Oregon football makes post-spring transfer portal addition
A lot of good things happened for the Oregon Ducks in their annual spring game last week, but one thing head coach Dan Lanning wasn't exactly pleased about was the punting.
That problem was seemingly fixed today as former Boise State punter James Ferguson announced on X that he will join the Ducks in the fall. The combination of Ross James and Andrew Boyle didn't do itself any favors with an average of just 33 yards per punt. Lanning seemed to be joking after the game that they may need to go in the portal for punting help.
Advertisement
He evidently wasn't joking.
"If there's a punter out there available," he said. "We've been more consistent. They didn't show up today. That was some of the poor kicks that I've seen here."
Ferguson's phone may have been ringing after that because in less than a week, he's an Oregon Duck.
Punting inside Autzen Stadium since the Broncos played the Ducks last season, where Ferguson had a season-best 68-yard boot against Oregon.
He'll be a senior in 2025 with just one year of eligibility remaining. In 2023, Ferguson was selected to the American Football Coaches Association All-American Second Team, the Sports Illustrated Second Team, Associated Press Third Team, the College Football News Third Team, the All-Mountain West First Team and was a Ray Guy Award Semifinalist for the best punter in the nation.
Advertisement
In that 2023 season, Ferguson averaged 50 yards a kick and had 23 punts go inside the 20-yard line.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Football: Ducks add special teamer via transfer portal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
5-star Oregon Ducks target now projected to land with SEC powerhouse
5-star Oregon Ducks target now projected to land with SEC powerhouse A number of the top-ranked recruits have already come to Eugene on official visits over the past couple of weeks, and more are scheduled to make their way to see the Oregon Ducks this summer. One of the top players is 5-star safety Jireh Edwards, who was on campus earlier this spring to check things out. Edwards is scheduled to take an OV to Eugene on June 19, but on Wednesday morning, a prediction from On3's Steve Wiltfong landed for the 5-star defensive back to land with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The 247Sports Composite rates Edwards, who stands at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, as the No. 23 overall player in the class, and the No. 2 safety. He has strong ties to Eugene, where his former St. Francis Academy teammate, CB Ify Obidegwu, is expected to be one of the starters in 2025 and have a breakout season. Edwards is scheduled to announce his commitment on July 5 after OVs to Texas A&M and Oregon. If Edwards does end up going to the SEC school, Oregon should be able to pivot. This past weekend, they had 5-star safety Jett Washington on campus and are reportedly in a good position to land his commitment after the successful visit. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Where the Oregon Ducks rank in ESPN's Future Power Rankings for college football
Where the Oregon Ducks rank in ESPN's Future Power Rankings for college football In the college football world, being set up for the future is almost as important to fans as being ready to win right now. With a large emphasis on recruiting and the classes that are set up to come down the pipeline, fans who may not root for a team that is projected to be in the championship mix in a given year often opine about "down the road." For the Oregon Ducks, you can have both things. Dan Lanning's squad is among the top teams in the nation this year, expected to once again compete for a Big Ten championship and make it into the College Football Playoff. However, they are also uniquely positioned for the future, with stacked years of elite recruiting classes that have coffers stocked with talent. ESPN appears to agree with this sentiment, ranking Oregon among the top teams in the nation in their Future Power Rankings ahead of the 2025 season. ESPN takes into account both the presence of a returning quarterback and the likelihood of a multi-year QB, offensive and defensive line outlook, roster management, star power, and the coaching staff to formulate their rankings. Here's a look at where Oregon placed in the top 10 of the rankings: When you put those factors together, it's not hard to see why the Ducks are expected to be near the top of the sport for years to come. Let's break things down by section and compare our opinion to what ESPN had to say. Oregon Ducks Returning Quarterback in 2025 Our Take: Obviously, Oregon will have a new starting QB in 2025, whether that be Dante Moore or Austin Novosad. The Ducks appear to feel great about their chances no matter who steps up and wins the job this offseason, though. ESPN's Take: "No. For the second straight year, Oregon must replace a record-setting quarterback in Dillon Gabriel, an NFL third-round draft pick of Cleveland." Oregon Ducks Quarterback Future Our Take: Building on 2025, there's a feeling that whoever the starting QB is in 2025 will also be the starting QB in 2026 as well. Early expectations are for that to be Dante Moore, who could be among the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy both this year and next year, and a potential early NFL draft pick in 2026 should he play to his ceiling in Eugene. The Ducks have also recruited the QB position well at both the high school and transfer portal levels, giving them a handful of options for the 2027 season and beyond. ESPN's Take: "A definite possibility. Dante Moore will be entering his third college season and second at Oregon after transferring in from UCLA. Moore, ESPN's No. 2 overall recruit in 2023, started five games for UCLA but barely played last fall and might benefit from two full seasons as a college starter." Oregon Ducks OL/DL Outlook Our Take: If there's one thing that Dan Lanning has excelled at during his years recruiting at Oregon, it's building up the trenches. Most notably on the defensive side of the ball, the Ducks have a stacked group of players on both the edge and interior defensive line, supplemented by transfer portal pieces like Bear Alexander this year. Over on the OL, Oregon used the transfer portal heavily this year to bring in top-ranked guys like Isaiah World and Emmanuel Pregnon, but the recruiting has put enough talent in the room to keep the expectations high for the next few years as well. ESPN's Take: "Coach Dan Lanning has been masterful in building up Oregon's line play, but both groups will be tested after recent NFL draft losses. The defensive end spot looks strong with juniors Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti both back, but there are some immediate questions inside. Oregon's offensive line will be transfer-heavy in the short term with Isaiah World (Nevada), Alex Harkey (Texas State) and Emmanuel Pregnon (USC) arriving." Oregon Ducks Roster Management Our Take: If you're breaking down Lanning as a coach, then his roster management definitely leads the way as a top trait, and that's a credit to the guys around him, like Chief of Staff Marshall Malchow and the rest of the group. Oregon is routinely in the mix for the top recruits in the nation and is one of the premier transfer portal destinations. Building the roster with blue-chip players and supplementing with top-ranked transfers is a recipe for success, and the Ducks are following it to a T. ESPN's Take: "Lanning has been everything Oregon asked for and more in the personnel space. Oregon is consistently contending for top recruits and transfers, adding several for 2025 at offensive line, running back Makhi Hughes (Tulane) and defensive backs Dillon Thieneman (Purdue) and Theran Johnson (Northwestern). Oregon signed top-eight recruiting classes in the past three seasons. In the 2025 class, the Ducks signed five-star receiver Dakorien Moore, who could make an immediate impact this fall." Oregon Ducks Star Power Our Take: The star power is lower this year than we've seen in past Oregon teams simply because it is a young roster with a lot of unproven pieces. In Eugene, there are expectations for guys like Dante Moore, Dakorien Moore, Makhi Hughes, Matayor Uiagalelei, and Dillon Thieneman to be stars, but those guys are national household names just yet. After this season, though, there could be a lot of "stars" in Eugene if the Ducks play up to expectations. ESPN's Take: "Despite losing a team-record 10 players to the NFL draft, Oregon retained potential national award candidates like Uiagalelei and linebacker Bryce Boettcher while adding impact transfers like Hughes, World, Thieneman, and Johnson. Moore certainly has the ability to become Oregon's next impact quarterback. Another top player, receiver Evan Stewart, would likely have been a big name in the 2025 season, but he suffered a knee injury in early June that could limit his availability this season." Dan Lanning's Coaching Prowess Our Take: The on-field results still need to come in order for Lanning's accolades to match his hype as a coach, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that he is good at both keeping players and coaches in Eugene where they want to buy in and win a championship. The recruiting is as good as anyone in the nation, both at the high school and transfer portal level, and Lanning is yet to swing and miss on a young coach who he hires. The Ducks' staff is loaded with up-and-coming coaches who will undoubtedly move on to be head coaches and coordinators in the near future. ESPN's Take: "Lanning has made Oregon a place where both players and coaches want to stay. He retained his coordinators and lost only one assistant to the NFL from the Big Ten championship team. Oregon's staff is filled with younger coaches who thrive in recruiting." Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
10 hours ago
- USA Today
Oregon Ducks still 'the one to beat' for 5-star EDGE in 2026 class
Oregon Ducks still 'the one to beat' for 5-star EDGE in 2026 class "Oregon's the one to says this 5⭐️ has 'a lot of love' for the Ducks 🦆 MORE: — Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) June 10, 2025 The recruitment of 5-star edge rusher Richard Wesley has undoubtedly been a rollercoaster. After a surprise commitment to the Oregon Ducks on a visit in early May, Dan Lanning and his crew were riding high with the blue-chip prospect from Sierra Canyon, who ranks as the No. 13 player in the 2026 class, per the 247Sports Composite. However, it was just 17 days later that Wesley ended up decommitting from Oregon, saying that he intended to carry out the recruiting process and reassess his decision. Wesley scheduled several official visits, the first of which was the Eugene, which he went on this past weekend. According to multiple reports, that visit to Oregon went great, and Wesley was reminded of all the things that he loved about the Ducks in the first place and the plan that they had in place for him. According to On3's Steve Wiltfong, Oregon is still leading in the recruitment of Wesley at the moment. "I think that Oregon is the one to beat still," Wiltfong said on Tuesday. "Nothing has changed with Oregon, a lot of love for the Ducks, and I like where they stand." A trip to the Texas Longhorns follows this past weekend's visit on June 20. The date for the visit to the Texas A&M Aggies has not yet been finalized. Wesley will go to see the Ohio State Buckeyes on Aug. 30, the weekend they host the Longhorns for the season-opener in Columbus. Wesley is someone who the Ducks hope to get into the fold once the 2026 class signs in December, but it's not going to be easy. In the world of NIL, some of the top players in the nation require a substantial payday to secure their commitment and keep it, and the teams pursuing Wesley have large war chests to work with, as do the Ducks when it comes to paying these players. At the moment, Oregon is in a great position to land Wesley. But we've seen before, though, with Wesley in particular, how quickly things can change. This will be an interesting recruitment to follow over the next several months. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
