Ross Douglas heads into his first season at Oregon down his top receiver but armed with plenty of talent.
Wide receiver is another position that is facing a lot of turnover at Oregon heading into the 2025 season. Ross Douglas joined Dan Lanning‘s staff after coming over from Syracuse and he’ll have a mixture of veterans and second-year players to work with in Will Stein’s offense.
He met with reporters in Eugene following Friday’s fall camp practice and below are some of his top quotes.
On impact on losing Evan Stewart
Douglas: “Football’s a next man up game. Injuries are the unfortunate part of this game. Evan Stewart’s a great player, but everyone looks at the player that we lost. I look at the young man that we lost. He was a kid who was in my office every morning at 6AM curious about how he could get better, studying other college receivers who are around his same body type and skill set. So I miss that part about him, more so than the player. But he’s around, he’s in our facilities, he’s in the meeting rooms. But football’s a next man up game. And a lot of guys are gonna get the opportunity to step up and be able to do their thing.”
On what he’s seen from Malik Benson, his skillset
Douglas: “I think Malik’s a kid, ever since he’s been here, he got here a little before I did, but throughout the spring and now in training camp I think he’s gotten better every single day. He adds a speed element to our offense and he can do a lot of things. He can short to intermediate and deep routes. He’s an older guy. He’s actually played 787 snaps in his career between Florida State and Alabama. So a guy who’s played a lot of football. His journey’s kind of been a little rocky, ups and downs—Alabama, JUCO, Florida State, but now he’s here at Oregon. He’ll be a positive contributor to this team and I love working with him everyday.”
On what Gary Bryant Jr. means to the receiver room
Douglas: “GB means a lot. Not only to the receiver room, but to myself. He’s a guy, again, played a lot of football, was hurt last year. I think he didn’t play very muhc last year. He did in 2023 and he played two years at USC. So he’s played a lot football again and he’s a guy who’s done it. He’s seen it. He’s played in the Pac-12, he’s played a little bit in the Big Ten, but now he’s a guy with a lot of experience. He knows how to practice. He’s the same guy every single day. Every morning I wake up, I look at GB, I know exactly what I’m gonna get. That’s never gonna change with him, so it’s just consistency and the professionalism that is very key to myself as a coach and to our room. ‘Cause they can look up to him and see he does everything right. He does it the right way and kind of follow his lead.”
On what makes Dakorien Moore different from other true freshmen he’s coached
Douglas: “I think Kori, again, I just think the want to and the desire to be a good football player. I think it’s there. He’s gotten better as training camp’s went on and really ever since he’s been on campus. He’s a great kid, very curious, wants to be good, practices hard, very competitive. He’s gonna be a very, very good player for Oregon and hopefully he contributes a lot this year.”
On development of Dillon Gresham, Jeremiah McClellan
Douglas: “I see two young players who are getting a lot better. Weight room’s like coach Love, I know his weight staff, they’ve done a heck of a job with ’em. I think Dillon Gresham’s one of our strongest receivers. Jmac, he’s improved his play style. He’s playing more aggressive, more physical and really more confident. But I think confidence has been key for both of those guys. They were redshirted last year. I know Jmac came in, he had hurt his foot. And both of ’em redshirted last year, kind of got a lot of reps on the scout team. But they’re more confident players now and it’s showing on the practice field.”
On philosophy of rotating players, how many he wants in a roation
Douglas: “Me, I’m not afraid to rotate guys. If they can play winning football and help Oregon win games every single Saturday, then they’re gonna play. Whether that’s three people, whether that’s seven people. It doesn’t matter the number. I will rotate you in there. If you can help us win, you’re gonna play.”
Category: General Sports
