Advertisement

Two Oregon Duck transfers named among biggest losses for SEC schools

The transfer portal and the transfer portal taketh away.

For the Oregon Ducks, there have been some notable losses this year — Travis Dye, DJ James, Kingsley Suamataia and Trey Benson — but also a number of key additions coming to Eugene. Among them are Christian Gonzalez, Sam Taimani, Mar’Keise Irving, Noah Whittington and Chase Cota.

Recently On3s broke down some of the biggest players to leave the SEC this offseason through the transfer portal, and it so happens a pair of those players ended up joining the Ducks.

Those players were former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix and former Texas A&M wide receiver Caleb Chapman.

Here’s what On3 had to say about each player:

QB Bo Nix

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Nix never lived up to his five-star recruiting ranking, but he was a three-year starter for the Tigers who accounted for 57 touchdowns and 8,120 yards of total offense. For all of his inconsistency, he will be missed. Auburn doesn’t figure to name a starter until late in summer camp. Holdover T.J. Finley and transfers Zach Calzada (Texas A&M) and Robby Ashford (Oregon) are the contenders. While Ashford looked good in the spring, he hasn’t played in a real game. Finley is limited. And while Calzada helped A&M beat Alabama last season, he also was the quarterback when the Aggies lost four games, including to Mississippi State and LSU. In short, while Nix certainly left Auburn fans wanting more during his Tigers career, chances are Tigers fans will miss him this fall.

WR Caleb Chapman

Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

The Aggies weren’t that active in the transfer portal, bringing in just one player, and they’re also not really going to miss anyone who left. Chapman is an intriguing talent, but he can’t stay healthy. He played in 22 games in four seasons; 10 of those came in 2019, when he was a redshirt freshman and made just one reception. He finished his A&M career with 28 receptions. Still, receiver is a question for coach Jimbo Fisher. A&M has talent at receiver; that talent just needs to show itself this season.

Throughout the spring, we saw Nix take the reins in Eugene and arguably become a front-runner for the starting QB spot in the fall. As for Chapman, his transfer came after the spring game, so our first look at him will not come until fall camp.

List

Which players belong on the Oregon Ducks basketball all-time starting five?