Dan Lanning Updates Injury Status of Star Tight End Jamari Johnson

The Oregon Ducks lost to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a surprising upset, and another surprise from Saturday's game was the injury status of Oregon's starting tight end Jamari Johnson.

Johnson was sidelined against Oklahoma State after not dressing in full pads, and the Ducks started tight end Andrew Olesh in his place. After the loss, Oregon coach Dan Lanning offered a brief injury update on Johnson and his potential timeline to return during his postgame press conference.

oregon ducks dan lanning jamari johnson big ten injury update usc trojans boise state oklahoma state cowboys dante moore — Jan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Jamari Johnson (9) stiff arms Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jah Jah Boyd (16) during the fourth quarter the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dan Lanning on Jeremiah Johnson

"Yeah, Jamari really got banged up in the last game, and we'll see where he's at this week in practice."

The Ducks' next matchup is at home against Portland State followed by the first Big Ten Conference game of the season, a road game against the No. 14 USC Trojans. Johnson's status will be monitored after missing the week 2 matchup with the Cowboys, and the Oregon tight end's return might be one of the Ducks' biggest keys before facing the Trojans.

Against Boise State, Johnson proved to be a valuable target for Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. Johnson finished the game with four receptions for 57 yards and a pivotal touchdown grab. That production might have been one of the many factors that led to the Ducks' poor showing on offense against the Cowboys.

In 2025, Johnson was playing behidn former Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq, but he still finished the season with 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson's decision to forgo the 2026 NFL Draft and return to Eugene might have been overshadowed by decisions from Moore or Stewart or the starting defensive line to return to school for another season. However, the impact of Johnson was felt in the loss to Oklahoma State.

Oregon Offense Struggles Without Jamari Johnson

In the loss to Oklahoma State, Oregon's offense totaled 281 yards to the Cowboys' 554. Wide receivers Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart both caught touchdowns, but the Ducks did not have a pass catcher eclipse the 100-yard receiving mark. Freshman receiver Messiah Hampton finished third on the team with 31 receiving yards.

The passing game struggled, but so did Oregon's rushing attack. The Ducks ended the contest with 90 total yards on the ground, averaging 3.0 yards per carry. Penalties continued to plague Oregon as well as the Ducks committed seven penalties for 66 yards compared to only two from Oklahoma State.

After the game, Lanning shared some of his thoughts on how the Ducks might be able to fix some of the problems on display against Oklahoma State:

"We didn't execute well enough. I think there has to be a higher temperament in practice, a higher level of focus in practice for us to be able to execute. And then we have to be faster making adjustments throughout the game. People are going to play us differently at times. They did a great job on both sides of the ball of playing us a little bit differently, and we have to make adjustments quickly."

Turnovers forced by the Ducks defense kept Oregon in the game by giving the offense a short field, but Moore and company were unable to string together much momentum and pull off the comeback win to avoid the upset.

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