Jamari Johnson
Jamari Johnson put up 510 yards as Oregon's second tight end. Now the starter's gone to the NFL, and the 6-5, 257-pound weapon who moves like a receiver gets the lead role he passed on the draft to claim.
Buzz vs Tape
Country hotter than the fans
The wider college football conversation reads him warmer than his own fans do — a gap of 49.5 points in belief.
Oregon's defensive line was the star unit of the 2026 Spring Game. Depth was a question going into the game, and coming out those questions seem to have been answered. On today's episode of Locked On College Football, Spencer McLaughlin…
— Locked on Podcast Network
Also worth knowing:
The story
Even behind NFL-bound Kenyon Sadiq, Johnson produced -- 32 catches, 510 yards, three touchdowns, and a fifth-place finish in PFF's tight-end wins-above-average. At 6-5, 257, scouts describe "prototype size with the movement skills of a wide receiver," the modern flex-tight-end build. He forwent the draft to step into Oregon's featured role. The forward stakes are a Mackey-contender season: he was already efficient as a complementary piece, and a full lead-role workload in a high-powered Oregon offense is the runway to All-America production. The talent and the fit are aligned; 2026 is the volume.
Career Arc
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dan Lanning
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Oregon | 32 | 510 | 15.9 | 3 | -- |
| 2024 | Louisville | 13 | 158 | 12.2 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 45 | 668 | 14.8 | 4 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 18 · 2025
W 23–0
at Texas Tech
4 rec · 66 yds
Dominant 23-point win on the road against Texas Tech.
How he plays
Play style
Johnson is a move-tight-end in the modern mold -- big enough to block, fluid enough to run the routes of a receiver. The scouting consensus is the through-line: "prototype size with the movement skills of a wide receiver" at 6-5, 257, and a top-five PFF wins-above-average grade that says he was already one of the most valuable tight ends in the country as a secondary option. He's a matchup piece -- too quick for linebackers, too big for safeties -- and the projection is simple: hand a player this efficient the lead role and the targets multiply. The growth is opportunity, not ability.
Our classifier reads him the same way: creates mismatches lined up all over the formation.
2026 Outlook
Oregon
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Tight end · Oregon
Returning around him
- 19% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- 7 Oregon players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -18 net (13 in / 31 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Oregon · Last season: 13-2 (AP #5) · Talent rank #5 · 2026 recruiting class #3
Perception vs tape
Even behind NFL-bound Kenyon Sadiq, Johnson produced -- 32 catches, 510 yards, three touchdowns, and a fifth-place finish in PFF's tight-end wins-above-average. At 6-5, 257, scouts describe "prototype size with the movement skills of a wide receiver," the modern flex-tight-end build.
Read the story →DNA match
Player DNA
Move TE
Lined up out wide as often as inline. Creates mismatches downfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Anthony Torres’s 2023 season.
Matches Anthony on
Differs from Anthony on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Max Klare's sophomore season at Purdue (2024).
Matches Max on
Differs from Max on
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2025
Peak #212
Peaked at #212 this season.
Development
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2024–2025+223%
Up 223% from first season to most-recent.
Background
As A Redshirt Sophomore (2025) » All-Big Ten honorable mention (coaches) Played in all 15 games in first season with the Ducks, making 10 starts … Helped Oregon reach the College Football Playoff Semifinal … Caught 32 passes for 510 yards and three touchdowns … 510 receiving yards ranked sixth in...