Exclusive: Oregon Football Legends Jonathan Stewart and Kenjon Barner Announce Podcast

In an exclusive with Oregon Ducks on Sports Illustrated's Ally Osborne, The Ducks of a Feather Podcast, a production of the Ducks of a Feather NIL Group and Division Street, debuts the hosting talents of two Oregon Duck Football greats in an effort to highlight more Oregon alumni. More to come from Jonathan Stewart and Kenjon Barner.

Kenjon Barner looks up at the fans as fireworks mark the end of the playing of the National Anthem before the Pac-12 Championship game. Eug 113021 Pac12 Champs 02 / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

With Oregon Football’s first game of the season versus the Idaho Vandals just a few days away, Oregon’s NIL group Ducks of a Feather and Division Street is releasing their brand new podcast as a final pre-season appetizer. Releasing this Friday, August 30th on all podcast platforms, the Ducks of a Feather Podcast aims to break down several topics surrounding Oregon Football, with a focus on alumni guests.

The new program will be hosted by former Oregon running backs Kenjon Barner and Jonathan Stewart. Barner is a three time Super Bowl Champion who played at Oregon from 2009 to 2012 during the peak of Chip Kelly’s head coaching tenure and an Oregon Football Hall of Fame Inductee. Stewart played at Oregon from 2005 to 2007 during coach Mike Belotti’s era and is also an Oregon Football Hall of Fame inductee. Stewart is also the 13th Duck in school history to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.

In an exclusive interview with Oregon Ducks on Sports Illustrated’s and KOIN 6’s Ally Osborne, Stewart and Kenjon break down their dynamic and how this podcast came to be.

“We've already actually shot our first episode,” Barner said. “It was beautifully done. Well worked. Me and Stew - we did our thing.”

Though the special guest has yet to be announced for the first episode, the two hosts guarantee it will be someone Oregon fans can get excited about.

“But the podcast in general, man, it gives the Oregon fan base an opportunity to reconnect with the past and connect the past with the present, the present with the future. Again, it gives the opportunity to highlight and [show] what they do for the athletes there on campus, so it's huge. I think it's really important. It's honestly the first of its kind, so me and Stew super excited about this and being able to give Oregon and Oregon fan base, Oregon football fan base, you know, something to look forward to on a pretty much weekly basis,” Barner said.

University of Oregon's Jonathan Stewart pulls away from Arizona State University's defense in at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007. LORI CAIN | Statesman Journal U Of O Asu / Statesman Journal file

“And now us being retired into, you know, the business world, family man being able to, you know, connect on a level post career and talk about football, talk about life, bring old teammates, whether they're duck related or not, into the mix and share stories. Give listeners an inside view from our perspective of what life was like in the field, what life was like in the PAC 12 and just our lives in general,” Stewart said.

Both Barner and Stewart have known each other for quite some time. The two originally met on Barner’s first official visit to Oregon on September 28th, 2007, the weekend Oregon faced California in Eugene. The two running backs were once again reunited when Barner was drafted to the Carolina Panthers in 2013, after Stewart was drafted 13th overall to the same organization in 2007.

“Me and Kenjon, great friends, obviously, you know, being running backs for the University of Oregon,” Stewart said. “I guess what you would call it a little bit of a brotherly fraternity. So him getting drafted to the Carolina Panthers rookie year. It was a real cool opportunity for me to really, you know, bond with him and just kind of be a big brother for a little bit in his career.”

A majority of the proceeds will go to Oregon athletes under the Ducks of a Feather and Division Street programs as well as the two hosts. One of the biggest focuses of this podcast for both Barner and Stewart is not only to give back to the current athletes playing for the green and yellow, but also highlight the Ducks that came before. Barner emphasized that this type of attention towards alumnus hasn’t been seen before regarding Oregon.

Sep 28, 2013; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks former player Kenjon Barner attends the game against the California Golden Bears at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

“The biggest change has been Dan Lanning. What he brings, who he is as a man. I mean, the guys that have come before him - it's night and day. Dan is a man of his word. He honors his word. He welcomes the alumni back - the culture that he's building. When you have a guy like that at the controls, your program is destined for greatness,” Barner said. “He brings everybody together, past, present and future. He makes everybody in the building feel like they belong and feel like they're a part of it.”

“Yeah, I think it's awesome. He gets it and at the end of the day he just gets it. And I think also, my generation, we're the same age, technically. So he gets it. That's where like you know other coaches during a certain time they're doing other things. And this, this time around, we the University of Oregon has a coach that just gets it,” Stewart said.

"It's a history thing, right? You can't really go forward without knowing where you came. And so being able to have that piece of history, you know, not just in monuments and pictures, but in flesh and blood that gets to show up to practices, that gets to come from pre game. Those youngsters in those chairs that have a game the next day are going to be able to look to the side and see a Marcus Mariota, to see a Jonathan Stewart, see a LeGarrette Blount, see a Haloti Nagta, see a Kellen Clemons and Joey Harrington's and be even more inspired to go out and play and that's how you really create a good organization and a legacy - by remembering that.”

Stewart's dream podcast guest is very heartwarming.

Sept 22, 2007; Stanford, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jonathan Stewart (28) finds running room during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, CA. The Oregon Ducks defeated the Stanford Cardinals 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

“I mean. Kenjon. That's why I'm doing it,” Stewart said.

To check out the Ducks of a Feather Podcast, check out their first episode releasing August 30th on all platforms that carry podcasts.

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