Oregon Football: 3 newcomers who’ll have the biggest impacts in 2021

You can’t have a list with Dont’e Thornton and not have Troy Franklin.

Thornton was ranked the No. 57 overall recruit in the 2021 class but Franklin did him one better, ranking No. 41 on the composite. Luckily for the two of them and for the Ducks, they have different styles. Thornton has size and decent speed but is likely going to excel as a chain-mover or red-zone threat while Franklin has top-end speed.

While Brian Dohn compared Thornton to Kenny Golladay, Brandon Huffman (also a 247Sports recruiting expert) likens Franklin to Marqise Lee. Imagine having a Golladay and Lee combo in your receiving corps as true freshmen. That’s a scary thought.

Franklin also had a monster spring game where he turned just about everyone’s head and probably secured a spot on the two-deep to begin fall action. He still has a lot of work to do, though.

If Oregon’s offense wants to reach its full potential, it needs to utilize the duo of Franklin and Thornton because both of these guys have star potential and are too good to not be on the field in year one.