Oregon's tight end room is one of the deepest in the Pac-12, and it might get even deeper this season.
Sophomore Patrick Herbert returned to the practice field without limitation on Tuesday after recovering from a knee injury that ended his 2021 season before it began.
Herbert had previously been rehabbing off to the side to start spring camp, but he's back on the field and learning quickly, according to Head Coach Dan Lanning.
"I'm excited to see Pat get out there and really pick it up pretty quick," he told reporters Tuesday.
O regon TE Patrick Herbert
Since arriving to the program as a 4-star recruit in 2019, Herbert has only appeared in one game (vs. Nevada in 2019) and has yet to record a statistic. He utilized a redshirt in his true freshman season, then a knee injury wiped out his season in 2020.
Herbert appeared primed to make his comeback last season, performing well in the spring and enjoying a strong start to fall camp. He suffered another significant knee injury in mid-August that sidelined him for another year.
Inevitably, the fourth-year sophomore has been itching to put the pads on once again and join his teammates on the practice field.
"I think Pat's been really eager to get back out there on the field," Lanning said. "I was excited to get to see him get some work. It's so easy when you're off the field and not able to get in there and involved to kind of fall out of the circle and fall out of focus of what you gotta do on the field."
Oregon's already stacked tight end room features Spencer Webb, Terrance Ferguson, and Moliki Matavao. Cam McCormick, along with Herbert, is also recovering from a season-ending injury. It also looks like DJ Johnson will be spending more of his time on the defensive side of the ball under the instruction of new Defensive Coordinator Tosh Lupoi, which could free up more opportunities for Herbert and others to earn snaps.
With Kenny Dillingham's offensive vision of being installed, Herbert and his fellow tight ends should thrive under the tutelage of the new coaching staff.
Join the Community
Follow Dylan on Twitter: @drksportsnews
Subscribe to our free newsletter to get the latest Oregon Ducks news sent to your inbox
More must-reads: