Which players' stock improved most at Oregon football spring game

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Which players' stock improved most at Oregon football spring game

Zachary Neel, Ducks Wire · Ducks Wire

Mon, Apr 28, 2025 ·

7 min read

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When you lose 10 players to the NFL draft in a given year, it's always going to be tough to reload and get back into championship contention. For Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks, Saturday's annual spring game was an opportunity to show not only the local fans but the college football world at large that the talent in Eugene is capable of making another run this season.

While a spring scrimmage is not the end-all, be-all for judging a football team, it serves as a good proving ground for young players in new roles, looking to showcase their capabilities for the future. The Ducks had a long list of young players who showed out on Saturday, making big plays on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

There were the expected performances from established veterans like Kenyon Sadiq , Matayo Uiagalelei , Noah Whittington, and Jahlil Florence, but a handful of young players who made significant improvements to their stock and instilled confidence for the 2025 season and beyond.

Here are the players who stood out to me the most on Saturday, improving their stock.

Dillon Gresham

Oregon Fighting Duck Dillon Graham breaks out for the winning touchdown against the Fighting Ducks Peyton Woodyard, left, and Dorian Brew during the fourth quarter of the Oregon Spring Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene April 26, 2025

It appears that the Ducks are not lacking for WR talent once again this year. While we went into the game expecting to be talking about the likes of Evan Stewart , Dakorien Moore, Kyler Kasper, and Malik Benson , it was redshirt freshman Dillon Gresham who stole the show with three catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.

While Gresham's TD came on a 56-yard catch and run over the middle, maybe his most impressive play of the day came on a diving catch down the right sideline with Theran Johnson in coverage. There are a lot of mouths to feed in Oregon's offense, so projecting that Gresham is going to come in and take a legitimate piece of the target share is a bit of a stretch, but he, at the very least, showed that he is a future with the Ducks.

Jerry Mixon

One of the main storylines this spring centered on Oregon's depth, particularly at the linebacker position, and whether the team would opt to explore the transfer portal to find another player this offseason. With projected starting LB Devon Jackson out on Saturday, it put that depth on display, and the players stepped up.

Jerry Mixon was one of the many linebackers to show out, leading the Combat Ducks with seven tackles, one sack, and 2.5 tackles for loss. He was flying around the field and constantly in on plays, making a lot of great run stops. After the game, Lanning went so far as to state clearly that the team will not be adding any LBs in the portal and that he feels great about where the position is. Mixon was a significant reason for that.

Aaron Flowers

Redshirt freshman safety Aaron Flowers is another young player who stepped up and had a massive game on Saturday. He led all players with eight total tackles and added a pass break-up as well. There were some thoughts last year that he could see a bit of the field as a true freshman, but that never came to fruition. This spring, we have not talked about him too much, focusing more on Kingston Lopa and Peyton Woodyard. On Saturday, Flowers showed that he deserves to be talked about, though. He is a talented player and can certainly be a valuable part of the rotation this year.

Ify Obidegwu

We came into this game with the idea that redshirt freshman cornerback Ify Obidegwu would have a part to play, especially after the amount of buzz that he garnered during spring ball from both coaches and players. He lived up to the hype, making a ton of plays on the field with three tackles. The biggest play of the game was caused by Obidegwu when he laid a hat on RB Jay Harris and forced a fumble, which OLB Blake Purchase returned 57 yards for a touchdown.

Kenyon Sadiq

I get it; buying Kenyon Sadiq stock right now probably feels like buying Bitcoin in 2018 when it was $20,000. However, what I would really like to have right now is Bitcoin, considering it's currently trading at over $90,000. Kenyon Sadiq is obviously a well-known commodity in terms of talent. Still, Saturday showed us how dynamic he can be as one of the top options in the offense with Terrance Ferguson no longer leading the TE room. With his seven catches and 102 yards — both the highest of the game — Sadiq displayed his athleticism and playmaking ability.

Yes, his stock is already high, but I am still happy to buy more.

The Freshmen DBs

EUGENE, OREGON - APRIL 26: Malik Benson #4 of the Oregon Ducks is unable to make a catch while being defended by Dorian Brew #18 of the Oregon Ducks during the Oregon spring game at Autzen Stadium on April 26, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

I lumped the three true freshman defensive backs — Na'eem Offord, Dorian Brew, Brandon Finney, and Trey McNutt — together here because, individually, they may not have team-leading stats. Still, as a group, they showed something. McNutt led the group with three tackles and 1 PBU, while Finney had two tackles and 0.5 sacks; Offord had one tackle and one PBU; and Brew had one tackle.

Separately, it's nothing to write home about, but together, it shows that this young group of defenders has considerable talent and can potentially make some noise in Oregon's secondary. We may not see them all get playing time this year, but I was impressed with what I saw from the group on Saturday.

Luke Moga

All spring long, I have personally viewed Oregon's QB competition as a two-man race, with Dante Moore leading Austin Novosad. After watching the group on Saturday, though, I think Luke Moga certainly deserves to be mentioned in that conversation. He won our Ducks Wire MVP award in the game, throwing for 112 yards and a touchdown with six completions in 13 attempts. He also used his mobility a couple of times and was able to escape the pocket.

I don't think Moga will legitimately contend for the starting job this year over Moore or Novosad, but I saw enough on Saturday to think that the offense could certainly operate at a competent level should they have to turn to him in a pinch this season.

Jayden Limar

Much like Luke Moga, I left the game on Saturday and realized that I had not been giving Jayden Limar enough credit. In a crowded running back room, my focus had been on Makhi Hughes, Noah Whittington, and Dink Riggs. Limar is the one who looked the best in the spring game, though, rushing five times for 48 yards and a touchdown.

With the buzz and hype around Riggs, I moved him above Limar on the depth chart without any proof of concept. Saturday was enough for me to realize that it may have been premature. Limar is going to have a role in this RB room when fall comes.

Gage Hurych

Is there a kicker competition in Eugene? Dan Lanning will tell you that there is a competition at every position on the roster, but the prevailing wisdom was that returning starter Atticus Sappington would stay in the top spot. Redshirt freshman Gage Hurych was the best kicker in the game, though, knocking in both of his field goal attempts from 47- and 54-yards.

Whether in practice, a spring game, or a real game, that's impressive.

Blake Purchase

Much of the focus this spring when it comes to edge rushers has been on Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioit, but Blake Purchase arguably had the best day from that group on Saturday. The redshirt sophomore had four tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss. He also made the play of the game, picking up a forced fumble by RB Jay Harris and taking it 57 yards the other way for a touchdown. Purchase even gave QB Dante Moore a stiff arm along the way, for good measure.

As a true freshman, Purchase flashed in his limited opportunities, but then he redshirted last year and was put to the back of mind. On Saturday, he made his presence known once again, and it was great to see him.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Football: Which players' stock rose the most in spring game

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