Oregon Coach Speaks Candidly on Freshmen Tight Ends Kendre Harrison, Andrew Olesh

The Oregon Ducks produced one of the best rookie tight ends in the NFL last season in Terrance Ferguson, and they have arguably the best tight end prospect in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft in Kenyon Sadiq. It doesn't look like Oregon will be slowing down with the elite tight ends anytime soon with the current position group, either.

In addition to retaining Jamari Johnson, the Ducks signed 2026 five-star Kendre Harrison and brought in Penn State transfer Andrew Olesh during this offseason to bolster the tight end room. With how much talent is at the position, Oregon's tight ends could factor heavily into the team's offensive plans for 2026.

Oregon Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer Preaches Development

Oregon Ducks Drew Mehringer Dan Lanning Kenyon Sadiq Jamari Johnson Terrance Ferguson Markus Dixon Kendre Harrison Recruiting — July 27, 2024; Eugene, OR, USA; Kendre Harrison part of the top-ranked recruits flocked to Eugene for the 2024 Oregon Ducks Saturday Night Live ; Mandatory credit: Zachary Neel-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | Ducks Wire-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On top of his duties as offensive coordinator, Drew Mehringer will continue to coach the tight ends group. He's overseen the development of Sadiq and Ferguson. Mehringer knows what he's looking for in tight ends

Mehringer understands that although the Ducks' newcomers have a lot of talent, they still have plenty of room to develop.

“In terms of the two young guys, I think that high school football is different. I think that Kendre (Harrison) is learning a lot. We're doing a lot more things, and practice is happening a lot faster than it was for him only a few months ago. And then Andrew (Olesh) is coming off of a redshirt year at Penn State, where he's learning, too. For him, this feels maybe not like this in the first year," Mehringer said.

Oregon's Veteran Transfer Tight End

On the Ducks' depth chart, Johnson is expected to be the unquestioned No. 1 tight end, but behind him will be a battle between Harrison, Olesh, and Clemson transfer Markus Dixon.

After spending three seasons at Clemson, Dixon played both tight end and defensive end for the Tigers. He started off on the offensive side of the ball for the first two seasons before transitioning to defense for coach Dabo Swinney

Oregon recruited Dixon out of the transfer portal to play tight end for them. Mehringer believes that Dixon's size and experience will benefit the Ducks' tight end group.

“Markus (Dixon), obviously, has been in college for a little while, like he kind of, he comes from a good program, and he's a bigger, older kid, right? So, he's a 255-pound kid. He's really smart, he's tough," Mehringer said.

Oregon Ducks' 2026 Outlook

Tight ends were a big component to former offensive coordinator Will Stein's offense. During the 2025 season, Oregon saw Sadiq and Johnson finish second and fourth on the team in receiving yards.

But with Mehringer taking over as offensive coordinator following Stein's departure, there shoudn't be too much of a difference in philosophy. Lanning and the Ducks opted to go with familiarity by promoting Mehringer.

The Ducks' tight end room is deep. Johnson, Olesh, and Harrison are vertical threats who could offer a lot in the passing game. Dixon could be a big help in the run game with his physicality and size at 6-4, 265 pounds. Another productive year could be in store for Oregon's tight end group.