Kenyon Sadiq will be Oregon’s most dangerous playmaker this season

Oregon Spring Game
Oregon Spring Game | Soobum Im/GettyImages

Coming off of a run to the College Football Playoff, Dan Lanning has a ton of retooling to do if the 2025 Oregon Ducks are going to put together another impressive season. The offense loses a ton of its firepower with Dillon Gabriel, Jordan James, Tez Johnson, and Terrance Ferguson are all off to the NFL. Making matters worse is a preseason injury suffered by star receiver Evan Stewart.

As the Ducks look to rebuild with an inexperienced group of receivers, quarterback Dante Moore has a great playmaker to turn to. After all of the losses, the leading returning receiver for the Oregon Ducks is tight end Kenyon Sadiq who backed up Arroyo last season. While Sadiq's 24 catches for 308 yards don't jump off of the stat sheet, his athletic ability should.

Given that Kenyon Sadiq is the Ducks' leading receiver, he's going to need to be a safety blanket for Dante Moore, especially at the tight end position. The projected trio at wide receiver of Freshman Dakorien Moore, Gary Bryant Jr, and Kyler Kasper combined for 3 receptions last year which means the group is going to need to prove itself.

Sadiq has showcased solid burst and an ability to get up the field as a ball carrier with great vision allowing him to make great plays after the catch. With an average depth of target of 2.2 yards, Sadiq has constantly been a weapon underneath in the Ducks offense.

At Big Ten Media Days, Dan Lanning spoke about Sadiq's talent and the variety of ways that Oregon can use him this season.

"We've handed the ball off to Kenyon (Sadiq) before, we could throw it to him, there's a lot this guy can do. I still remember him early as a Freshman helping us on special teams so he's selfless, he's an unbelievable talent and a great person."
Dan Lanning

Where Sadiq can hit the next level in this Oregon offense is if Offensive Coordinator Will Stein uses his tight end as a vertical threat. When Oregon would allow Sadiq to get down the field, his explosiveness flashed especially with his ability to create plays after the catch.

The sample size is small but, when Dante Moore started at UCLA, the Bruins offense relied upon the tight end as the group combined for 36 catches, 636 yards, and 8 touchdowns. This season, Oregon's lack of experienced receivers paired with Dante Moore at the quarterback position should allow Sadiq to quickly become one of the best tight ends in the Country.

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