3 most impactful Oregon football newcomers ahead of 2024 season

Dan Lanning and Oregon football had a promising 2023 season that nearly ended in a playoff berth, but a couple of losses to rival Washington really kept it from being a "great" year.

The Ducks still finished with double-digit wins and looked like one of the best teams in the country and many believed that they would've made some serious noise in the playoff field.

However, they'll get another shot in 2024 with some critical newcomers taking over.

Here are the three newcomers who I believe will have the biggest impacts.

1. Dillon Gabriel, QB (transfer from Oklahoma)

This one is a no-brainer. Dillon Gabriel is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and he's entering his sixth season of college football after starting with UCF and then transferring to Oklahoma for the past two seasons. He had over 6,800 passing yards and 55 youchdowns with only 12 picks over the last two years and now he'll be Oregon's starter.

Sure, the Ducks also brought in Dante Moore, a former five-star from the 2023 class, but he's going to serve as the backup this season. He may have a higher ceiling than Gabriel, but the Oklahoma transfer is still one of the most prolific passers in the sport.

With Bo Nix gone, Gabriel will take control of the offense and look to pass for over 3,000 yards for the fifth time in his career. I would bet that happens with ease.

2. Evan Stewart, WR (transfer from Texas A&M)

I still remember when Evan Stewart committed to Texas A&M as a five-star receiver, I thought he was going to be a superstar for Jimbo Fisher. That offense was about to explode with Stewart leading the way.

Well, Stewart did play really well in his two seasons with the Aggies, but Fisher's shortcomings really held him and the rest of the team back from greatness. Stewart still managed to catch 91 passes for 1,163 yards and six touchdowns in 18 games. He looked like the best player on an offense that needed a ton of help and now he's headed to Oregon where he'll get just that.

Stewart has 1,000-yard receiver written all over him and the connection he's about to have with Gabriel through the air is going to boost both of their NFL draft stocks.

I'm expecting massive things from Stewart this season in the best offense he's even been a part of.

3. Jabbar Muhammad, CB (transfer from Washington)

Transferring from Washington to Oregon -- or vice versa -- has to be one of the biggest no-nos in the rivalry, but to be fair to Jabbar Muhammad, he's originally from Oklahoma State and only played one season with the Huskies, although he did help lead them to the national title game and two wins over the Ducks.

Muhammad will be an immediate starter on this defense, however, and while he probably made countless Washington fans upset by transferring to their biggest rival, he's going to shine.

The former Washington cornerback had a career year with Oklahoma State in 2022, recording 48 tackles, an interception, nine pass breakups, and a forced fumble before deciding to transfer to Kalen DeBoer and the Huskies. All he did was improve on those numbers with 46 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, three interceptions, and 16 pass breakups.

There's a reason he was considered one of the best cornerbacks in college football and he's going to become an early-round draft prospect with Oregon and lead this defense to big things in 2024.