Oregon and its 14 transfer starters are just starting to gel

A year ago, Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was stuffing the run for Michigan State. Kobe Savage was intercepting a Kansas State pass. Jabbar Muhammad was a national championship cornerback for Washington. Evan Stewart catches for Texas A&M. And Dillon Gabriel was definitely throwing touchdown passes for Oklahoma.

Oregon Transfer Portal doesn’t want to be known as the U. Coach Dan Lanning’s No. 1-ranked Ducks, after all, boast plenty of homegrown talent, including leading rusher Jordan James and leading tackler Bryce Boettcher, who also stars for Oregon baseball.

Earlier this year, the Ducks signed the nation’s fourth-ranked recruiting class. Oregon’s 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked seventh. And the Ducks already have six ESPN 300 commitments from the 2026 class.

But in its first season in the Big Ten, Oregon is off to an 8-0 trip to Michigan on Saturday behind several key FBS transfer games from the past two years. In fact, 14 of the Ducks’ 22 offensive and defensive starters played elsewhere in 2022, including their entire starting receiving corps, starting defensive line and starting secondary.

Even Oregon’s Atticus Sappington, who nailed the game-winning field goal against Ohio State on Oct. 12, kicked for rival Oregon State last year.

“Everybody here is thankful,” said Ducks lead receiver Tej Johnson, who transferred from Troy a year ago, then set an Oregon record with 86 receptions last season. “No one takes it lightly.”

According to ESPN Research, Arizona State and Virginia Tech are the only other Power 4 programs whose starting receiving lineups are comprised entirely of transfers.

Colorado, Indiana and SMU are the other Power 4 teams with all-transfer starting defensive lines. UCLA, Louisville and Houston join the Ducks as other Power 4 All-Transfer starting defensive backfields.

Lanning said that as he looks to build Oregon through its recruiting class, he’s always looking for the “right pieces” with the “right character fit” in Portal who can improve the team.

The Ducks have gotten just that from an array of transfers who have collectively helped Oregon become a legitimate national title contender.

“We have a lot of experienced guys who have played a lot of ball, who understand our roles,” said Savage, who had a team-high eight tackles in Oregon’s thrilling 32-31 win over the Buckeyes. “A lot of us have a year left. We’re all about playing a great brand of football, showcasing our skills and talents for the next level and bringing a national championship to Oregon.”

These factors, combined with a strong NIL operation, have led to several talented transfers to Eugene over the past two years.

When Washington coach Kallen DeBoer left for Alabama to replace Nick Saban after the national title game, Muhammad said he was considering following him to Tuscaloosa. But then, shortly after he entered the portal, he got a text from Muhammad Johnson, who told him, “Bro, Oregon needs you.” Johnson, who knew what Muhammad could do after facing him — once in the regular season and then again in the PAC-12 championship — next texted Lanning.

“Coach said, ‘We’re going to get him,'” Johnson recalled. “I’m going to call him right now.”

Lanning followed Facetiming Muhammad every day until he committed to the Ducks.

“It’s a match made in heaven,” said Muhammad, who leads Oregon with seven pass breakups. “It’s kind of crazy that a group of guys can transfer and gel with the rest of the team like that so quickly. It’s just not normal. … We put our differences aside, put our egos aside and just came together and meshed.”

Muhammad and others said Oregon’s “get real” sessions in the offseason helped fast-track the chemistry now manifesting on the field. Once a week, the players gathered in small groups of about a dozen, each time discussing a different topic. Harmon said the most memorable focus was the question, “Why do you?”

“The first day I got here, I knew it was different,” said Harmon, who ripped the ball away from running back Quinson Judkins in the Ducks’ win over Ohio State, leading to Oregon’s first touchdown. “Learning about a guy’s backstory, how a guy grew up or how a guy got here through the portal and what he had to do … little details that you probably didn’t know. But now you do, you’re just a little harder on the guy. play.”

With so many new pieces, the Ducks are still off to a slow start. They narrowly beat Idaho in the opener, then got a scare at Boise State.

From there, a win over Ohio State helped propel the Oregon Ducks to the top of the polls.

Gabriel, who is at the forefront of the Heisman conversation with Colorado wideout/cornerback Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Genty, quickly developed a rapport with Johnson and the other receivers. The defense, meanwhile, has surrendered more than 14 points just twice this season. Over the past two weeks, Oregon has outscored Purdue and No. 24 Illinois a combined 73-9.

“We definitely had some growing pains — we were a completely different team with new guys on both sides of the ball,” Savage said. “But I think we’re really starting to click.”

Led by its transfers, Oregon’s first playoff appearance in a decade is in sight. And possibly, the school’s first national championship as well.

“Personally, I don’t think we’re anywhere near our peak,” Harmon said. “We’re just scratching the surface. We still have a lot of work to do. But once we reach that peak, people will know.”