Oregon
Oregon Ducks Tight End Terrance Ferguson’s Increasing Role, Chemistry With Dillon Gabriel
Oregon football coach Dan Lanning has built a team ready to challenge some of the biggest, most physical college football teams in the country. While Heisman Trophy favorite, quarterback Dillon Gabriel, has grabbed a lion’s share of media attention in this story, senior tight end Terrance Ferguson stands ready to make some noise this fall as Oregon chases a Big Ten championship and a berth in the newly expanded College Football Playoffs.
Ferguson joined linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, and quarterback Gabriel on Big Ten Media day to answer questions about the Ducks, his decision to return to Oregon rather than leave for the NFL and his relationship with Gabriel.
The first question simply asked Ferguson about the kind of ball Gabriel throws. While he answered that “it’s a great ball,” Ferguson quickly changed the topic.
“(Gabriel) cares about everybody. I think that’s what makes him a good guy off the field.”
As to Ferguson’s situation, he acknowledged that he had to decide whether to return to Oregon for another year or make himself eligible for the NFL draft.
“I feel blessed to have had the decision to make,” said Ferguson. “(What) makes it easy to come back is when there are guys like this (Gabriel and Bassa) and all the transfers and people we have returning, like Jeff. We all have the same goal; we all want to win a national championship.”
While Ferguson is clearly team motivated, he is likely to take on a bigger role in this explosive Ducks’ offense. Offensive coordinator Will Stein has raved about the 6-5, 255-pound Ferguson, with the goal to get him the ball more this fall and improve on his 42 receptions, 414 yards and six touchdowns from last season.
Additionally, Ferguson has quietly amassed some rather amazing statistics and stands to challenge the records set by previous Ducks’ tight ends. Consider that he enters 2024 with 91 career receptions, just 33 away from the program record of 124 (Ed Dickson). His 13 touchdowns are just two behind Josh Wilcox record of 15. Ferguson’s 42 receptions last year tied for second-most by a UO tight end in single-season history, just one back of the single-season record of 43, held by Dickson.
What also bodes well for Oregon’s offense is that Ferguson leads a mostly young, but talented tight end room. Senior Patrick Herbert (brother of former Duck star and fan favorite, Justin Herbert will also provide leadership and experience as he helps mentor players like sophomore Kenyon Sadiq who represents the fast-developing undergraduates. The abilities of these athletes in both the passing and running game make them instrumental to the Ducks’ success in 2024.
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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