Oregon Football Offensive Depth Chart Prediction With Transfers, Recruits

EUGENE, Ore. – Coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks prepare to return some familiar faces on the offense in 2026, as they begin their quest to contend for a National Championship.

Even though key 2025 starters like quarterback Dante Moore and center offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu come back, the offensive line as a whole and the tight end position both underwent some changes.

Below is a prediction of what the Ducks’ offensive depth chart will look like after recruiting additions and transfer portal changes.

Quarterback

Starter: Dante Moore
Backup: Dylan Raiola

The Ducks enter the 2026 season with a crowded quarterback room but continuity from last season. Moore is expected to return for his second year as an Oregon starter and third year with the program.

Dylan Raiola made headlines in the offseason with his transfer from the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Many fans expect Raiola to take over the starting position in 2027, while backing up Moore in 2026. Brock Thomas and Akili Smith Jr. are other names to note in the quarterback room, however.

Thomas stepped into the limelight in 2025 when Moore exited the home matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers, and Thomas proved himself when entering games as a backup. Smith steps into his second year with the program and showed out during the Spring Game.

All three quarterbacks have the chance to enter games as backups throughout the season and make an impact.

Running Back

Starter: Jordon Davison
Backup: Dierre Hill

Some positions are hard to predict the starters due to the depth and different play styles that Lanning has at his disposal. Sophomore running backs Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison both proved themselves as true freshmen, but they add very different dynamics to the team.

Davison is returning from a broken clavicle injury that he suffered at the end of last season. Statistically, Davison had one of the best seasons an Oregon running back has had in recent history. He rushed for 15 touchdowns on 113 carries and 667 yards. Davison showed he can be lethal in short-yardage scenarios, but isn’t afraid to push through contact and break away for long runs when given the space.

Hill finished the 2025 season with five rushing touchdowns, a receiving touchdown and 656 rushing yards. Hill brings a speedy presence that’s dangerous with open space, running for a career-long 71 yards vs. Indiana in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The starting position is a toss-up between the two, who could rotate throughout the season. Transfer running back Simeon Price and incoming freshmen Brandon Smith and Tradarian Ball are other names to know who could contend for the third spot in the depth chart.

Tight End

Starter: Jamari Johnson
Backup: Markus Dixon

The Ducks lost 2025 starter Kenyon Sadiq to the NFL Draft after a standout junior season last fall. Even with the loss, Oregon is in a good spot at tight end, bringing back Jamari Johnson.

Johnson could develop into a first-round draft pick in his own right if he shines in 2026. Johnson received 32 passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns last season as a backup. He can continue to build off his strong start to his Oregon career and become another receiving option for Moore.

Lanning added five-star recruit Kendre Harrison and Penn State transfer Andrew Olesh. Both bring daunting physical frames and provide depth for the future, but the top backup might be Clemson transfer Markus Dixon.

Dixon enters as a redshirt junior and impressed at the Spring Game. Lanning said after the Spring Game that Johnson is inquisitive and attacks the things he needs to do in order to improve, which could help him earn a top rotational spot.

Offensive Line

Starters: Fox Crader, Douglas Utu, Iapani Laloulu, Dave Iuli, Michael Bennett
Key Backups: Immanuel Iheancho, Ziyare Addison, Kawika Rogers, Tommy Tofi, Gernorris Wilson, Devin Brooks

Laloulu and right guard Dave Iuli return as the only starters from 2025, but outside of that, there’s a lot of change along the offensive line.

Yale Bulldogs transfer Michael Bennett brings experience to the unit and is a contender to lock in the starting spot at right tackle. At left tackle, Fox Crader returns after playing in a rotational role last season and showed he could be ready for the starting spot.

Douglas Utu is a former five-star recruit entering his redshirt freshman season, but he played plenty of snaps in the Spring Game at guard.

Immanuel Iheancho was the crown jewel of Lanning’s 2026 recruiting class and a player who many Ducks fans believe will have an impressive career in Eugene. Given the rarity of a true freshman starting on Oregon’s offensive line and that Iheancho wasn’t among the early enrollees, it’s more likely that he eases into a greater role to start his Oregon career.

Returning offensive linemen who can contribute include Kawika Rogers, Gernorris Wilson, Ziyare Addison and Devin Brooks, with Tommy Tofi being another incoming freshman with potential.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Dakorien Moore, Evan Stewart, Iverson Hooks
Key Backups: Jeremiah McClellan, Messiah Hampton, Gatlin Bair

It’s very hard to say that any of Evan Stewart, Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan won’t start at any point in 2026. Moore and McClellan emerged as two of the top receivers on the team last season, while Stewart missed 2025 with injury but became a top option in 2024.

All three should rotate as playing major roles in the offense as Moore’s main targets. At the slot, Iverson Hooks seems like a leading starting candidate. Hooks enters as a transfer from UAB and adds speed to the slot position that the Ducks could use.

Gaitlin Bair didn’t play in the Spring Game despite arriving as an early enrollee, but he is already ahead of other freshmen, given that he’s a 2024 recruit who spent the last two years on a mission trip. Messiah Hampton and Jalen Lott are two of the program’s top 2026 recruits, but they will have competition ahead of them to earn top rotational roles in 2026.

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