Oregon Ducks ‘Humongous’ Transfer Jamari Johnson Standing Out In Spring Football

Oregon Ducks transfer tight end Jamari Johnson is standing out at spring football practice after the Ducks landed him in the portal from Louisville. Johnson is a former 4-star recruit who was highly-coveted from Inglewood, Calif.

Johnson joins expected starter Kenyon Sadiq in Oregon coach Dan Lanning's tight ends room. After losing the most-decorated Oregon tight end in program history in Terrance Ferguson to the NFL Draft and veteran Patrick Hebert, the young Ducks tight ends will need to step up in 2025 for Oregon to contend in the Big Ten Conference.

Good news is, five spring football practices in, Oregon tight ends coach Drew Mehringer gave a glowing review of Johnson

Oregon Ducks transfer, Louisville tight end Jamari Johnson. | Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Jamari is a very smart kid," said Mehringer on Saturday. "He's a very willing person. He has a great personality and he wants to be coached... He's a guy who will look you in the eye and say 'Yes sir', and do exactly what you ask him to do...I think he's very very gifted. If he wasn't, we wouldn't have tried to bring him here."

How will Johnson and Sadiq fit in Oregon's offensive scheme? Mehringer continued and revealed he expects Johnson to see a lot of playing time this season.

"He's 6-foot-6 and he's got to be right around 260 pounds," said Mehringer. "He's a big big joker. But he's faster than you think he is, he's twitchier too and he has great hands. He has humongous hands. Where he's going to end up, I don't know. He's obviously a very different body type than what Kenyon is. We'll see how they work together out there on the field. I anticipate seeing a lot of him come the fall."

Louisville Cardinals tight end Jamari Johnson (11) celebrates his play during their game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky. | Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Sadiq is 6-foot-3 and weighs 245 pounds so expected starting quarterback Dante Moore could have two large tight end targets in 2025.

More good news regarding Johnson... He has three years of eligibility left. Oregon fans could get to know the transfer very well if he chooses to stay a Duck in the future.

With Louisville in 2024, Johnson played in the first seven games but suffered a leg injury that ended his season. He finished with 13 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. He is expected to be fully healthy as he begins his career in Eugene.

Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) hurdles over Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Jalen Kimber (3) on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, during the Big Ten Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lanning evaluated Johnson's potential this spring and highlighted his future.

"Yeah, great kid, great family, you know, really, really excited about him," Lanning said. "I think he performed really well, and his reps at Louisville this year showed up on film. What he was able to do - obviously, he had an injury that he's coming off of - and we're really excited about the future there."

Overall, Lanning is optimistic about his young tight ends in 2025.

"We’ve got a lot of good, talented players in that position," Lanning said. "Obviously, Kenyon has the most experience there. He's shown an ability to make great plays. I think he's going to be a great playmaker again for us this year. And just even watching the way he took the field today, you realize, okay, this guy has a purpose, right? He's coming out there for a reason. But there are a lot of guys that we're looking to create opportunities for at those spots, and that's what you want - as many good guys as possible that can go play at a high level."

Oregon fans will get their first glimpse at Johnson at the Ducks' annual spring game in Autzen Stadium on Saturday, April 26 at 1 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.