Dan Lanning Offers Insight Into Iverson Hooks' Speed at Receiver

UAB Blazers transfer wide receiver Iverson Hooks has the opportunity to be an x-factor for the Oregon Ducks' offense this season.

Jul 29, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Oregon Football head coach Dan Lanning speaks during Big Ten Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oregon Ducks fall camp officially got underway on Wednesday. The Ducks' anticipated season opener against the Boise State Broncos on Sept. 5 at Autzen Stadium is inching closer as Oregon enters the 2026 season with high goals to win its first national championship in program history.

Lanning was energized and enthusiastic when he took the podium following Wednesday’s first practice of fall camp and had great things to say about Ducks wide receiver and UAB Blazers transfer Iverson Hooks’ speed as a slot receiver.

UAB’s wide receiver Iverson Hooks (0) carries the ball against Alabama State during their game at Protective Stadium in Birmingham Ala., on Thursday evening August 27, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“We thought we were looking for somebody to play the A position for us, which is generally that. We weren’t necessarily looking for somebody that was smaller, right?”

“Obviously, you could make that quick attribute. We were looking for somebody that had the play skill set that he has, and it's shown up. He’s got shorter, quickness bursts. Those are the things that really paid off for us at that position in the past.” 

How Iverson Hooks Speed Can Impact Oregon’s Offense

Combat Ducks wide receiver Iverson Hooks carries the ball during warmups during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Looking to build the case to have one of the best wide receiver groups in college football this season, Hooks' speed as a slot receiver could benefit the Ducks and their effort to earn that title. Following four seasons with the UAB Blazers, Hooks arrives in Eugene, joining a talented wide receiver group that features key returners including Evan Stewart, Jeremiah McClellan, and Dakorien Moore. All four wide receivers will play their own role in the Ducks' pursuit of their first national championship in program history.  

Ahead of the season opener on Sept. 5, Hooks is even getting compared to former Ducks star Tez Johnson, who in two seasons with the Ducks as a transfer from the Troy Trojans recorded 2,080 yards and 20 touchdowns.

In his four seasons with the Blazers, Hooks was among the top receivers in the AAC, totalling 97 receptions for 1,225 yards and 10 touchdowns. Most of those yards came last season, when Hooks broke out for the Blazers, producing 72 receptions for 927 yards and seven touchdowns.

During his first season in an Oregon uniform, Hooks looks to build off the success that he had as a wide receiver in his final season with the Blazers.

Success Of Transfer Portal Players Under Dan Lanning 

Dec 30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart (7) poses during Rose Bowl media day at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

While Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s ability to put together impressive recruiting classes can’t be singled out, he’s also been extremely effective at scouting and adding talent through the transfer portal. It’s one of the many reasons why transfers have had so much success at Oregon and why players keep flocking to Eugene to join the Ducks. 

Hooks looks to join that recent group of players to have success, especially at the wide receiver position. At wide receiver, Hooks will join another former transfer at the position who has now called Eugene his home, Evan Stewart. 

Before transferring to the Ducks in 2024, Stewart spent two seasons with the Texas A&M Aggies, in which he totaled 1,163 yards and six touchdowns. In his one season with the Ducks, before missing all of 2025 with a torn patellar tendon injury, Stewart recorded 48 receptions for 613 yards and five touchdowns. 

Oregon wide receiver Malik Benson warms up as the Oregon Ducks face the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It was Nov. 30, 2024, against the Washington Huskies, the last time Stewart saw game action. For Ducks fans, the wait has been long enough. Former Ducks wide receiver Malik Benson is another player at the position to achieve success after transferring to Oregon.

After previous stints with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles, Benson led the Ducks in his only season with Oregon, recording 43 receptions for 719 yards and six touchdowns, leading a Ducks wide receiver group ravaged by injuries late in the year. 

Along with proving to be a dangerous player on special teams, those numbers were enough for the Las Vegas Raiders to select him with the No. 195 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.  

Can Hooks follow in the footsteps of the transfers to have success at Oregon? That remains to be seen as he looks to continue to showcase his talents leading up to the Ducks' season opener against the Boise State Broncos on Sept. 5 at Autzen Stadium. 

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