Everyone needs a friend.

When a friend comes in the form of a teammate, a connection is born. It’s one such connection that exists between Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and his tight end, Terrance Ferguson.

They have two different stories, but their paths have crossed at the perfect time for Oregon football.

On a loaded offensive roster with countless offensive weapons, a talented pass-catcher like Ferguson can add a dynamic layer for defenses that must be taken into consideration.

Oregon fans should be exceptionally glad he stuck around for another year.

Ferguson is one of the familiar faces on the 2024 Oregon roster, as he’s playing in his fourth season in Eugene. The senior tight end from Littleton, Colorado, decided to return for one final year after hearing the news that Gabriel would be joining the team.

“As soon as I decided I was coming back, I told him we were going to be best friends whether he wanted to or not,” Ferguson said at the start of the season.

Under Bo Nix, Ferguson was a major target, impacting games when the Ducks needed him the most. He was arguably the most important returning piece of last year’s offense. Luckily for him, he was able to transition from one dynamic quarterback to another.

Gabriel has led the Ducks to their second-straight 4-0 start under Head Coach Dan Lanning. It would be hard to argue that he hasn’t been a smashing success at his third stop of his collegiate career.

Gabriel is no stranger to travel, hailing from the Aloha State. He attended Mililani High School, a place he was able to bring Ferguson to before the start of the season. Between that trip and a getaway Gabriel coordinated for the team to Grants Pass, he established an emphasis for creating bonds with his new team.

“He took everyone,” Ferguson said of the Grants Pass trip. “It wasn’t just starters or two deep, it was everyone and he made sure he took care of everybody like that.”

Still, it seems Gabriel takes special care of Ferguson. After a scary hit to the head that knocked Ferguson out of Oregon’s win over UCLA, Gabriel got right in the face of the defender who laid the hit, defending his guy. The moment of passion and anger caught the eyes of Oregon fans and fired up the Ducks’ sideline.

“That’s really big for us,” Ferguson said at Media Day about Gabriel’s leadership and care. “The guy we’re going to war with leads the team, is connected with everyone and everyone can get behind him.”

Gabriel is one of many new faces. He’ll only be here for one season, but knows how crucial it is to make lasting connections in a short amount of time.

His bond with Ferguson was established early and has mattered often. Through the Ducks’ first four games of the season, Ferguson has hauled in 14 receptions for 177 yards — good for the 24th most yards by a tight end in FBS.

“T-Ferg really has been my best friend from the beginning,” Gabriel said at Oregon’s preseason Media Day. “That just speaks on us meshing well together.”

Ferguson seems to have made a habit of bonding with his quarterbacks. Last season, it wasn’t uncommon to see him with Nix, Nix’s wife and Tez Johnson. Obviously, Johnson was the subject of a lot of discussion about his relationship with his adopted brother, Nix. Perhaps Ferguson’s connection with Nix flew under the radar. But the stat sheet sure didn’t miss it.

With two years with Nix at the helm, Ferguson brought in 74 receptions for 805 yards. Impressive numbers. Again, he’s already at 177 yards through three full (and one injury-shortened) games in 2024 with Gabriel.

“We work hard, go eat together and wake up and do it all again,” Gabriel said.

The two really wasted no time getting going.

In the Ducks’ 24-14 win over the University of Idaho, Ferguson was one of the bright spots of a team that received considerable scrutiny. He had a career-high seven receptions for 87 yards — another personal best.

“We hit it off right off the bat,” Ferguson said.

At Media Day, both Gabriel and Ferguson spoke about not only their friendship, but the one both of their fiances share as well.

“As you meet people, finding four people that get along and have a dynamic that just matches both humor and personality [makes everything] easy,” Gabriel said.

Finding Ferguson on the field has been easy for Gabriel, too. Before the Ducks went down to Pasadena, Ferguson provided an update on their chemistry.

“I think we’ve done a good job. We built that connection early and it feels like he trusts me,” Ferguson said. “That’s just translated on the field.”

Before the hit removed him from the game, the tight end snatched an 18-yard reception from Gabriel to pick up a key first down for the Ducks’ offense.

Oregon head coach Lanning is constantly talking about the bonds he wants his team to have and the camaraderie that’s key to success at the college level. There’s very little doubt that his quarterback and tight end received his message.

“I love T-Ferg, man, he’s my brother,” Gabriel said.

Call it a bromance, call it connection, call it brotherhood.

Call it a dynamic duo in the Ducks’ offense.