Groundhog Day: Duck TEs Buckle Down, Commit to 6 More Weeks of Winter Workouts

With Ferguson done after four seasons and one of the top performers at this week's Senior Bowl, the 6-3, 245 Sadiq takes over at the top of the depth chart for the Ducks. It's clear from the photo he's not resting on mere seniority or attrition to take that spot. Instead he plans to seize it, a long winter of preparation to ready himself for his own trip to the Senior Bowl one day.

Dan Lanning predicted his breakout game, the two catches for 30 yards and a pair of scores in the 45-37 victory over Penn State.  "Yeah, right before the game, yesterday, I remember stretch lines, I went up to Kenyon and said, 'I feel like this is about to be a coming out party for you.' And he said, 'No doubt.' And after that game, I think everybody got to see the same things we get to see every day in practice from him."

In October, Ferguson missed the Purdue game a few days after an emergency appendectomy and Sadiq responded with two catches for 58 yards, including a 39-yarder across the middle of the field. He scored the first touchdown of his career in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of his freshman year.

A hybrid athlete with a long stride, Sadiq lined up wide receiver at Skyline High School, a starter on a team that won three state championships. As a senior he caught 62 passes for 1,303 yards and 18 touchdowns, 21.0 yards a catch, named a U.S. Army Bowl All-American. He also played basketball and track, winning the 100 meters at the State 4A Championships as a junior, turning in a top time of 11.04 at a three-way meet in March. In football, both Gatorade and MaxPreps chose him as the Idaho Player of the Year.

Sadiq was the sixth four-star recruit in Idaho state history according to the 247Sports Composite, joining a select group that includes Michigan tight end Colston Loveland and fellow Oregon commit Gatlin Bair, a 10.2 speedster at wide receiver who's away on a religious mission.

After a junior year when Sadiq caught 79 passes for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns, National recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman of 247 told Sports Illustrated, "He’s going to be wanted more than even Colston was." Loveland became an All-American with the Wolverines.

Versatility That Turns Heads

"I think the difference with Kenyon is more positional versatility. Not that Colston couldn’t be a hell of a defensive end, but there’s a reason why everybody was recruiting him at tight end. Where Kenyon could play one of any positions at an elite level."

His emergence at Oregon has been steady, serving a two-year apprenticeship under the veterans. Now he's the veteran and with Dante Moore taking over at quarterback. The presence of a big, versatile target in the middle with big-play potential could add a lot of pop to the Oregon offense.

Sadiq's also committed to improving as a blocker. After the Purdue game he said, “Thats my biggest improvement for sure. I feel a lot more comfortable in all areas where it's perimeter blocking or down on the line of scrimmage. I feel really comfortable just using my technique and lower pad level.” 

He's joined in the tight end room (and the Oregon weight room) by Louisville transfer Jamari Johnson, 6-6, 250 and redshirt freshman Roger Saleapaga and A.J. Pugliano, a four-star recruit from Medford, Oregon. Saleapaga's recovering from a late-season injury. Johnson caught 13 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinals as a redshirt freshman. The TD was a fourth quarter game-winner against Virginia, but he was injured by a hip-drop tackle suffered against Miami a week later on Oct. 19, out for the year with a broken ankle.

In various stages of recovery and development, the young tight end room has a daunting task, replacing two productive veterans while providing a security blanket for a young quarterback, opening holes for Makhi Hughes and Noah Whittington.