Oregon Football Freshman Focus: Wide Receiver Dont’e Thornton
Dont’e Thornton grew up dreaming of playing college football at Oregon. This spring he finally got to realize that dream when he stepped on campus in Eugene. So far the reality has matched his high expectations.
“I would say that it’s exactly what I expected coming in," Thornton said. "All the things that I dreamed of as a young kid, once I got here I felt like it was exactly what I thought it would be. So I felt like Oregon really fulfilled all the dreams I had.”
On the field, Thornton is stepping into a receiving group with a mix of established contributors and talented young guys. Thornton falls into the latter category, but has had the benefit of taking the mentorship of a few upperclassmen.
“Overall I feel like we have a great receiver group. Every day we’re competing and getting better, working with each other, making sure everybody is there for each other. We’re going to have a real good receiver group,” Thornton said. “Two of the (players) I feel like really took me under their wing were Johnny Johnson and Devon Williams. I talked to them before I got there, so once I got there I followed behind them to see what they’re doing right and wrong. When I need help I go to them and they get me right with everything.”
Devon Williams is one player that Thornton shares a similar play style with. As bigger wide receivers, the two are starting a trend that we've seen reflected more and more on the recruiting trail.
“I definitely take pride in that. Nowadays I feel like a lot of receivers that people look at, they feel like all the bigger receivers aren’t that fast," he said. "The receivers like me and Devon, we’re big receivers that can actually move. You can see now with the classes that are coming at receiver, that the game with the receivers is changing up and there’s a lot more bigger and faster receivers.”
Another major story heading into this fall camp has been the competition in the quarterback room. While upperclassmen Anthony Brown has established his spot with the first unit, fans are equally excited about the three younger players who all flashed impressive abilities in the spring game.
“I feel like we have a great quarterback group. I feel like next year once AB (Anthony Brown) leaves, anybody can get the job. And even if one goes down, we’re still gonna have a good quarterback that’s gonna be able to come in. So I’m not gonna sit here and say one is better than the other, I feel like as a collective group we have a great group of quarterbacks.”
On the other side of the ball, Thornton has enjoyed his competition against the Ducks defensive backs during this offseason.
“I feel like all our DB's, we compete everyday on and off the field. One of the ones that I feel like is my best competition or I like going against is probably Mykael Wright or DJ James. They’re the starting corners, so I like going up against them as a freshman. They played here, they already know what they’re doing. So knowing that I’m working against one of the best here, it motivates me to keep on going.”
As Thornton enters his first college fall camp and the season draws closer, I asked him about his personal goals for this coming season.
“I’m definitely excited to step on the field as a freshman. But I’m not really focused on being an immediate starter. I’m just working everyday to help my team get better every day. I’d say my number one goal is to just work hard every day and be the best person I can be for myself and help my team. And win a national championship, that's it right there.”
Lastly, I had to get Thornton’s thoughts on his first uniform release as a Duck.
“I feel like the new uniforms are crazy. They might look the same to some people but once you actually put your eyes on the jersey there’s a lot of small details that are on the jersey that mean a lot.”
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