Handful of Ducks listed among ESPN’s Top 50 players in CFP

We are just a few days away from the first round of the College Football Playoff, and in less than two weeks the Oregon Ducks will hit the field in Pasadena, facing Ohio State or Tennessee in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks are the No. 1 seed in the bracket, which gives them the first-round bye to the Rose Bowl.

All 12 programs in the field are filled with talented players, but some players shine brighter than the rest. On Wednesday, ESPN published a list of the 50 best players in the 2024 College Football Playoff, and as the only undefeated team in the country, the Ducks had several representatives.

Three Oregon footballers are ranked in the 30s. At 37 is running back Jordan James, 36 is Matayo Uiagalelei, and 34 is Josh Conerly Jr. All three have been instrumental for the Ducks this season, and at the end of the regular season, they all seemed to be playing their best ball.

James, Uiagalelei, and Conerly weren’t the only Ducks named to ESPN’s list. Oregon had two players in the teens: wide receiver Tez Johnson at 15 and defensive lineman Derrick Harmon at 14. Harmon is a transfer from Michigan State and with 42 tackles and nine TFLs — five of which are sacks — he has dominated this season for Oregon.

Tez Johnson is one of the best receivers in the country, with 78 catches for 866 yards and 10 TDs this season. If he racks up 13 more catches, no Oregon pass-catcher will have caught more passes than Johnson.

At the very top of ESPN’s list is Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. This is Gabriel’s sixth year in college and the Ducks are his third team. Gabriel has been good all six seasons he’s played in college, but he certainly seems to have saved his best for last. This season, Gabriel was a finalist for the O’Brien Trophy (given to college football’s best QB) and he is the leader of the Ducks’ team.

Gabriel…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/handful-ducks-listed-among-espn-160711512.html

Author : Ducks Wire

Publish date : 2024-12-19 16:07:00

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