EUGENE, Ore. — When Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel arrived in Eugene after transferring from Oklahoma, he didn't have much of a choice about who his new best friend would be.
"As soon as I decided to come back I told him we were being best friends, no matter if he wanted to or not," said tight end Terrance Ferguson.
Ferguson's bold proclamation proved true as the two quickly developed a strong friendship that has paid dividends both on and off the field in 2024. It has been a big year for the quarterback-tight end duo, with their Ducks ranked as a top 10 team in the country and each of them recently getting engaged — Ferguson first to his fiancée Sophia back in July and Gabriel to his fiancée Zoe at the beginning of the month.
"T-Ferg really has been my best friend from the beginning," Gabriel said at Oregon's media day this summer. "That just speaks on us meshing well together but our girlfriends also getting along. I think it's hard as you meet people, finding four people that get along and have a dynamic that kinda just matches in humor and personality. It was just so easy."
It only took a few short months for the pair to build a strong connection. When Gabriel returned to his hometown of Mililani, Hawaii this summer to give new football equipment to his former high school, Ferguson was right there with him, just as he has been ever since Gabriel got to Eugene.
"I was able to make it out there for that and to see him in his own area it was really cool," said Ferguson. "He gave back to his old high school and did all kinds of crazy stuff for them, and also there's Dillon Gabriel day in Mililani, Hawaii now, so I got to see that, it was really cool to be a part of."
Gabriel and Ferguson's connection has carried into the fall as the Ducks are off to an undefeated start through the team's first three games.
"A connected team is gonna be a dangerous team," head coach Dan Lanning said of Gabriel and Ferguson's relationship. "I think for guys to be connected on the football field, they gotta be able to do it off the field."
So far on the field this season, Ferguson ranks second on the team with 13 catches and 159 yards while averaging a career-best 12.2 yards per reception.
"We built that connection early and I feel like he trusts me," Ferguson said. "He knows where I'm gonna be at that time, I know where he's looking, and that's just translated on the field smoothly."
After Wednesday's practice, Gabriel said that Ferguson's knowledge of the game has made him such a valuable target this season.
"That's not a knock on his physical attributes at all, I just think when you combine knowledge with what you're able to do physically I think that's truly the difference," he said.
The progress Ferguson has made to his mental game is something that Lanning has taken notice of as well. Ferguson has been one of the team's vocal leaders this season, stepping more into that role during his fourth year on campus.
"He's always been a guy that's done his job," Lanning said of Ferguson. "When he's talking in that meeting it makes our team better and when he does that it makes a huge difference."
That aspect of leadership is also something that Ferguson has also noted of Gabriel. Over the summer, Gabriel took the Ducks' quarterbacks and pass-catchers on a "Dime Time" retreat to Grants Pass, Ore. to work on their connections, both in the passing game and as teammates.
"To have a leader like that, he took everyone, it wasn't just starters or two-deep, it was everyone," Ferguson said of Gabriel. "I think that's really big for us just cause he's the guy we're going to war with and leads the team and is connected with everyone."
Despite Gabriel and Ferguson's success on the field this season, they are yet to link up for a touchdown, meaning their hard work will continue this weekend as the Ducks take on UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
"For Ferg, obviously, I think the world of him," Gabriel said. "He's my neighbor, he's my best friend, we spend a lot of time together. But more importantly, I just see the way he works, and when you see that you respect it and that's a guy you want to go to war with. I'm excited for him and I know there's a long way to go so he's gonna keep competing."
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