Oregon
Dan Lanning Evaluates ‘Deep’ Oregon Football Receiving Corps: ‘Burst, Explosion’
The Oregon Ducks finished the 2023 season with the second-best passing and scoring offense in college football. However, coming into spring camp, there were questions about the 2024 passing game due to the departure of Troy Franklin. Simply put, how does Oregon coach Dan Lanning replace a wide receiver who caught 81 passes for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns?
Fortunately, coach Lanning only had to look at his roster to find the solution.
“We have some talented guys in that room, which is great,” Lanning said after the Oregon football spring game of Oregon’s receiving corps. “We’ve got to continue to eliminate some of the MAs (missed assignments) that are gonna occur when you’re learning stuff.
Lanning continued, “I see burst, I see explosion. I see guys that attack the ball when it’s in the air. It’s a deep group with a lot of guys who can help us.”
Jan 1, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. (2) and Tez Johnson (15)
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Back to the roster. Enter Tez Johnson who, in his first year as a Duck, set an Oregon single-season record for receptions with 86 for 1,182 receiving yards – the third-most in UO single-season history—and 10 touchdowns. He was one of 11 players, including Franklin, that reached 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit TD catches. In addition, PFF rated Johnson as one of the best receivers in the country. His 89.9 grade this season trailed only Marvin Harrison Jr. among all FBS receivers.
The rich get richer when Oregon signed transfer receiver, Evan Stewart. The addition of the acrobatic Stewart adds more depth to Oregon’s already-impressive wide receiver room. Stewart joins returning players Traeshon Holden, Gary Bryant Jr. and Justius Lowe, all vying for playing time.
“I want to show that I am a jack of all trades,” said Stewart in Oregon’s final week of spring practices. “…I can go up and get it like a big receiver, I can move like a little receiver. I’ve got great hands, I’m very quick, very fast.”
On paper, the Ducks’ passing game looks to be in great shape. That said there is work needed in order to improve and become the team coach Lanning believes they can be.
“The DNA traits for us aren’t going to change, right?” Lanning said of his 2024 team. “It still has to be about connection, growth, toughness and sacrifice. But every team is unique and every team is different. And it’s about growing up together. This spring, I think our team grew up a ton. Going into spring I knew we had a talented team, but we had to become a team. And I think I saw a lot of that throughout this spring.”
Oregon
Man sentenced to 20 years for Oregon killing of girlfriend four decades ago
A 73-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for the 1983 killing of his then-girlfriend. It was a case that went unsolved for more than 40 years.
The sentence was announced by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.
In July 1983, Teresa Peroni, 27, was reported missing after attending a party in the Selma area of Josephine County southwest of Grants Pass. She was last seen walking in the woods with her boyfriend Marcus Sanfratello.
Authorities deemed Peroni’s disappearance suspicious, but they lacked evidence to bring charges against anyone.
In 1997, a human skull was found on private property near where Peroni disappeared. In 2024, authorities in Josephine County reopened the case. In addition to re-interviewing witnesses, they collected new DNA evidence to build a case against Sanfratello.
With the DNA, experts at the University of North Texas confirmed the skull was Peroni’s.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man arraigned on murder charge in Oregon for death of then-girlfriend in 1980s cold case
A grand jury indicted Sanfratello of second-degree murder, on June 27, 2025.
Police arrested Sanfratello in Chico, California the next day. He was then extradited to Oregon to face the charge of murder.
Under a plea agreement, Sanfratello pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.
He will serve at least 10 years in prison, Oregon’s attorney general’s office said.
“For Teresa Peroni’s family, this has been a 43-year wait for an answer they never should have had to wait for,” Rayfield said in a news release. “Cases like this remind us of why we don’t give up. It doesn’t matter how many years have passed — if someone took a life, we’re going to keep working until we can hold them accountable.”
Oregon
100+ Women Who Care of Central Oregon Donates Nearly $20,000 to M Perfectly – The Source – Bend, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon Ducks Safety Target Elijah Butler Nearing Crucial Point in Recruitment
The Oregon Ducks are set for one of the biggest timelines of their recruiting cycle, as many top targets are nearing commitments. This time around, the Ducks have a ton of top targets still remaining on their board compared to past seasons, as the Ducks have eight total commitments at this time.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff still need to land a safety commitment, but three-star safety Elijah Butler out of Maryland recently included the Ducks in his final six schools.
Oregon Target Elijah Butler Makes Exciting Recruiting Announcement
Butler announced his top six schools ahead of a crucial part of his recruitment, according to a graphic by Leyton Roberts. The Ducks made the cut alongside the Maryland Terrapins, Virginia Tech Hokies, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The talented prospect would be a great addition for any of these teams, as they could all use a safety prospect at this point in the recruiting timeline.
Butler is from the state of Maryland, which makes the Terrapins one to watch.
It is also worth noting that he has been labeled as one of the best players in the state of Maryland, as he currently ranks as the state’s No. 9 prospect, according to Rivals. This is important as the Terrapins have always made solid attempts to land their in-state stars, including last season when they landed one of the better players in the state’s history, Zion Elee.
As of now, the prospect hasn’t been predicted to land with any of these schools, which means it is likely still a tight race entering the official visit schedule. He has yet to schedule an official visit with all of the schools he has listed in his top six, as he is still missing three key official visits. Butler has scheduled official visits with Alabama, Auburn, and Florida, according to 247Sports. This means he still needs to set one with Oregon, Virginia Tech, and Maryland if he wants to take one to each school.
If the Ducks are able to get Butler on a visit, then they would likely be in a more favorable position to land his commitment, as it currently. seems they are one of the trailing teams from this list. It seems highly unlikely that the Ducks will gain his commitment unless they get him on an official visit, which is still possible at this point, as plenty of top prospects across the nation are still scheduling their official visits.
As of now, the Ducks have 27 prospects set to take an official visit, according to 247Sports. Among all of the prospects who have scheduled a visit thus far, only one of the players is listed as a safety. That player is a three-star target, Junior Tu’upo. This leads one to believe that the Ducks could try to get Butler on a visit, or at a minimum, pitch their program to the prospect from St Frances Academy.
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