The Ducks double down, and other thoughts from Big Ten Media Day
The Oregon Ducks are climbing right back up that mountain.
I was going to write my takeaways from Big Ten Media Days on the flight back from Las Vegas, but the “light turbulence,” as experienced in seat 33E, felt a bit how I would imagine trying to tackle Kenyon Sadiq in space is like.
So here it is today.
1. The Big Ten is getting less of Sadiq
Bryce Boettcher told me that I needed to see Kenyon Sadiq without his shirt on.
I wasn’t ready for that at 9 in the morning on one cup of coffee, so I told the senior Oregon linebacker that I’d take his word for it.
“It’s like Hercules,” Boettcher said of his teammate. “Guys who look like that usually aren’t that fast.”
Or can jump that high.
Remember, Sadiq is the 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end who was known in Eugene before the Big Ten Championship game, then known around the country after doing this against Penn State:
“The exposure changed,” Sadiq said. “It was people knowing that I had the ability to do that. It’s great, but it came with a little expectation with it, just to keep performing at that level.”
Sadiq caught 24 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore in 2024 — numbers that figure to increase in 2025 with the departures of Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert.
But for those to go up, Sadiq wanted his body fat to go down. Last season, Sadiq said he was between 12 to 13 percent. This year, he’s at 10 percent.
And yes, Sadiq said it does allow him to run faster and jump higher. But more than anything, he said he did it for his health.
“Injury prevention,” he said. “Our nutritionist has done a great job of helping me with supplements, joint health, overall body health — those types of things. It’s just about longevity down the road.”
2. This pirate trend is going to be the new look of the 90s
Player attire on Wednesday had quite a variation. Some looked like they were headed to weddings. Others appeared destined for board meetings.
Then there was Matayo Uiagalelei, who picked up this beautiful number at a thrift shop before hopping on the flight to Vegas.
In his own words: “I look like a pirate.”
“I brought every jacket and dress pants that I own,” said the 20-year-old junior. “I didn’t know what to wear. I never really had to wear a suit until I got to college.”
Boettcher had a more uniform look on, with a green tie layered on top of a white suit.
“I had two or three suits from baseball because we had to wear suits when we travelled at the airport,” said Boettcher, who came to Oregon as a 190-pound baseball player and now sits as a 230-pound football player. “But I’m a little bigger now, so it’s constantly changing.”
Boettcher said they got a stipend and were told to go to town at Men’s Warehouse.
Said Sadiq, who wore an all-black ensemble with Meta Ray Ban glasses: “I’m new to the suit game, so this is my first one. It was a good experience. I wasn’t too picky.”