Oregon Ducks early 2025 offense starting lineup prediction – plenty of playmakers remain despite a big roster shakeup
Oregon has a huge offseason ahead, and their 2025 roster is going to look a lot different from the product that took them to the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. With a ton of players heading off to the NFL, and new faces joining the team in the transfer portal, the image of next […]
Oregon has a huge offseason ahead, and their 2025 roster is going to look a lot different from the product that took them to the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. With a ton of players heading off to the NFL, and new faces joining the team in the transfer portal, the image of next year's roster is coming a bit into focus.
Let's take a look at what the depth chart might look like well ahead of the 2025 season.
Quarterback: Dante Moore, Austin Novosan
The biggest change will be at the quarterback position, where for the first time in three years the Ducks won't have an upperclassman in the room. It's time for Dante Moore, the third-year player that transferred from UCLA before the 2024 season, to take over. Multiple players have expressed their confidence in him and have created some hype around his upside, which is huge, going into the new season.
Running back: Makhi Hughes, Noah Whittington, Jayden Limar
Jordan James took over as the leader of the backfield in 2024 and posted big time numbers, proving to be able to carry the freight when the team needs him to. After James declared for the NFL Draft, Oregon hit the transfer portal and brought in Makhi Hughes, the No. 1 running back available, from Tulane. Fresh off a 1,500+ scrimmage yard season last year, the explosive and compact running back will be an instant impact in the backfield.
Wide receiver: Evan Stewart, Malik Benson, Dakorien Moore
The wide receiver position had the potential to lose all three starters to the NFL, but Evan Stewart announced that he's returning to the team, instantly bringing a veteran leadership to the room that the Ducks desperately needed. Malik Benson is an intriguing transfer portal addition with a lot of upside, and, bold prediction time, I think true freshman Dakorien Moore, the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class, makes it on the field as the starting slot receiver in year one.
Tight end: Kenyon Sadiq, Jamari Johnson
Like every single position on offense for the Ducks, the leading player is off to the NFL in Terrance Ferguson. Returning as the lead man is Kenyon Sadiq, a hyper-athletic tight end that has plenty of ability. Sadiq is coming off a 24 reception, 308 receiving yard season as a true sophomore, and will be shouldering the load in his junior campaign.
Offensive line: Isaiah World, Dave Luli, Iapani Laloulu, Matthew Bedford Alex Harkey
The offensive line remains a bit of a mystery, in large part because we aren't sure if Matthew Bedford will be granted a medical hardship waiver to return to Oregon or not. It seems like it's heading that way, so for this exercise, we'll slot him in as the starting right guard. Dan Lanning and the Ducks hit the transfer portal hard to bring in a pair of tackles, with Isaiah World figuring to take over on the left side and Alex Harkey figuring to take over on the right. Iapani "Pancho" Laloulu returns as the center, with Dave Luli to his left. Despite the turnover with both Josh Conerly Jr. and Ajani Cornelius heading to the NFL, there's plenty of talent and strength on next year's line.
Ducks have one thing that makes the Ohio State National Championship a little less bitter, no matter how much they hate it.
“Bitter sweet” doesn’t even come close.
Follow along all year for more Oregon Ducks coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, as well as follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
