Casey Eugenio

FILE - Casey Eugenio of the Oregon Ducks warms up before a game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Autzen Stadium on September 13, 2014. (Photo by Thomas Boyd)

He stands 5-foot-8, weighs 180 pounds but is the biggest surprise of Oregon's first depth chart of the 2016 college football season.



Casey Eugenio is overlooked no more.



A redshirt sophomore from JSerra Catholic in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Eugenio is listed as the backup to Charles Nelson at slot receiver, a distinction that led to more questions of "Who is that guy?" than any other Duck.



Who is Casey Eugenio?



He's a redshirt sophomore walk-on who earned his chance thanks to a high school coach's connection to assistant Matt Lubick. A soft-spoken former running back who was co-offensive MVP of his high school league, splitting the award with current UO quarterback Travis Jonsen.

Casey Eugenio

And a guy who believes his small frame is precisely the reason he earned his chance at playing, not in spite of it.



"I like my size," he said. "When getting tackled it's easier to keep a balance. That's one thing in high school, my opponents would say I'm hard to tackle. I think my size helps me with that because I have a low center of gravity."



If Eugenio's backup role caused Ducks fans a few moments to ensure they weren't misreading the depth chart -- he has played in two career games, the first against Georgia State last September -- his teammates saw this coming.



"They should have been playing him before," said Jalen Jelks, a sophomore defensive end who roomed with Eugenio as a freshman. "He's shifty. It's not even just like arm-tackling. He's so low to the ground as long as he keeps his legs pumping he can pretty much run through anything."



Eugenio rushed for 1,130 yards, and 6.4 yards per carry, and scored 13 touchdowns in 10 games as a senior in high school. Against Jonsen's Servite High team, he rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns in 2013.

On his high school highlight tape, his legs keep pumping through tackles and piles, and he resembles an ever-spinning top that never tips over.

Once he arrived at Oregon, however, it was clear his future would not be in the backfield, and he said he struggled to play fast and instinctually as he learned a new playbook. Those are extremely typical freshman setbacks but as a walk-on, Eugenio had no safety net of a guaranteed sophomore season to allay any concerns about his progress.



"The transition to receiver took a while but I just had to work hard," he said. "I got lucky enough to get a spot on the depth chart."



Luck had nothing to do with it, Jelks said.



"Unless someone gets at his ankles, most people he's going to duck out of it or just slip through a lot of tackles," Jelks said. "He was on scout team and was doing that against our 'one' defense."



Three days after Oregon released its two-deep, life has not changed for Eugenio. He claims his phone was not packed with celebratory notifications from friends and relatives, though he could just be modest.



He's not trying to jinx himself. He's on the depth chart, sure. But now he's trying to stay there.



"My parents are obviously happy but it doesn't affect me, really," Eugenio said. "I'm just focused on doing what I can do. Everything in my power I can control, I'll put my best out there."

More links:

Travis Jonsen on his thoughts on being No. 4 on the QB depth chart

Video: Darren Carrington thinks Oregon's going to surprise fans

Nick Aliotti went on John Canzano's show to discuss Colt Lyerla and more

Kicker Aidan Schneider is making a name for himself

Oregon's running back depth goes beyond Royce Freeman

Video: Tyson Alger and Jen Beyrle after Tuesday's practice

More bad news for Dion Jordan

Maybe Bralon Addison will catch on somewhere else in the NFL

-- Andrew Greif

@andrewgreif