Oregon is days away from its season opener and the No. 2 Ducks will take the field Sept. 5 against Boise State with many players considered to be among the best in college football at their position. But that was the case last season as well, and yet, several other players quickly made headlines with their contributions. By the end of the season, cornerback Brandon Finney Jr., running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr., wide receiver Malik Benson and tight end Jamari Johnson had become household names, at least among Oregon fans.
Who are the candidates to make the same sort of jump this fall? Here are five players we predict will raise their profile in 2026. Which Oregon players will become household names in 2026? Cornerback Na’eem Offord Throughout fall camp, coaches and teammates have raved about the improvements made by the former five-star recruit who played in a limited capacity as a freshman last season. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore was ranked as the No. 2 cornerback recruit nationally by 247sports in the class of 2025 and now appears to be living up to the billing. Finney is a lock to start at one of the cornerback spots, but all indications are that Offord is pushing incumbent junior Ify Obidegwu for the other starting role. "It's night and day," coach Dan Lanning said. "Na'eem is a great example of knowledge of the game. This guy sees the coverage and the play, and there's still plenty to clean up, but he's proving to be a guy that can play significant snaps as long as he continues to improve because his skill set is so unique. He's long, he has great speed, he challenges the ball, he's physical. All those things are really showing up for him so far in fall camp."
Defensive tackle Matthew Johnson Seven edge rushers or defensive tackles hit the transfer portal last winter when the Ducks' four starters up front announced their return. Johnson wasn't one of them. Instead, he stuck around and did everything he could in the offseason to ensure himself a spot in the rotation this fall behind Bear Alexander and A'Mauri Washington. That dedication to both the team and his personal improvement plan are paying off as the 6-5, 319-pound sophomore is expected to be a key rotational player this season. "We talk on our team about being obsessed, and Matt's a guy that's been obsessed with getting better," Lanning said. "He's worked himself into a role where he's going to play a lot of significant snaps for us. … He's disruptive. He's hard to block. He's powerful. He's a guy that's given everything that he needed to put himself in position to play. If he continues to push, he can be a really dynamic player for this defense."
Outside linebacker Nasir Wyatt A reserve pass-rush specialist as a freshman in 2025, Wyatt has increased his strength and put his head into the playbook in an effort to become a more diverse and available player. The 6-2 sophomore is up 30 pounds to 245 since the start of last season, while retaining the speed and aggressiveness that helped him get three sacks, four tackles for loss and a forced fumble in just 41 snaps as a freshman in 2025. Like Offord, Wyatt has been the talk of fall camp. "Without getting into too much detail, Nas is a Swiss Army knife," edge coach Kam Araghi said. "And I think the biggest thing he's done is he's really enhanced his football intelligence. He's wanted to know the ins and outs of every single defense. So, what's the strength? What's the stressor of each call? Where can I take my shot in pass rush? When can I not? That's helped his game go to the next level. And, as a result, he's making more havoc plays." Wide receiver Iverson Hooks The one transfer on this list, Hooks came to Oregon in the offseason from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he started all 12 games as a senior in 2025 and finished with 72 receptions for 927 yards and seven touchdowns. The Ducks have three established starters in Evan Stewart, Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan. Hooks, who's a speedy 5-10 and 170 pounds, will get every chance to be WR4 early in the season as Oregon's slew of talented freshmen (Jalen Lott, Messiah Hampton, Gatlin Bair, Hudson Lewis) push for playing time. "I think he's got a multifaceted skill set," wide receivers coach Ross Douglas said. "He's really quick and really explosive. That can work on the outside because he can release off the line of scrimmage. That can work in the slot on short, intermediate and deep routes."
Tight end Kendre Harrison The Ducks have a history of freshmen making an immediate impact at the tight end position with Terrance Ferguson and Kenyon Sadiq the most recent examples. Now comes the highest-rated tight end recruit in program history in newcomer Kendre Harrison, a 6-7, 250-pound former five-star from North Carolina. Harrison has been doing enough during practice to, at the very least, be highlighted in social media videos posted on Oregon football team accounts. The Ducks have a starter at the position in Johnson, but offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer has never just relied on one guy to play tight end. Harrison is in a battle with transfers Andrew Olesh (Penn State) and Markus Dixon (Clemson) for the No. 2 spot. Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: 5 Oregon football players poised for breakout seasons