This past season was an interesting one for the Oregon football team. The Ducks started off the season before hitting the road to take on Washington in a battle of undefeated Pac-12 rivals. It was a fantastic game, but the Huskies ended up finding a way to get the win. Then, both Oregon and Washington ran the table in the Pac-12 for the rest of the season, and they were set for a rematch in the Pac-12 title game. The Huskies were undefeated and they had beaten Oregon earlier in the season, yet the Ducks came into the game favored by 10 points. It was certainly a bizarre line.
Despite the loss to Washington, after Oregon football finished 11-1, most people in the college football world thought that they were a lock to win that Pac-12 title game and make it to the College Football Playoff. Unfortunately for the Ducks, they lost to their rival again, and they missed out on the playoff. Oregon ended up going to the Fiesta Bowl to take on Liberty, and they easily got the win to end the year at 12-2.
It was a crazy season, but next season could be even crazier for Oregon. The Ducks have a lot of talent coming back next year and they already hit the transfer portal pretty hard. They are also making the move over the Big Ten along with Washington, USC and UCLA. The conference is going to be absolutely loaded with good teams, and a lot of people are expecting Oregon to be the best team. The Ducks have Big Ten title aspirations in year one of the new conference, and it's looking like they will have the talent to compete for a championship. Year one in the Big Ten is a big one, and the Ducks want to make it known to the rest of the conference that they have arrived.
Oregon football has already snagged Dillon Gabriel in the transfer portal to replace quarterback Bo Nix as he departs for the NFL. There were rumors that Dan Lanning could leave to take the head coaching job at Alabama, but he is staying. The Ducks have a lot of pieces to the puzzle, but there are still some players that they should take a look at in the transfer portal. In the Big Ten, games are won at the line of scrimmage. That is what Oregon should focus on if they are going to continue to bring in talent from the transfer portal.
The transfer portal will open up again after Spring ball, and that will be another opportunity for Oregon football to make a splash and add to their already talented transfer portal class. The Ducks have some good talent coming in, and let's take a look at the transfer with the most to prove heading into the 2024 season.
QB Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
Dillon Gabriel was able to prove himself as a worthy quarterback at his previous stops, UCF and Oklahoma, and he will have to prove himself again with Oregon. Gabriel has the most to prove next season because he is the transfer player that will be under the most pressure. The Ducks are losing QB Bo Nix to the NFL this offseason, and he will definitely be missed by fans. Nix was one of the best quarterbacks in the country last season, and if he had willed his team to a victory in the Pac-12 title game, he probably would've won the Heisman Trophy. Nix is going to be extremely difficult to replace.
That isn't the only reason that the pressure will be on. Oregon football fans are fully expecting to come into the Big Ten and win the conference in their first season. They have good reason to feel that way, too. The Ducks were near the top of the college football world last year, and they will once again have an extremely talented team this year while the Big Ten team that has won the conference for the past three years (Michigan) is losing almost all of their production and their head coach. The door will certainly be open for the Ducks.
Because of that, the pressure builds for Gabriel even more. He is the starting QB, which makes him the leader and the face of this tram. If other transfers players don't pan out, people aren't going to notice as much and it might not have a big effect on the season. Gabriel is the QB. A lot of their goals ride on him living up the lofty expectations that the fan base has for him. That's not an easy spot to be in.
Honorable Mention: CB Jabbar Muhammad, Washington
I had to throw in an honorable mention here because the guy coming from the rival will certainly have a lot to prove to Oregon fans. First of all, this was a huge pickup for the Ducks in the transfer portal. We saw last year what an elite defense can do as Michigan had the best defense in the country and it led them to a national title. Even when their offense had troubles, it didn't matter because teams couldn't score on them. Defense wins championships, and the Ducks want to get their defense to an elite level before next season.
Jabbar Muhammad has a ton to prove next year because of how good he was at Washington, Oregon's rival. He went from the enemy to on the team. That doesn't happen very often. Like Gabriel, if Muhammad doesn't pan out, it will be noticed. The Ducks already have a ton of talent of offense and outside of Gabriel, the transfers on that side of the ball probably aren't quite as important as the transfers on defense. We saw defensive issues plague the Ducks last year in their biggest games as they couldn't stop Michael Penix Jr. Muhammad will have a crucial role on defense, and if he doesn't play well, it won't be good, especially after coming to Oregon from their rival.
Both of these players are extremely talented and they should be able to have great seasons at Oregon. Their expectations and their elite talent levels are why they have so much to prove with their new team next year.
Follow Us
Subscribe