Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden mixed with the upside brought forth by Jurrion Dickey to think that Oregon’s receiving corps could be really special once again in 2024. If they are able to land one or two of the transfer portal targets as well, then the Ducks’ passing offense should be high-flying once again.
