The Oregon Ducks stand as one of the top teams in the nation going into the 2026 college football season, with many expecting them to contend for a national championship once again. Why are there such high expectations? Because the Ducks are returning a long list of starters from their College Football Playoff team a year ago.
At the helm is quarterback Dante Moore, who passed on a likely top-10 draft selection to come back to Eugene for one more season. Further down the list, you have guys like Matayo Uiagalelei, A’mauri Washington, Teitum Tuioti, and Bear Alexander all passing on spots on NFL rosters to play for the Ducks one more time. In general, Oregon has a total of 14 starters returning from last season.
Advertisement
So, where does that rate of returning production rank among the highest in the nation? That’s a question that ESPN’s Bill Connelly set out to answer with his annual column, delving into rosters across the nation now that spring ball has begun.
According to ESPN, the Ducks have the 11th-highest rate of returning production, with 66% of their 2025 roster coming back for the new season. In total, 65% of their offensive players and 66% of their defensive players are returning. This ranks right behind the Florida Gators (No. 10) and UCLA Bruins (No. 9).
Leading the nation in returning production this year is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who have a whopping 72% of their roster from last year coming back for the new season. Oregon is the fifth-highest-ranked Big Ten team on the list, behind the Maryland Terrapins, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Minnesota Golden Gophers, and the Bruins.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks have among highest returning production rate for 2026
