Season In Review: Receiver/TE

Reviewing Oregon's 2019 season and looking ahead to spring drills.

DEPTH CHART?
WR: Johnny Johnson III, Jr.; Josh Delgado, Fr.; Kyle Buckner, Sr.; Korbin Williams, FRr.; Lance Wilhoite, Fr.; Vincenzo Logan, RFr.
WR: Jaylon Redd, Jr.; Mycah Pittman, Fr.; Justin Collins, Jr.; Jack Vecchi, So.
WR: Juwan Johnson, Sr.; Bryan Addison, RFr.; Isaah Crocker, RFr.; Tevin Jeannis, RFr.; JR Waters, Fr.; Devon Williams, So. (RS)
TE: Jacob Breeland, Sr.; Hunter Kampmoyer, Jr.; Ryan Bay, Sr.; Spencer Webb, RFr.; Patrick Herbert, Fr.; Matt Mariota, Sr.; Tyler Nanney, Fr.; Cam McCormick, Jr. (inj.)

Starters: Despite constant lineup fluctuations due to injuries, Oregon's receiving corps in 2019 enjoyed a bounce-back season. One year after accounting for more than 50 drops, the Ducks significantly reduced that number even though only one of the team's five leading receivers on the season was healthy and available for all 14 games. That individual was junior Johnny Johnson III, who personified the unit's year-over-year improvement by putting a difficult 2018 behind him. Johnson rebounded with a team-high 57 catches for 836 yards and seven touchdowns, showing a flair for acrobatic plays deep downfield that he first demonstrated as a freshman but hadn't repeated as a sophomore.

Another junior, Jaylon Redd, finished second on the team with 50 receptions, despite missing two games. For much of the year, the dynamic slot receiver seemed like a good-luck charm — his absence due to injury was felt acutely in the second half against Auburn, and when the Ducks played at Arizona State. Oregon overcame Redd's absence in the Rose Bowl due to a personal issue, but there's no doubt the offense was more efficient and explosive when he was on the field in 2019. Graduate transfer Juwan Johnson missed four games due to an injury suffered in preseason camp but was a clutch player in the second half of the season, making critical late-game catches against Washington State and Wisconsin. In between, he combined for 12 receptions for 199 yards and four touchdowns in back-to-back games against USC and Arizona.

Juwan Johnson

The tight end position wasn't immune to the injury big either. Cam McCormick missed the entire season after a preseason camp surgery, and Jacob Breeland experienced the misfortune of having his senior season cut short after six games due to a knee injury. Hunter Kampmoyer stepped up to fill the void, and though his presence was felt most significantly as a blocker on the line of scrimmage, he had a couple of big receptions in the Rose Bowl win.

Reserves: Mycah Pittman made a big impression soon after arriving on campus in 2019, but his season debut was delayed by a shoulder injury suffered in August. He later missed time with an arm injury as well, but Pittman ended up catching 18 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns in seven games — all UO victories. Spencer Webb and Bryan Addison also caught 18 balls apiece, showing flashes of the enormous pass-catching potential each possesses. Josh Delgado had 11 receptions in his freshman season, taking on a bigger role in the wake of the training camp injuries and taking advantage of some chances to contribute. Justin Collins worked his way back into the practice rotation after an offseason knee injury, although he didn't crack the game rotation.

Among the unsung heroes of the 2019 Oregon football team was Daewood Davis. A receiver earlier in his career, Davis moved to corner in the offseason to account for a lack of depth there. But after the preseason camp injuries at receiver, he moved back to offense and caught nine passes, including a touchdown. Davis continued to jockey back and forth between offense and defense as needed, and also was a contributor on special teams. Like Kampmoyer, Ryan Bay was primarily a blocking tight end, but he also caught five balls in 13 games. Receiver Isaah Crocker and tight end Patrick Herbert each shuffled between the scout team and travel squad throughout the year, each making one appearance on the season, against Nevada. Senior Brenden Schooler began the year sidelined by injury, caught two passes in two games after returning but then opted to sit out the rest of the year and leave the program as a graduate transfer.

Jaylon Redd

Developmental squad: One of the most fun cliques on the team, in only the best sense of the term, was among the developmental squad receivers. The group including Kyle Buckner, Tevin Jeannis, Jack Vecchi, Korbin Williams, Matt Mariota, Tyler Nanney and Vincenzo Logan genuinely enjoyed practicing every day, competing against the defense and also each other, and busting each other's chops at every turn. Guys like that are the bedrock of a successful program — they called to mind the 2010-14 scout-team linebacker group including Isaac Ava, Grant Thompson and Mike Garrity, who got to go to two national championship games together. Their group got an infusion of talent when transfer Devon Williams arrived; he's an immensely gifted athlete with a wide catch radius and great hands, and his one-on-one battles with his cousin, Mykael Wright, were must-see moments in practice following his arrival. The scout team got another boost late in the year when JR Waters and Lance Wilhoite returned from injuries. They didn't have the polish Williams did, after missing so much time, but their size and athleticism were apparent.

ROB'S TAKE

SPRING PROJECTION
WR: Johnny Johnson III, Sr.; Josh Delgado, So.; Lance Wilhoite, RFr.; Korbin Williams, So.; Vincenzo Logan, So.
WR: Jaylon Redd, Sr.; Mycah Pittman, So.; Justin Collins, Sr.; Jack Vecchi, Jr.
WR: Bryan Addison, So.; Devon Williams, RSo.; Isaah Crocker, So.; JR Waters, RFr.; Tevin Jeannis, So.
TE: Cam McCormick, Sr.; Hunter Kampmoyer, Sr.; Spencer Webb, So.; Patrick Herbert, RFr.; Tyler Nanney, RFr.

What to Watch: Coming off the 2019 season, the returning receivers who rated the most playing time were Johnson, Redd and Pittman. Is there a way to get them on the field at the same time? They're all dynamic route runners with good hands, but it certainly wouldn't be the biggest receiver group in the nation. Williams, Webb and Addison would help that, as could Waters and Wilhoite, but none has the experience of the other three. So there will be some interesting decisions to make regarding who takes the first reps come spring. This will be a big year in the career trajectory of Crocker, who really matured in his second year in the program, earning himself consideration for a role in the rotation moving forward. And then there's the status of McCormick, whose potential is sky-high, if only injuries would stop holding him back. Assuming he's good to go, the Ducks will have a tight end group with personnel that can both complement the offensive line in the run game and also stretch the field in the passing game.