Three Oregon Ducks Expected to Take a Step Forward Next Season

With the Oregon Ducks' 2026 team less than 90 days away from the start of their new season, the expectations surrounding the team are as high as ever. The Ducks and coach Dan Lanning will be expected to win a bulk of their regular season games as well as make some noise in the College Football Playoff.

To achieve that, they'll need a few key players to take a step forward in performance.

Iapani 'Poncho' Laloulu

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Iapani Laloulu Eugene Big Ten Recruiting Dante Moore Jamari Johnson A'Mauri Washington — Oregon offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu celebrates with fans as the Oregon Ducks take on the Washington Huskies on Nov. 29, 2025, at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Laloulu was fantastic last year and anchored an offensive line that finished as finalists for the Joe Moore award. The Oregon center will have to be even better in 2026 due to the turnover that the Ducks' offensive line saw from last year with Emmanuel Pregnon and Alex Harkey selected in the NFL Draft.

Laloulu will be tasked with taking a few new offensive linemen under his wing and showing them the ropes in 2026. Already a proven leader, Laloulu was one of the first to console Oregon quarterback Dante Moore after the Ducks’ loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl last year, and was one of the first Oregon starters to announce their return to Eugene for another season following the end of last year.

A’Mauri Washington

Washington was a key player on the Ducks' 2025 defensive line that terrorized opposing quarterbacks, and the entire starting defensive line from last year is set to return. Washington was a key cog in the machine, but his stats were a tad underwhelming for a defensive line that caused so much chaos.

Washington finished his 2025 season with the Ducks, logging 15 solo tackles and 1.5 sacks. If Washington can take that next step in 2026, the Oregon defensive line could be the best in the country and lead to Washington becoming a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Jamari Johnson

Johnson is set to be the No. 1 tight end option for the Ducks in 2026, following a line of succession at the position that has included now Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson and New York Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Johnson played second fiddle to Sadiq last season but was still able to be productive when he was on the field, logging 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns.

The tight end position for the Ducks has been one that has been commonly used in multiple packages, and Johnson will have to take that next step to make the Oregon offense flow smoothly. Johnson will have familiarity with quarterback Dante Moore as the two will look to connect often in 2026.

While the Ducks seem loaded with talent on both sides of the ball for the upcoming 2026 season, Laloulu, Washington, and Johnson are three players who, if they take a step forward in performance, could turn a great Ducks’ season into one that Ducks’ fans will remember for years to come.

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