The Oregon Ducks are not shy about their National Championship goals in 2024. Entering the Big Ten Conference, coach Dan Lanning’s Ducks have one of the most exciting rosters and schedules in college football.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel already made his intentions known to his Duck teammates. The nation’s No. 1 transfer quarterback gathered his teammates before fall football practices and promised the “best version of himself” in his final college football season.
Gabriel is the current favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, odds which are boosted by possibly Oregon’s best and deepest receiving corps ever, highlighted by Tez Johnson and transfer Evan Stewart.
Nov 18, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. (2) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
However, don’t overlook Gary Bryant Jr.
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Last season after transferring from USC, Bryant Jr. caught 30 passes for 442 yards and four touchdowns. The versatile Bryant also returned 14 kickoffs for 259 yards.
Bryant is confident 2024 will be his breakout season.
“I just think the preparation I put into this year,” Bryant Jr. told Oregon Ducks SI’s Bri Amaranthus. “This is a big year for me, a big year for my team We have a big goal, you know, to go all the way.”
“National championship or bust. We’ve been grinding, grinding very hard for it.”
The biggest difference in Bryant Jr. this season is his leadership role, the junior is making an effort to be more vocal and it isn’t going unnoticed.
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“Gary is the glue to that room,” receivers coach Junior Adams said. “There’s a lot of guys in there that lean on (him). He’s a vet. I’m excited. He’s made plays at all three positions for us so far, and I’m excited to see what he’s going to do.”
The Ducks’ depth at receiver is impressive:. While Johnson and Stewart receiver the lion share of attention, Bryant Jr., Traeshon Holden and Justius Lowe are all impact players. Why does Bryant Jr. think Oregon’s receivers are the best unit in college football?
“Obviously, the talent we got in that room, but I think, how well we play together,” Bryant told Amaranthus. “I think they got a chance to see it kind of last year. We had one receiver leave and go pro, and then we got Evan coming in. But I think the way that they see we play together and play off each other was a big thing. And obviously, the talent we have in the room is far from none.”
Bryant Jr. says the Oregon coaches have put emphasis on physicality leading up to the Ducks’ inaugural season in the Big Ten conference.
“The weight room for us has been fantastic, phenomenal,” Bryant told Amaranthus. “Everything that we’ve been doing this off season is going to pay off for us. So I’m excited to put that on tape for everybody else to see.”
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“We love the doubters… When we prove them wrong, it’s big for us.”
Team chemistry, toughness, growth with a focus on tuning out noise… Bryant Jr. is preaching coach Lanning’s ‘Team DNA.’
Bryant Jr. is very pleased with his decision to transfer to Oregon from USC, to join coach Lanning. What is his favorite thing about his coach?
“I’ll say his transparency,” Bryant told Amaranthus. “Everything that he told me, being recruited here has played out to the T. And it wasn’t any promises or nothing like that. It was, ‘go out there and earn it.’ But everything he’s told me has been true. He’s been a great coach to me, a great mentor on and off the field, somebody I can come and talk to about anything. He’s going to give me his 100% opinion on it. So I appreciate him for that and all the coaches.”
And now, it’s time for Bryant and the Ducks to “go out there and earn it” en route to their ultimate goal: Oregon football’s first National Title.
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MORE: Oregon Football’s Dan Lanning Analyzes First Full-Pads Practice: “You See Who’s Real and Who’s Not”
MORE: Oregon Ducks Recruiting: Three Flippable Football Recruits, Class of 2025
PORTLAND, Ore. — A man accused of killing several women and dumping their bodies in the Portland area was arraigned Wednesday on a fifth murder charge.
Jesse Calhoun’s defense attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in a Portland courtroom where victims’ family members were present. The hearing, during which Calhoun remained silent, came after he was indicted last week on the most recent second-degree murder charge over the death of Ashley Real, 22, in 2023.
Calhoun has now been charged with five counts of second-degree murder for five victims, along with four counts of abuse of a corpse. The victims’ bodies were found over multiple months in early 2023, sparking concern at the time that a serial killer might be targeting young women in the region.
Calhoun was previously indicted in the deaths of Kristin Smith, 22; Charity Perry, 24; Bridget Webster, 31; and Joanna Speaks, 32.
He remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center. His defense attorneys declined to comment.
Real, Perry, Webster and Smith were found in northwestern Oregon, while Speaks was found near an abandoned barn in southwestern Washington. Their bodies were found in a roughly 100-mile radius, including in wooded areas and in a culvert.
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Jose Real, Ashley Real’s father, was in tears as he spoke with reporters after the hearing. He recalled memories of watching her grow up and playing with her brother.
“I never thought or imagined that my family would experience something like this,” he said through a Spanish interpreter. “She had a heart of gold.”
Masciell Real, Ashley’s sister, also spoke through tears.
“I think being in that courtroom today and being able to see him, and know that he is behind bars now, it takes the weight off my shoulders knowing that he isn’t around and free to cause any harm to any other women out there,” she said. “But it also doesn’t take away the fact that my sister isn’t here anymore.”
Relatives of other victims were also present.
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“We’ve all experienced the worst thing that could ever happen to you, and it’s incredibly hard to see one of the other families hurt the way we do,” said Melissa Smith, mother of Kristin Smith.
Jose Real previously told The Associated Press that he had called police in November 2022 after his daughter showed up crying at his Portland home, saying she had been choked by Calhoun. She had marks on her throat, he said, and he took her to a hospital.
Real said at the time that an initial police report was taken but that the case was then transferred to a different jurisdiction and it was difficult to reach those overseeing it. Details of the attack were first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
His daughter’s body was found in May 2023 by a man who was fishing in a pond southeast of Portland.
Calhoun was arrested in June 2023 on unrelated parole warrants and then indicted in 2024 and 2025 in the other four women’s deaths. The initial indictment came weeks before Calhoun was due to be released from state prison, where he was returned in 2023 to finish serving a four-year term for assaulting a police officer, trying to strangle a police dog, burglary and other charges.
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He was initially released in 2021, a year early, because he helped fight wildfires in 2020 under a prison firefighting program. Gov. Tina Kotek revoked the commutation in 2023 when police began investigating him in the deaths.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
