The Oregon Ducks lost a handful of players on Sunday to the transfer portal, but Dan Lanning and his staff are slowly building the 2026 roster back up, including a new target at wide receiver that could be a reminder of another slot receiver who wore the green and yellow.
Former Alabama-Birmingham receiver Iverson Hooks has committed to come out to the West Coast and play for the Ducks. Hooks was a go-to guy for the Blazers this season, and it will be difficult for UAB to replace him immediately. But UAB’s loss is definitely Oregon’s gain.
He was one of the better players in the American Conference in 2025, and it will be interesting to see how Hooks performs against tougher competition in the Big Ten. It’ll also be interesting to see how he fits into the Oregon roster and what looks to be yet another deep receivers room in Eugene.
American Conference Honors
Hooks earned Second-Team All-American Conference honors for the Blazers. He caught 72 passes for 972 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. For his career, Hooks has 97 catches for 1,225 yards and 10 touchdowns.
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The Tez Johnson/Gary Bryant Jr. Role
At just 5-foot-10 and a mere 175 pounds, Hooks is a similar player to former Duck slot receiver Tez Johnson, who also came from a Group of 5 league at Troy. He turned out to be pretty good, and there’s no reason to think Hooks won’t be either. The Ducks have had a history of making certain slot receivers into stars, such as Johnson and, most recently, Gary Bryant, Jr. Expect Hooks to pencil in at the slot and find his role there.
The WR Room Gets Deeper
Hooks should probably start in 2026 for the Ducks, but there’s no guarantee of that, as Oregon will bring back one of the more talented receiver rooms in the country. They’ll miss the likes of Bryant and Malik Benson, but Evan Stewart could be back, along with Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan. They also add Gatlin Bair fresh off of his mission, and have high-upside guys like Jalen Lott and Dillon Gresham looking for targets as well.
Remaining Eligibility
Due to an injury just three games into his redshirt freshman season in 2023, Hooks will have two years of eligibility remaining, just as Tez Johnson did when he left Troy for Eugene. Johnson made a huge jump from his junior to senior season, and the Ducks are hoping Hooks can make a similar jump as well.
Top 25 WR out of the portal
While Hooks isn’t a huge name on the market, as On3 rated him the No. 24 receiver in the portal, he doesn’t need to duplicate his numbers of 2025 to be successful for the Ducks. Oregon has plenty of playmakers on the roster and if Hooks can fill that role of being a slot receiver, make first downs, and be an occasional deep-ball threat, that should be more than good enough for the Ducks next season.
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Kacey KC would lead an agency that manages 745,000 acres of Oregon forestland.
FILE: A log truck in the Tillamook State Forest pictured in a file photo.
Amelia Templeton / OPB
Gov. Tina Kotek has chosen Oregon’s next top forestry executive.
If approved by the state Senate, Kacey KC would be the first woman to permanently lead the Oregon Department of Forestry.
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KC has worked in forestry for more than two decades, most recently as the boss of the Nevada Division of Forestry. She was tapped as the President of the National Association of State Foresters in 2023.
“While I am not from Oregon, my experience at both the national and state level equips me to deepen key relationships while leading and supporting the strong work and mission of the Department,” KC said in a statement Thursday.
Kotek tapped KC for the job after state forester Cal Mukumoto resigned in January 2025 amid rising wildfire costs and controversy over multiple workplace conduct investigations into state employees. Kate Skinner, a longtime Tillamook district forester, served as the interim forester after Mukumoto’s resignation.
KC would lead an agency that manages 745,000 acres of Oregon forestland, including by helping fight wildfires. The agency is also responsible for implementing rules that seek to balance the state’s logging interests with the protection of vulnerable species.
“KC brings tenacity and a get-it-done style to her management approach and knows how to build strong partnerships across all levels of government to tackle complex challenges,” Kotek said.
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The Senate Committee on Rules will take up KC’s appointment during the February legislative session.
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A competitive opening 14 minutes by Oregon State ballooned to a decided Saint Mary’s halftime lead, then snowballed into the third 30-point loss of the season and the worst shooting game in more than nine years for the Beavers.
Josiah Lake II scored 17 points, but was the only player in double-figures for Oregon State in an 81-51 loss to Saint Mary’s Wednesday night in front of 3,390 at University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, California.
Lake, who was 7 of 11 from the field and 3 of 4 at the free throw line, was the only player to make more than two field goals in a season-low scoring outing for Oregon State (10-12, 3-6 WCC). The Beavers shot 28.6% from the floor — their lowest since shooting 28% from the field on Dec. 18, 2016 against Portland — including a season-low 12.5% from three.
“Offensively really poor shooting night by us and then even defensively we had a hard time keeping the ball in front,” Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said on postgame radio. “We’re fighting for our lives and we’re trying to cut corners.”
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Joshua Dent had 16 points and 11 assists and Paulius Murauskas added 15 points and six rebounds for Saint Mary’s (18-3, 7-1), which dominated the glass (44-28) and shot 34.8% from three.
The Gaels turned a 19-17 lead with 5:55 to go in the first half into a 36-25 lead at the break by making 7 of its last 9 shots going into halftime.
That extended with more makes to open the second half as Saint Mary’s broke open a 21-point lead en route to its 21st straight home win.
“We didn’t defend to start the second half, but we had some great looks,” Tinkle said. “Got to knock them down.”
Oregon State did not score consecutive baskets during the second half, during which it shot just 25% from the field, including 12.5% from three.
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OSU guard Dez White (10.3 points) did not play due to a thigh bruise.
“There will be some good in this,” Tinkle said. “A lot of it’s going to come down to we didn’t guard our man defensively in the second half and we missed a lot of opportunities offensively to put the ball in the bucket.”
EUGENE – The chaos of the transfer portal is almost over. The window for players to enter the portal closed on Jan. 16, and many transfers were quick to commit to new programs.
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The Oregon Ducks received another big transfer portal haul. Oregon coach Dan Lanning secured transfer commitments from 14 incoming players. Despite the Ducks filling gaps in the roster, only two incoming transfers ranked inside ESPN’s top-50 transfer rankings.
Where Oregon’s Transfer Portal Additions Rank
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Oct 11, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich (3) reacts to his teams win after the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
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Lanning’s top-ranked transfer is former Minnesota Golden Gophers safety Koi Perich. Perich is the highest-ranked safety by ESPN, coming in at No. 11 on the list. The safety posted 128 tackles, six interceptions, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a sack in two years with Minnesota.
Perich will look to have a similar trajectory to Oregon 2025 safety Dillon Thieneman. Like Perich, Thieneman also saw previous success as one of the Big Ten’s top safeties with another program in the conference. Thieneman transferred ahead of his junior season, continued his development under Lanning and is poised to be an early pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Oct 17, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
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Joining Perich as one of the top-ranked transfers is former Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola. He’s another player coming off his sophomore season in the Big Ten who looks for a change of scenery. Raiola threw for over 2,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. He finished his second year with 18 touchdowns on 72.4 percent completion.
Raiola ranks No. 30 among ESPN’s top transfers. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced that he would return to Eugene in 2026 shortly after Raiola transferred. Moore redshirted his first season with the Ducks after transferring before starting for the team. The expectation is that Raiola will do the same and start in 2027.
MORE: Oregon Ducks Receive Update On Offensive Tackle Transfer Jordan Seaton
MORE: One Underrated Transfer In The Oregon Ducks’ Portal Class
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MORE: How to Watch Oregon Ducks’ 2026 Big Ten Schedule Reveal
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Other Top Transfers with Oregon Connections
The Ducks have been in pursuit of former Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, who ranks No. 4 among transfers. Seaton is a former five-star recruit entering his junior year. He’s a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, but college programs are currently scrambling to secure his commitment.
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Seaton made visits to Mississippi State, Miami and LSU. He was scheduled to take a visit to Eugene, but cancelled. Lanning and Oregon offensive line coach A’lique Terry ended up visiting with Seaton in Atlanta on Tuesday night instead.
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Nov 1, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes offensive lineman Jordan Seaton (77) reacts to a penalty called during the second quarter against the Arizona Wildcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Adding Seaton to the Ducks’ offensive line would be major for the program. Oregon lost offensive linemen Isaiah World, Alex Harkey and Emmanuel Pregnon, with each having only one year of eligibility with the team. The Ducks bring back center Iapani Laloulu and add Yale transfer offensive tackle Michael Bennett.
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The only outgoing transfer on ESPN’s top-50 list is former Oregon defensive tackle Tionne Gray at No. 39. Gray transferred to Notre Dame with three years of eligibility remaining. The defensive tackle redshirted his first season in Eugene and showed promise in 2025 as a rotational piece. He finished with 18 total tackles during his time at Oregon.