The Oregon Ducks' injury woes continue early in the 2026 season.
On Monday night, head coach Dan Lanning announced that star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan broke his foot while warming up for the game against Portland State on Friday night and would be "down for a bit" going forward. While it may not be an injury that sidelines McClellan for the remainder of the season, it will undoubtedly hold him out for the next several weeks, and potentially the rest of the regular season.
That's a big loss for the Ducks , as McClellan was among the leading receivers through two games, hauling in seven passes for 170 yards and one touchdown.
However, this is a team that is uniquely capable of withstanding an injury to a star wide receiver. Why? Because they have several other star wide receivers to help shoulder the load.
Time for Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore to step further into the spotlight.
Through the first two weeks of the season, it became pretty clear that the Ducks had a trio of wide receivers that could easily be considered among the best in the nation, with McClellan leading the way in Week 1, while Stewart and Moore picked up more of the slack in Week 2. So far, Stewart and Moore have combined for 26 catches for 414 yards.
That's about as good a duo as you can ask for, and without McClellan on the field, they still should be able to find their room to work and provide a massive impact.
While Stewart and Moore are going to get the headlines as the next guys up, the Ducks have also been able to find some young players who are capable of shouldering a bigger load as well. True freshman Messiah Hampton is one who has had a major role so far. He had a big game against Oklahoma State, with three catches for 31 yards. He was then the leading receiver in the Portland State game, hauling in six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
On top of Hampton, the Ducks have also gotten some playing time for guys like Hudson Lewis and Gatlin Bair. Lanning also said on Monday night that true freshman Jalen Lott, a former 5-star WR, was starting to practice again after suffering a broken hand in training camp, and while he may not play this week against USC, a return doesn't seem far off.
It's never a great time to get injury news. However, if you were going to pick a position on the team where the Ducks might be best suited to withstand a starter going down, it's hard to argue against that position being wide receiver. Oregon still has a pair of guys in Stewart and Moore who could easily be the WR1 and will likely be playing on Sundays. Behind them, they have a deep rotation of able-bodied pass-catchers who simply need more of an opportunity to show what they can do.
That's all before we even mention the tight end room, which now has Jamari Johnson expected to return from an injury and likely shoulder a bigger load in the passing game as well.
The Ducks have the guys to weather this storm and will hope that McClellan can return before the end of the regular season.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: What Jeremiah McClellan's injury means for Oregon Ducks going forward
