As part of our preseason coverage, we ranked the tight ends that are on the Oregon Ducks' 2025 schedule from worst to best.
For the Oregon Ducks, the 2025 college football season will be one of great interest. After a 2024 season in which Dan Lanning's team won the Big Ten Conference in its first year as a league member, expectations were set high. Now, with an almost entirely new-look roster that returns just four starters, there are a lot of questions to be answered.
We have just about a week until those questions will start to be answered. As we continue our preview coverage of the upcoming season, we want to begin examining the Ducks' schedule and some of the players, teams, and coaches they will face over the coming months.
The tight end position is an interesting one, as the Ducks won’t face many elite tight ends at the top of any draft class, but nearly all the passing attacks they will face are versatile and formidable. There is a lot of transfer talent in the Big Ten this year, just waiting for the opportunity to prove their worth against better competition, so the Ducks need to be prepared to face off against a plethora of ascending pass catchers.
As we begin our preparations for the season, we're going through the best and worst position groups and units that the Ducks will face in 2025. With that being said, let's break down each projected starting tight ends that Oregon will face this season, ranked from last to first.
12. Hunter Provience - Montana State
Career Stats: 9 games, 6 catches, 111 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Provience may not have a ton of experience, but he has shown a bit of what he can do at Montana State, and should be in line to take over a bigger role of their offense oging into the new season.
11. Alex Lines - Northwestern
Career Stats: 21 Games — 11 catches, 146 yards, 0 Touchdowns
Analysis: Lines has moved around a bit, spending time at both UNLV and Arizona before redshirting last season at New Mexico State. Now he comes to Northwestern, where he could take over as a meaningful part of the offense, but there isn't a ton of production to base projections on.
10. Deker DeGraaf - Washington
Career Stats: 13 games, 15 catches, 233 yards, 3 TD
Analysis: DeGraaf came in as a true freshman in 2024 and had a productive season as the TE 2 in Washington's offense, producing behind Keleki Latu. Now, with Latu moving on, DeGraaf has a chance to step into a bigger role and see more of the targets.
9. Bryce Caufield - Oregon State
Career Stats: 33 games, 9 catches, 133 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: Bryce Caufield will have to hold off Miami transfer Riley Williams to get the starting job in Corvallis this year, but he's got a good shot at doing so, and can step in and try to replace Jermaine Terry II, who led the way a year ago.
8. Tucker Ashcraft - Wisconsin
Career Stats: 25 games, 20 catches, 168 yards, 2 TD
Analysis: Heading into his second year as the starter at TE for Wisconsin, Ashcraft is going to have to develop some chemistry with transfer quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., but assuming they can get on the same page, he has shown in the past that he can be a solid player in the offense.
7. Kenny Fletcher, Jr. - Rutgers
Career Stats: 30 games, 20 catches, 137 yards, 2 TD
Analysis: After starting his career as a defensive lineman, Fletcher Jr. moved over to the offensive side of the ball a year ago and was a great player for Rutgers, carving out a share of the target load and giving the Scarlet Knights an extra dynamic in the passing game.
6. Oscar Hammond - Oklahoma State
Career Stats: 19 catches, 238 yards, 1 TD
Analysis: It will be a battle between Hammond and Josh Ford, but after transferring in from North Texas over the offseason, it seemsl ike Hammond can come in and give an extra wrinkle to the offense.
5. Addison Ostrenga - Iowa
Career Stats: 33 games, 47 catches, 312 yards, 3 TD
Analysis: With Luke Lachey moving on, Ostrenga steps into the No. 1 TE spot for the Hawkeyes and will look to be among the top targets for QB transfer Mark Gronowski, who is among the most intriguing passers in the conference this year.
4. Holden Staes - Indiana
Career Stats: 30 catches, 307 yards, 5 TD
Analysis: Staes has spent time at both Notre Dame and Tennessee, standing as a solid contributor wherever he lands. He had a four-touchdown season in 2023 with the Fighting Irish, and now will look to be one of the top pass catchers for Fernando Mendoza in Curt Cignetti's high-powered offense.
3. Khalil Dinkins - Penn State
Career Stats: 36 games, 23 catches, 232 yards, 5 TD
Analysis: Trying to fill the shoes of someone like Tyler Warren is never easy, but that will be what Khalil Dinkins tries to do at Penn State this year. Fortunately, the offense returns a ton of production and he should be able to build on his past success with the Nittany Lions.
2. Jameson Geers - Minnesota
Career Stats: 33 games, 32 catches, 312 yards, 5 TD
Analysis: Geers had a career season in 2024 with four touchdowns, and going into his final collegiate season, he should be able to build on that with a Minnesota team that many are pegging as a potential sleeper in the conference.
1. Lake McRee - USC
Career Stats: 67 catches. 704 yards, 3 TD
Analysis: With Duce Robinson away from USC in the transfer portal, McRee will now take over as the starter and try to build on what he did a year ago. While his TD numbers may not be tops in the conference, he has shown himself to be a reliable target and has a bright future in Lincoln Riley's offense.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Ranking tight ends Oregon Ducks football will face in 2025 season
Category: General Sports
