Oregon announces four pro Ducks will return for spring game

The spring practice season is winding down, which means the Oregon Ducks are almost ready to take the field at Autzen Stadium for their annual spring game. The game will take place on April 25, and the Ducks will have some familiar faces back on the sidelines.

The Ducks will welcome back Bo Nix, Tez Johnson, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Deommodore Lenoir to Eugene as honorary coaches for the spring game next weekend. It's not immediately clear how involved the pro Ducks will be in the game, but honorary coaches have called parts of the spring game in the past.

Last year, former coaches Mike Bellotti and Rich Brooks took on the role, as well as former players Christian Gonzalez and Bucky Irving.

Nix, who now plays quarterback for the Denver Broncos, will receive plenty of fanfare upon his return to Eugene. In two seasons with the Ducks, which were the first two seasons of Dan Lanning's time at Oregon, Nix left a big legacy. Nix won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2023. He also set Oregon records for completions (364), passing yards (4,508), passing touchdowns (45), and all-time completion percentage (74.9%). Nix was picked No. 12 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Broncos and led them to the AFC Championship Game last season.

Alongside Nix will be his adopted brother, Johnson, who had a nice start to his NFL career last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In two seasons with the Ducks, Johnson set the program record for most catches in a season with 86 in 2023. The following season, he finished second to his own record with 83 catches and was named Big Ten Championship Game Most Valuable Player. The speedster was a reliable target for both Nix and Dillon Gabriel, finishing his career with 2,080 yards and 20 touchdown catches. He also had six games with 11 or more catches, the most by any Duck receiver. Johnson was a seventh-round pick by the Buccaneers in the 2025 NFL Draft and caught five touchdowns in his rookie season.

The Ducks are also bringing back a couple of defenders who played before Lanning arrived in Eugene. Thibodeaux, currently rushing off the edge for the New York Giants, still stands as the highest-rated recruit in Oregon history, according to 247Sports. Thibodeaux was a massive win on the recruiting trail for former Ducks coach Mario Cristobal, and he played up to the expectations. In three seasons, he tallied 19 sacks, good for seventh in program history. Thibodeaux helped the Ducks win back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2019 and 2020, as well as the 2020 Rose Bowl, and later became a unanimous All-American in 2021. He was picked by the Giants No. 5 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft and is the highest-draft Duck in the last decade.

Lastly but not least, Lenoir will return to his old stomping grounds after building a name for himself in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. Lenoir played four seasons in Eugene and was a standout in the secondary from day one. He earned a pair of Pac-12 All-Conference second-team nominations in his career, aiding the Ducks in consecutive conference championships and a Rose Bowl along the way. Lenoir snagged six interceptions in four seasons with the Ducks. His best season came as a sophomore in 2018, when he recorded career-highs in tackles (54), interceptions (three), and pass deflections (12). Lenoir was a fifth-round pick in 2021 by the 49ers and developed from a stingy nickel defender into the team's top cover corner on the outside. He has eight interceptions and 31 deflections in five seasons.

The Ducks will take the field and honor their former stars at Autzen Stadium on April 25, with the game scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. PT and will be televised on Big Ten Network.

This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Bo Nix among former Oregon stars returning for spring game