Junior Adams lauds work ethic, progress of Oregon WRs as season nears
There's no question Oregon is loaded with talent at wide receiver -- it's just about how much this new coaching staff is able to leverage and maximize that potential from a largely inexperienced group.
Wide receivers coach Junior Adams touched on that Tuesday after practice while emphasizing the part of that process that has especially pleased him this preseason.
Adams noted how everyone in the receiver room has been getting to practice early to watch film and staying after to get extra work in on the field.
“These guys come into work every day,” Adams said. “They come early, put in the extra time, and know they can’t just show up and play football.”
While third-year sophomore Kris Hutson established himself last season with 31 catches for 419 yards and 2 touchdowns, the Ducks are hoping that 2022 is the breakout season for sophomore Dont'e Thornton and Troy Franklin.
"Dont'e is one of those guys that literally lives in the receiver room. Every time I'm coming in there, he's sitting at the computer and he's watching something," Adams said. "He's the guy the night before a practice or a meeting the next day, he's the one texting the group like, 'Hey, can we get the install for tomorrow?' He's one of those type of guys. I enjoy being around Dont'e. He's a great kid."
Franklin, whom offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham praised for his consistency in fall camp, also spoke to the media on Tuesday about his necessary weight gain in the offseason and what he feels is his biggest improvement coming into his second season.
“Being mentally stronger this time around is definitely a big thing for me that I’ve been working on,” Franklin said. “If I mess up on a play, ‘flush it’ and get to the next one.”
Meanwhile, freshmen Kyler Kasper and Justius Lowe are new to college football, veterans Chase Cota (from UCLA) and Caleb Chapman (Texas A&M) are new to the program, etc.
Franklin revealed that he, Cota, Lowe and Kasper are battling for the X-receiver role.
Then there's former running back Seven McGee, who isn't new to Oregon but is to the position he's now playing in the slot.
And as McGee noted, all of the Ducks receivers are new to this offense, with coordinator Kenny Dillingham coming in from Florida State.
McGee said that one thing he’s excited about that he didn’t get to experience as a running back is the mismatch utilization that Adams and Dillingham have emphasized.
Along the lines of adjusting to change, tight ends coach Drew Mehringer was asked about new tight end Terrell Tilmon, who switched to the offensive side after playing last season at outside linebacker.
“Any time you flip sides of the ball there’s a massive change in philosophy what you’re overall trying to get done,” Mehringer said. “[Tilmon] has come a long way in a very short amount of time.”
Mehringer also mentioned that Tilmon is, “definitely” the fastest guy in the tight end room.
As for the collective understanding of the new system and what the Ducks want to do on offense, Adams indicated it's right where he wants it to be.
"I think we're comfortable. Going through spring ball, the summer workouts, the player-led practices, I think guys took really good leadership in teaching themselves the offense obviously going through, I think today's Day 16 or 17 of camp. I think we've got a pretty good understanding of what's going on," he said.