After a heartcrushing misstep during the CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl, the Oregon Ducks are looking to turn the page and get back on track for the 2025 campaign. With the sight set on the upcoming season, head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks landed an exciting talent who previously played for the Florida State Seminoles and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Oregon’s dream season ended in dismay and agony at the most iconic venue in college football. Ohio State dismantled Dan Lanning’s side, handing the school in Eugene a painful full stop to their campaign.
Lanning couldn’t get anything going for his team as they were thoroughly dominated on the gridiron. The Ducks’ 13-0 record was spoiled in the worst possible fashion, as Oregon was knocked out of the playoffs, and suspense has filled the program ahead of next season. However, there are some positives as the school landed a promising player off the portal, with past experience in Alabama and Florida State.
Florida State transfer wide receiver Malik Benson has joined Oregon for the 2025 campaign. As the Ducks embark on a renewed, challenging oddysey through the Big Ten. Benson arrives in Eugene after playing in the Seminoles’ 12 games of the past season, registering 25 catches for 311 yards and a touchdown. Prior to his one-year stint with the Noles, Benson spent a season at Alabama, posting 13 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown.
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning during the NCAA Big Ten Championship football game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Oregon Ducks at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The second-year senior enters Oregon with one year of eligibility remaining after transferring in consecutive years, first to Florida State from Alabama and now to Oregon. Benson will vie to make a leap during his stay in Eugene, hoping to boost his draft stock.
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NCAAF News: A key weapon for Dan Lanning's Ducks declares for the upcoming NFL Draft
Ducks star WR Tez Johnson declares for the NFL Draft
The Ducks will hope Benson’s addition helps them move on from Tez Johnson’s departure from Eugene. The sensational wideout announced he’s entering the 2025 NFL Draft, and will walk out of Oregon after transferring in 2023.
During his two-year stay with Lanning and the Ducks, Johnson posted astonishing numbers, leading the Ducks to a Fiesta Bowl victory in the 2023 campaign and a Big Ten championship in 2024. Johnson leaves Oregon after registering 169 receptions for 2,080 yards and 20 touchdowns in 26 games played.
QB uncertainty
Dillon Gabriel’s tenure with Lanning and the Ducks ended on a god-awful note. As the second-year senior embarks from the NCAA into the NFL, he leaves behind impressive numbers, but he walks away with a sour taste in his mouth because of how embarrassing the loss to the Buckeyes was.
Oregon head coach, Dan Lanning, prior to the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game featuring the Georgia Bulldogs and the Oregon Ducks, played at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Oregon came into this season well aware they’d be in the market for a quarterback for next year, yet they believed recruit Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele would become their signal-caller of the future. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the four-star QB signed with the California Golden Bears.
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Shortly after joining Dan Lanning's Ducks, Dillon Gabriel's replacement is heading to Cal
Sagapolutele’s decision left the door open for a new name to appear in Eugene and claim the starting quarterback job.
