Oregon Coach Ross Douglas Doesn't Hold Back About Ducks' No. 1 Wide Receiver

The Oregon Ducks enter the season with one of the most loaded wide receiver rooms in college football as several talented pieces could determine whether they’ll bring the first national championship to Eugene.

With variety of talent at the position, it’s hard to pinpoint who could be the true No. 1 wide receiver for the Ducks' offense, which is something that Oregon wide receivers coach Ross Douglas spoke on after Friday’s fall camp practice.

What Ross Douglas Said

Oregon Ducks College Football Big Ten Ross Douglas Dante Moore Dakorien Moore Jeremiah McClellan wide receiver room — Oregon wide receivers coach Ross Douglas works with players during Oregon’s spring game on April 26, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Who Is Oregon’s True No. 1 Wide Receiver

“I don't really worry about that, you know, whether who's one, who's two, who's five. It don't really matter. I think we have a collection of really good guys who are going to play winning football for us, so anyone could be the number one in that moment. It's just whoever has a hot hand at the time. Maybe it's dictated by defense. Maybe they're taking away a certain player, and another guy, kind of, that's his day, but I don't think we necessarily need to have a true number one.  I think we have a collection of guys who could hurt you in multiple ways.”

Expectations For Dakorien Moore

Oregon Ducks College Football Big Ten Dakorien Moore wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan 2026 season Ross Douglas — Nov 14, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Dakorien Moore (1) watches teammates warm up before a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“My expectation of Dakorien is just for him to be the best version of himself. He's more comfortable in our offense and more comfortable in Oregon, and you can just start to see him, just have a better understanding of what we're trying to do offensively and just what it kind of takes to be a really good football player. So it's been great to see him continue to progress like that, and his attitude has been great, so it's been a pleasure to work with him.”

Evan Stewart's Impact On Wide Receiver Room

Oregon Ducks College Football Big Ten Evan Stewart wide receiver Dakorien Moore Jeremiah McClellan Ross Douglas coaches — 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

“Definitely seen it continue; it's been like that ever since he decided to come back and all that since January. So he's had a great attitude, great mentality. He’s been a really good leader for our guys in the room, so now it's a pleasure to work with them every day.”

Next Step For Jeremiah McClellan

Oregon Ducks College Football Big Ten Jeremiah McClellan wide receiver CFP spring ball fall camp practice Ross Douglas — Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan (11) is tackled by Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Kevin Levy (24) during the second half at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I think experience is your best teacher, you know? He had over 500 snaps last year, and he's a richer freshman now; he's going into a third year, so he has a lot of great football experience where he played a lot for us in the playoffs."

"He played big force down the stretch, and it's kind of carried over momentum into how he practiced in the winter, when it was winter conditioning, how he practiced in spring ball, and how he's practicing now in fall camp. So he's just a guy who's still ascending; he's getting better every single day, so I'm just excited to continue to see what year three looks like.”

Jalen Lott and Gatlin Bair

“They're right on cue, right where they need to be. They're getting better every single day. Gatlin got here in the spring, and ever since he stepped foot on campus, he's gotten better every single day, and that's all you could ask for, and Jalen. He got here a little late, so the developmental curve was a little different, 'cause, you know, Gatlin, he was in all the walkthroughs, and the installs, and this spring practice, and Jalen did it, but Jalen, he came here."

"He's gotten a lot more comfortable trying to camp when on, you know, first, like, his first practice at Oregon was fall camp practice number one, so he had to get used to our intensity and just what we're asking him to do with and without the football and how we play offense. So he's gotten comfortable every single day.”

Challenges Of Getting Gatlin Bair Ready

“I'll talk about Gatlin, so Gatlin, I know he was on a mission; he didn't play football for two years, so going through spring, it's just like, okay, I gotta get used to my body moving like this again. I gotta get used to this hard transition. I gotta get used to feeling contact when I catch the football. So, there was some growing pains in it, but, again, you learn, experience is your best teacher, and you get better by, you get better at playing football by playing football."

"So we got a ton of reps here in practice, and he's just kind of embraced that; he still hasn't really played a football game since, what, December of 2024. So it's been a little minute, but again, he's been at practice, he's been available, and he's just getting better every single day. And as I said, it helps when you go against some of the, like, one of the best defenses in the country every single day.”

Amount Of Wide Receivers In Rotation

“My goal of every single season, my goal is to maximize every single player in the room.  I know all the players aren't gonna be the same. They're all different shapes and sizes, but you want to maximize each player individually. So I've always come into a season, like, how many players can I get as game-ready as possible?  So if that’s three, then it's three; if it's six, then it's six; if it's seven, then it's seven, but I want to maximize every single kid in that room, and if they can play winning football for us, they'll be out there for us.”

Iverson Hooks As Potential Slot Receiver

Oregon Ducks College Football Big Ten Iverson Hooks wide receiver slot receiver UAB Blazers fall camp practices slot receiver — 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

“He has gotten better every single day since he's been here. He transferred over from UAB, and it's different here at Oregon than it is at other institutions. So just the intensity in which we practice, the level of player you're going to get some practice, the habits necessary needed, to get through one of our practices, or thrive through one of our practices.”

“I think he's learned that along the way, and you've definitely seen improvement since spring practice number one, default camp practice number 13, so you've seen a lot of improvement, but I look at wide receivers, like, wide receivers are a skill position, so I don't want to pigeonhole anybody into, you know, okay, this is a slot guy, this is an outside guy.”

“So I think Strap has a multifaceted skill set. He's really quick. He's really explosive. So that could work on the outside, because he could release off the line of scrimmage. I could work on the slot on short, intermediate, and deep routes, but I don't want to box anybody, any of our wide receivers, in just one position, because I would be doing an injustice to them as football players.”

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