Oregon
Oregon Ducks, Michigan Wolverines Injury Update: Star Cornerback Will Johnson Out?
The Oregon Ducks offense might be facing a Michigan Wolverines defense without one of its best players on Saturday.
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said that star cornerback Will Johnson “will be back out there at some point this season” as he continues to nurse a lower-leg injury. That wording from Moore certainly makes it seem as if Johnson could be sidelined for at least another game. He didn’t play in Michigan’s 24-17 win against the Michigan State Spartans.
“He’ll for sure [play again] this season. We’ll see how it works out this week and what he can do,” Moore said. “So we’ll just let the doctors handle that. . . . Will has no plan of just shutting it down or anything like that. . . . If he could go out there, he would go out there in a heartbeat. I know that he’ll be back out there at some point this season, whether it’s this week, next week, whatever it is. And there’s zero doubt in my mind that he’s a competitor that wants to be out there with his teammates.”
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning offered up his own praise for Johnson when speaking to the media Monday. It’s an easy bet that the Ducks will still be preparing as if Johnson will be playing.
“He’s a great player,” Lanning said. “He has ball production. He gets in and out of breaks. He’s able to take away a side of the field. So he’s definitely a guy that would make an impact.”
Johnson, who is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is in his third season with the Wolverines. He was a vital piece on Michigan’s undefeated National Championship-winning team last year, tallying 27 total tackles and four interceptions. He picked off former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the College Football Playoff National Championship as Michigan cruised to a 34-13 win. He’s performed on the biggest of stages and certainly wouldn’t be phased against No. 1 Oregon, if he plays of course.
This season, Johnson has posted 14 total tackles (12 solo) and two interceptions, both of which he returned for scores of 86 yards (vs. Fresno State) and 42 yards (vs. USC).
If he’s active, Johnson is a big play waiting to happen in the secondary, something Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel will need to be aware of. Gabriel is putting together a Heisman-worthy season, but he’s struggled with turnovers in Big Ten play, as all five of his interceptions this season have come against conference foes.
Oregon and Michigan will kick off at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday.
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The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
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‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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