Just one season after we got to see Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix face off in high profile, high scoring affairs that impacted the national title picture, we’re once again getting a chance to see how the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies rosters have been overhauled and augmented via the transfer portal in the offseason.
Everyone’s going to first think of the quarterbacks who replaced Penix and Nix, and that kinda makes sense.
Dillon Gabriel was a highly sought after transfer portal addition who had thrived in Jeff Lebby’s offense with both the Oklahoma Sooners and the UCF Knights.
Now in his sixth season of college football, he arrived in Eugene with a ton of experience and he’s done well in Will Stein’s system. Over 3000 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 73.8 percent.
Not bad.
Meanwhile on Montlake, former Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers got started off well, but he’s had a few bumps in the road over the past few weeks. Rogers brought a ton of Air Raid experience to Seattle and initially was signed up to play for Kalen DeBoer, but stuck around to help Jedd Fisch get the program reestablished under new leadership.
Rogers hasn’t been what some have hoped he would be, but in the thankless role that comes in replacing a legend (and playing in an offense that is essentially pretty foreign to him with an overhauled roster), Rogers has thrown for 2,458 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Things could be better.
Storylines to watch in Washington Huskies vs. Oregon Ducks: Transfer portal players to have notable impact on rivalry matchup
But there have been significant players beyond just what’s happening at quarterback, and that’s especially true with Washington’s offense. Jonah Coleman (who followed Jedd Fisch and Brennan Carrol and company from Arizona to Washington) has managed to run for over 1,000 yards and looks to run for more against an Oregon defense that is loaded with talent.
Meanwhile, on Oregon’s offense, the Ducks are boasting Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart at wide receiver. While Johnson is in his second season in Eugene, both he and Stewart started their careers elsewhere and are continuing things on with the Ducks in aims of being able to win a national championship. Right now, it looks like that might just be pretty achievable.
It’s interesting the way that these rosters have been assembled and how the coaching staffs have taken advantage of the transfer portal and the way that college football has been changing. The sport is going to continue to evolve and it’ll be fascinating to see how these coaching staffs continue to adapt as they move forward.
Lanning is young, but he seems to be one of the most innovative coaches in the country. Meanwhile, Fisch arrived on Montlake with an abundance of NFL experience. When considering how the sport is becoming more pro football-like, that’s not bad or insignificant coaching experience to have.