The Oregon Ducks have a lot of new faces on the roster in 2025 who are expected to play major roles this upcoming season. From major transfer portal additions like Dillon Theienman, Isaiah World, and Makhi Hughes to top-ranked recruits like Dakorien Moore, Na’eem Offord, and Trey McNutt, the Ducks will get some production from someone new this fall.
Which of the new faces is going to be most important to the team’s success this coming season as Oregon looks to repeat as Big Ten Champions? That’s something that ESPN set out to determine as we trudge through the college football offseason.
According to ESPN, the answer is true freshman wide receiver Dakorien Moore, the No. 1 WR in the 2025 class and Oregon’s prized signing from this last cycle.
“In the transfer portal era, it’s harder than ever for freshmen to make an immediate impact. But this isn’t your typical freshman,” ESPN’s Billy Tucker writes. “Moore is the highest-graded receiver ESPN has evaluated since 2020. His 93 grade tops recent five-stars such as Ryan Williams and Jeremiah Smith in 2024, Zachariah Branch in 2023, and Luther Burden III in 2022.”
While Moore may be rated more highly than Smith or Williams, it will take a lot for him to produce more than either of those players as a true freshman. For Ohio State, Smith was a revelation, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ championship season. At Alabama, Williams had 48 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns.
Can Moore replicate either of those stat lines at Oregon? Tucker thinks he will be in a good position to do so, at the very least.
“Moore will be a starter by midseason — he’s simply too talented to keep off the field. He’s a bigger, faster version of Tez Johnson, who led Oregon in receiving last season and was drafted in the seventh round by the Buccaneers,”…
Source link : https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2025/05/09/oregon-football-ducks-important-newcomer-2025/83533915007/
Author :
Publish date : 2025-05-09 15:32:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
