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The Oregon Ducks have officially returned to the field this week. Spring practice has already begun, but Tuesday marked the third spring practice since the two-week break the players just took. There are a variety of fresh new faces to get accustomed to this spring with up to 31 players joining the team.
Among the new faces, there remains a core group of returning players for the Ducks such as Terrance Ferguson, Jeffrey Bassa, Jordan James, Jordan Burch, Tez Johnson, and others. Now that the break is over, the Ducks will ramp up the intensity in preparation for the Spring Game on April 27. Duck fans should expect to see a clearer vision for the wide receiver position following the spring, along with quarterback and defensive back where there is a ton of depth. Spring practice will answer some questions for the coaching staff and set the precedent for what we should expect to see in the 2024 season.
Coaching News
Coach Dan Lanning will pivot to a coach-by-committee for the Ducks running back room after the departure of Carlos Locklyn who departed to coach running backs at Ohio State.
Lanning called the timing of Locklyn's departure "interesting" during an interview with 247Sports. Locklyn had previously signed a two-year contract extension with a pay raise from Oregon in March.
"It's football, it's the reality you know?" Lanning said. "Carlos did an unbelievable job for us."
Despite Locklyn leaving, fans should not expect the Ducks to be in a frenzy to hire a new coach for the position. The Ducks will use a coach-by-committee system to make up for the vacancy in the meantime.
Locklyn will pair up with former Duck legend, Chip Kelly, the new offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes. This is a tough blow for Oregon's coaching staff, but the Ducks look to bounce back. Locklyn helped develop soon-to-be NFL running back Bucky Irving and the current starter Jordan James. James is poised for a huge year in 2024.
Spring Roster
The Spring roster has also been released and it includes a number of new faces. The list includes players like Jabbar Muhammad, Dillon Gabriel and Evan Stewart, who were all highly coveted in the transfer portal.
Spring practice will include some pivotal competitions, including the quarterback room where Gabriel is set to face off against recent transfer Dante Moore at the Spring Game. Another loaded position that requires some answers for the 2024 season is wide receiver. Oregon has one of, if not the most loaded wide receiver room in the country with players such as Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden returning. The Ducks also brought in the top wide receiver in the portal in Evan Stewart from Texas A&M. He is expected to be a starter on day one. The x-factor, however, is 2023 five-star recruit Jurrion Dickey. Dickey didn't see a ton of time last season due to the depth at the position. With the departure of soon-to-be NFL wide receiver Troy Franklin, the opportunity arises for someone to step up. Offensive coordinator Will Stein noted Dickey is now "ready to see the field" a lot more this season. Other key names include Gary Bryant Jr. and Kyler Kasper.
New Uniforms For 2024
The Oregon football program recently released a graphic via X promoting the themes to dress with for each game during the 2024 season. One theme, in particular, is catching the eyes of fans—the season opener against Idaho.
The Ducks opening game is set to be a "stripe out" with potentially yellow jerseys based on the graphic posted on the "Goducks" X profile. The remaining games are all a combination of black, green or white jersey-colored games. This is in light of Oregon recently announcing that they will soon be unveiling the "Generation O" uniforms for the 2024 season and beyond.
Fans are eager to see what the new set of jerseys will look like. Equipment administrator Kenny Farr brought players in last week to show a tease of the new jersey set. Fans have yet to see what they look like but Farr mentioned that the jerseys are comprised of futuristic looks and throwback looks. There are also some different helmets and kits that flow with everything.
Oregon fans, including myself, all over social media are hoping to see these uniforms influenced by Deondre McKnight. McKnight, an East Coast Ducks fan, is an extremely talented artist who consistently puts out awesome helmet and jersey designs for the Oregon fanbase to appreciate.
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