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The OregonDucks officially begin their football season Sept. 5 as they will host Boise State, but for many, including those in the press, the season starts now with Media Day and fall camp getting going.
Ducks head coach Dan Lanning and about 30 players took time out of their schedules to talk with the local media at Autzen Stadium to discuss the 2026 season. Coming off a disappointing loss to eventual national champion Indiana in the semifinals in last year's College Football Playoff, the Ducks aren't making it a secret that the goal this season is to bring home the program's first national championship to Eugene.
They seemingly have all the ingredients to do just that as the Ducks have one of the most talented rosters in the country, including a senior quarterback who is primed to possibly win a Heisman Trophy. Dante Moore is one of the best quarterbacks/players in the nation and he is surrounded by NFL-quality talent. The receivers room, led by Evan Stewart, might be the best group of receivers in the history of the program.
Oregon does have question marks, however, such as an inexperienced offensive line and defensive depth, but those will be answered, like it or not, during the season.
The Ducks are overwhelming favorites to be in the 12-team playoff once again, and Oregon was selected to finish second in the Big Ten, only behind Ohio State, another national title contender.
Here is what Dan Lanning had to say to the media on Monday as fall camp and the upcoming season get underway.
Dan Lanning: All right, we are back. Certainly grateful again, always for you guys and your coverage and how you follow our team. Our players are certainly very excited to get out there and get in the action. They've worked really, really hard this summer. I think anytime any of us coaches or staff get the opportunity to be away from Eugene for a little bit in the summer, we come back. We recognize how beautiful and special this place is, so we're excited to get back to work. We talk about being here and now and focusing on the moment, and that's really where our guys' focus is.
Question: You talked earlier this offseason about studying teams that have been really good at rematches. I was curious if you could open up about that and divulge any of the teams you looked at, or what some of the commonalities?
DL: Yeah, it's most common in the NFL. You know, so just more so conversations with approach and what that might look like. You know, it's a little bit different. I won't hop into great detail on it, but there's certainly some things that I think we've learned from and can use.
Q: You talked about this being the most player-led group that you've coached. How important is that going to be in managing the weight of expectations in a season like this?
DL: Yeah, I think it's important. I think you've got to paint pictures for our players on things that you know are going to happen. There's going to be moments of adversity throughout the year. There's going to be moments of success. There's going to be high praise. There's going to be low praise. When those things happen. We already know they're going to happen. How do you handle that? And you know, making the decision in advance of how you respond, what that looks like, and how you handle it. But certainly, our players have taken a big role this summer. Expect them to continue to take a big role through fall camp and throughout the season.
Q: I want to ask you about the offensive line and the progress, and just kind of how big of a volcanic month is this for this group to kind of get settled in?
DL: Yeah, it's huge, and still nothing is determined. You know, outside, you know, Poncho's played a lot of significant snaps for us. Dave's (Iuli) played significant snaps for us, but has been injured somewhat. So he's a guy that's coming back, and being able to see how that all comes together, I think this is where there's a real benefit to how we mix groups and change things up, so we can see a lot of guys in a lot of different settings.
Q: Last year was maybe one of the most talented teams we've seen. This year, you talked about how it might be one of the most experienced. What has you just most excited about the potential that this group could bring onto the field this season?
DL: Yeah, I thought we had a lot of young talent last year. Certainly, a lot of talent. We lost some guys to the NFL, so we certainly lost some pieces of the puzzle. But we have a lot back. That being said, there's experience, but you know, talking to our team recently, I said, raise your hand if you're new. There's still a lot of new faces in that room, so it's going to be about that experience and those young guys and new guys leaning on the people that have been here before, on what it's supposed to look like, and how it all plays out.
Q: Every year you guys go further and further into the college football playoffs, and wins and losses. How do the losses per se add to kind of the storyline here, especially coming this season? And how do the losses? How important are they? I think a lot of people get strung up with falling short, but there can be a lot of good things that come out of it.
DL: Yeah, as much as I'd like to say you learn more from wins than losses. That's not true. You learn more from losses, and unfortunately, that's the way everybody's season ends, except for the team that gets to hold a trophy up at the end. So we've learned a lot of a lot from adversity, you know, in our time here. We haven't experienced a lot of adversity, but we've had it. We've learned a lot from it, so I think they're huge. They're huge learning moments. But I also think this is a new year. You know, this is a new season, a different team, and there's no way that you can script it out and see how it's going to play out. But it's going to be fun, you know, to watch these guys go execute.
Q: Feels like a position group that always flies under the radar is the running backs. When you're returning two freshmen that had great years last year, like Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill, just what can you say just about the depth in that room? And when you talk about the young talent you had last year, now with an extra year of experience, just what are you looking forward to the most about those two players coming back with that year of experience, and just about the depth in the running back room in general?
DL: That's a great thing to to really highlight in general, and that's kind of what I'm talking about as this team. I don't know that any of us knew that Jordon and Dierre's role would become what it became last season at this point, right? Now, fast forward. Obviously, they both had huge roles in our team, and now they have a lot of experience too. They played a lot on ability, right? Now, now they're getting the opportunity to play on what they know, using you know the intelligence they have, the year in the system, and now going into year two, we expect you know certainly really big things.
Then you have some other faces that are in that room now with Dink that was injured a lot of last year. That's back Simeon (Price) who joined us, who's had an unbelievable off-season, right? Brandon Smith, who's done a really good job. So should be a good group. It'll be a different group. We'll have to figure out what our strengths are, what our weaknesses are, but you lose some veteran leadership when you lose a guy like Noah (Whittington), right? But those guys have really learned a lot of those habits from Noah and how he operated every day.
Q: How would you compare this year's team going into camp from a talent and a leadership standpoint to your last national championship team at Georgia from going into camp. Now we already know the outcome of what happened with Georgia, but how would you compare the two teams going into fall camp?
DL: It was so far ago, remembering that moment specifically and what that looks like going into fall camp. I you know I think we've always, as a coach, are somewhat of a pessimist sometimes on what you are really capable of, what you have, and you really just focus on problems. We had problems then that we wanted to fix at Georgia, no different than we have things that we want to fix right here at Oregon. But both teams were certainly talented. Both teams had good experience coming back. You know, so I think that in that piece, we're very similar.
Q: We talked about last season as an outlier in terms of youth and first-year talent. What did you learn from coaching that team that you can bring to this more experienced team this year?
DL: You know, you learn you learn a lot of lessons in coaching every single year, and I wouldn't say that I learned more last year in comparison to any other year from coaching. But just you know, I think guys will meet the level of the expectations of the coaches in a lot of ways. We had like we had a lot of young players that were able to contribute and help, and that's because we gave them an avenue and an opportunity to go make an impact. So right now, it's about how fast we can find people that are above the line, that can play above the line football, and once we find that, those are guys that we have to figure out a way to get involved.
[IMG alt="New co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Hampton, right, joins the first practice of spring for Oregon football as they prepare for the 2023 season.
Eug 031623 Uo Spring Fb 06"]https://media.zenfs.com/en/ducks_wire_usa_today_articles_200/ed2c8a995078d8dcb8fd6ed3f3374fdf[/IMG]
Q: How was the coach's getaway weekend, and was there some fun camaraderie among the group?
DL: There were some great moments. We went to Central Oregon like we do every year for our staff retreat, and there's a lot of football in the in the first half of the day, and some fellowship in the second half of the day. But we had a great time. A little white water rafting, some other stuff that happened as well. So it's fun to watch.
Q: There was a change this offseason. What was the difference in the offseason schedule with only one transfer portal window before spring ball. Curious, looking back, how did that ultimately change the construction of this roster and how you guys went about building this team?
DL: I don't know how much it changed it. You know, you get to the end of the spring, you say, "okay, this is who we got. You got to work with the guys you have." You know, I think it created a little bit more of a focus on improvement rather than figuring out. Okay, is this guy comfortable in his role? Does he want to leave? Does he want to stay? I think us having the chance to say walk into the spring, know where our team is in spring ball, and work with that team you know all spring and summer I think is a huge benefit.
Obviously, the negative is the portal opens while the season's still going on. You deal with that a little bit, so it doesn't change the construction a ton. You know, even going in spring last year, you want to build the best team you can possibly build before you get to spring, right? And that's no different. But you do then have the opportunity to say, okay, here's a hole that maybe we want to fill. Here's a hole that maybe we want to look at, where you can bring guys in that can make an impact. And that wasn't the case this year.
Q: How do you define success for fall camp when there are no games, there are no scores to keep track? How do you define success for this team in fall camp?
DL: Yeah, for us it's improvement, right? Where guys step in, our guys making the same mistakes twice. Again, do they understand the concepts that we're trying to institute? Do our coaches really get comfortable in the roles that they're wearing? We have a lot of new coaches that are wearing new roles than what they've worn in the past, you know, and making sure we push those guys to the level. And then you'd love to leave fall camp healthy, right? That's something you want to be able to accomplish and make sure you can go into the season, you know, with a full clip.
Q: You mentioned the fellowship. How important is that aspect of it? Once you get to the season, with the new voices on the team, the new faces, the different things that happen during the season with pressure, stress, intensity, emotions, how important is that fellowship aspect be down the line?
DL: Yeah, I always feel like connection, fellowship, like that. That's a huge piece for us, right? And that doesn't happen just in the summer. That doesn't just happen in spring, or even just in fall camp. That's something we want to carry over. So we have to challenge ourselves to create those moments.
Q: At Big 10 Media Days, you challenge your players to think back from 365 days from today, 365 days ago. Today, you said the theme going into last season was doubled down. If you could put it into words, kind of what's on your mind as far as a theme?
DL: Yeah, not so much a theme more than, you know, a vision. Our group created a vision board. It's called the Verada Method. It's really used by Shohei Ohtani when he's coming out of high school, and I think that's something that we're really focused on of okay, what do we want to accomplish, and what can we do today to get there?
Q: You've had so much experience at quarterback in your years here that Donte actually has more experience in your system than anybody you've had. Yeah. Do you guys come into this trying to expand what he does for you, or do you just want to be sharper doing everything you said before?
DL: It's a combination of both. I mean, I think with any great player, you always say, "What are they capable of? What can they handle?" And the more they can handle, the more you throw at them, right? You throw the kitchen sink at them and see what they can do. But on the same note, let's not forget how we got here and what's made him really good in the past. So every player is different. Dante has a ton of experience. We're going to add wrinkles every single year on both sides of the ball, and then special teams. So there are new things that we haven't done in the past that we're going to do now. There's certainly a lot that Dante can handle, but then there are times you just like, hey, let's just call inside zone and let him hand the ball off, right? Or let's throw four verts and let him take care of business there. So all the stress shouldn't be applied to Dante, right? But he's capable of a lot, so we're going to give him a lot.
Q: How much of an adjustment is it to have two new coordinators coming in, and how much does it help that they are internal hires?
DL: Yeah, there are benefits. There's positives and negatives to each one of those things, right? When you stay in-house, maybe you don't create as many new ideas. I'm really excited about the new ideas that we've had brought with both those guys. How much of an adjustment? It's an adjustment, but it's one that we've been through. Two is a little bit different than one, but I think there's always a lot of communication on coaching staffs to do a good job. And the key is how quickly can we all be on the same page? There are not drastic changes schematically in what we're doing with the new hire. So now it's more about experience and giving those guys the time and the opportunity to lead the coaches, lead the players, and go execute on the field.
Q: So you lost three players in the NFL, three starters, who were transfers, who were clearly brought in to fill holes, but you didn't run right out to get more transfers to fill those holes, which is a clear indication that you feel really good about your young linemen. So, what's different about this group of linemen, their development in comparison to the group of linemen that maybe needed help from the transfer?
DL: I think you know, one, you look at Coach (Alique)Terry's history and what he's been able to do. You know, the first year, as good as Alique is, and I think he's the best, if not one of the best O-line coaches in the nation. You look at the reality is we weren't able to hit home runs on every position as we were recruiting early in this process, finding the guys that we can go compete for. Now you're finishing, you know, three years later since the league's been here. We've had three Joe Moore Award finalists O-lines with a lot of different people in those lineups, so we've attracted some really good players, guys that we have confidence in that we think can make a big impact. It's a really hard position to go make an impact quick, right? If you look back even to Josh Conerly, he played some as a freshman, but he played tight end at times. He'd be our sixth field lineman. He'd rotate in. I think that this year could look a lot like this, where you have six, seven, eight guys even that are rotating in as players, and their roles grow throughout the season based on how they do in their roles. But we had a lot of confidence in the guys that we had in that room that we didn't need to reach as long as we continue to develop that talent.
Q: What were the benefits of the trip to Japan? Can you kind of elaborate on the trip and how it helped your team?
DL: I think in a lot of ways, starting just with our players, the exposure to a different culture, the recognition of what else exists out there, how special a place like Japan and Tokyo are, you know. And even though there might be differences, there are some really unique things you can learn there. For us as a program, I think there are a lot of benefits in the exposure that we get over there and creating some worldwide fans in Japan. You know, no reason we can't be their favorite, you know, college football team. And then, the opportunity to just fellowship again. We talk about how connection is important, the chance to play a little football while over there, but also get exposed to some unique things.
Q: You talked about how improvement at fall camp is probably the most important focus, but how important is it also maybe trying to find an identity during fall camp? Is that something you can do, or is that something you really only discover once the season kind of gets underway, both offensively and defensively?
DL: I think that ultimately, for us, our culture and what we've been over the previous years has helped form kind of that identity. The key is to solidify it throughout fall camp. So, what's won games for us in the past has to be the same thing that wins games for us in the future: our ability to tackle well, our ability to block, execute plays at a high level, so that's what you refine. It doesn't necessarily change the picture of who we are. There'll be little things here on each side of the ball that maybe look a little bit different, but if you don't block well, it doesn't matter, right? If you don't tackle well, it doesn't matter. So it's really about fundamentals, technique, and effort that we have to maximize in fall camp.
Q: At this time last year, the construction of the new practice facility like kind of really got underway. Just looking at it today and knowing by next year it'll be completely done. Just what kind of role does that play in recruiting and just the vision that you talked about of what you want to build here in Oregon?
DL: Yeah, I think ultimately it gets everybody anxious and excited when it is done. Every day you drive up here and you see it, you know you're like, I can't wait to be using that thing. There are modifications this year, just like there was last year. We do have some temporary fields that we're able to use now out there. They're not full fields. When that's all done, it's going to completely change the program from the standpoint of. I think it'll be one-on-one. I don't think anybody in the nation will have anything that quite compares to what we'll have there, and that certainly helps in recruiting. That certainly helps in development, and that's the goal, you know, of that entire you know facility is to make the best you know options possible for our players and their growth.
Q: You say every off-season that you guys adapt scheme to personnel. Personnel is a scheme. How much of that is done in the off-season? How much of that do you guys have done already, or how much do you just need to figure out over this next few weeks of fall camp?
DL: Yeah, a combination of both. Again, we'll have some different personnel groups that we haven't had in the past, based on trying to figure out how we can highlight players, put them in good positions. Some of it's scheme. I mean, there's a lot of things that we did differently last year with Dillon Thieneman that we haven't done in the past because we felt it fit like his skill set really well, so it'll be a combination. We've done some of that in the off-season. Now you test some of that theory a little bit in fall camp. We've tested some of that theory in spring ball, but certainly that'll be a piece of it this fall.
Q: A question about the tight end group and Jamari's (Johnson) role there, bringing everybody along, but not a lot of experience around it, and just kind of what maybe the early signs are from some of the other guys.
DL: Well, we haven't practiced yet, right? But I am excited about the group. Obviously, Jamari is a dynamic player. He can line up wide as a wideout. He can line up in the backfield. He can line up at tight end. So we know we have that, right? What will be with that is it's going to be a matter of what the next few weeks in fall camp look like. You know who else can can take that role similar to what he took this past season, and we have some guys that we think are capable, and Andrew (Olesh), Markus (Dixon) that just joined us, Kendre (Harrison), a new freshman, AJ (Pugliano), guys that have been in that room before, but that's what fall camp's for is to find out.
Q: Devin Jackson's a guy who was a little banged up at the start of last year, but comes into a big role this year with Bryce (Boettcher) gone. I'm wondering, you know, how important it is to see him come into his own and then, you know, work alongside a guy like Jerry (Mixon).
DL: We're going to be a really good team if Devin's able to play the way he's capable of, and he's always had a unique skill set, but he just wasn't himself as he went into last season, and he missed spring ball. You know, he's had a really good offseason. He's been able to be healthy throughout it. He's shown a lot of great leadership skills, and he has some experience. He's a guy that's been here longer than a lot of these other guys. So excited for Devin to be healthy and go attack fall camp. But the work he's done this offseason is going to certainly be a big benefit.
Q: When did you become exposed to the Harata Method, and what's the appeal for you for this large of a group of players to use that?
DL: We work kind of hand in hand with Corey Schaefer, who's worked with our team and some of our you know our messaging, some of our stuff that we do in the off season, and then you know even local guy Jamin Yee, who sent me you know a text message of an early article about you know the Harada Method is something that was kind of studying before, and then Corey and I both actually sent it to each other, so it kind of worked out. Was like, "Okay, this might be something we want to surround some of our thought process," and it started a little bit with our leadership group when we did our leadership retreat, went through it, and kind of built out some of our vision boards. Some of our players have done the same thing individually, but yeah, it kind of grew from there.
Q: So I know it's not your lane, and you can't control it. But given that football is going to change, like you said, do you enjoy the puzzle of having to adjust to a new system every year, or is is the you think the sport needs to choose a path and stick with it for a while, essentially?
DL: Yeah, I just think it's really hard when you create new rules, create new rules, create new rules, and you can't ever put the toothpaste back in the tube. You know, I think that's a challenge. But I do enjoy the challenge of everybody having to adapt. Can we be the team that adapts better than anyone else? I just think the reality is that things will continue to change. So let's continue to be a team that can adapt.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Everything Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said during Media Day
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Ducks head coach Dan Lanning and about 30 players took time out of their schedules to talk with the local media at Autzen Stadium to discuss the 2026 season. Coming off a disappointing loss to eventual national champion Indiana in the semifinals in last year's College Football Playoff, the Ducks aren't making it a secret that the goal this season is to bring home the program's first national championship to Eugene.
They seemingly have all the ingredients to do just that as the Ducks have one of the most talented rosters in the country, including a senior quarterback who is primed to possibly win a Heisman Trophy. Dante Moore is one of the best quarterbacks/players in the nation and he is surrounded by NFL-quality talent. The receivers room, led by Evan Stewart, might be the best group of receivers in the history of the program.
Oregon does have question marks, however, such as an inexperienced offensive line and defensive depth, but those will be answered, like it or not, during the season.
The Ducks are overwhelming favorites to be in the 12-team playoff once again, and Oregon was selected to finish second in the Big Ten, only behind Ohio State, another national title contender.
Here is what Dan Lanning had to say to the media on Monday as fall camp and the upcoming season get underway.
Opening Statement
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Dan Lanning: All right, we are back. Certainly grateful again, always for you guys and your coverage and how you follow our team. Our players are certainly very excited to get out there and get in the action. They've worked really, really hard this summer. I think anytime any of us coaches or staff get the opportunity to be away from Eugene for a little bit in the summer, we come back. We recognize how beautiful and special this place is, so we're excited to get back to work. We talk about being here and now and focusing on the moment, and that's really where our guys' focus is.
Playing teams twice
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Question: You talked earlier this offseason about studying teams that have been really good at rematches. I was curious if you could open up about that and divulge any of the teams you looked at, or what some of the commonalities?
DL: Yeah, it's most common in the NFL. You know, so just more so conversations with approach and what that might look like. You know, it's a little bit different. I won't hop into great detail on it, but there's certainly some things that I think we've learned from and can use.
A player-led team
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Q: You talked about this being the most player-led group that you've coached. How important is that going to be in managing the weight of expectations in a season like this?
DL: Yeah, I think it's important. I think you've got to paint pictures for our players on things that you know are going to happen. There's going to be moments of adversity throughout the year. There's going to be moments of success. There's going to be high praise. There's going to be low praise. When those things happen. We already know they're going to happen. How do you handle that? And you know, making the decision in advance of how you respond, what that looks like, and how you handle it. But certainly, our players have taken a big role this summer. Expect them to continue to take a big role through fall camp and throughout the season.
Getting a young O-line ready to go
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Q: I want to ask you about the offensive line and the progress, and just kind of how big of a volcanic month is this for this group to kind of get settled in?
DL: Yeah, it's huge, and still nothing is determined. You know, outside, you know, Poncho's played a lot of significant snaps for us. Dave's (Iuli) played significant snaps for us, but has been injured somewhat. So he's a guy that's coming back, and being able to see how that all comes together, I think this is where there's a real benefit to how we mix groups and change things up, so we can see a lot of guys in a lot of different settings.
Talent vs experience
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Q: Last year was maybe one of the most talented teams we've seen. This year, you talked about how it might be one of the most experienced. What has you just most excited about the potential that this group could bring onto the field this season?
DL: Yeah, I thought we had a lot of young talent last year. Certainly, a lot of talent. We lost some guys to the NFL, so we certainly lost some pieces of the puzzle. But we have a lot back. That being said, there's experience, but you know, talking to our team recently, I said, raise your hand if you're new. There's still a lot of new faces in that room, so it's going to be about that experience and those young guys and new guys leaning on the people that have been here before, on what it's supposed to look like, and how it all plays out.
Learning from playoff losses
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Q: Every year you guys go further and further into the college football playoffs, and wins and losses. How do the losses per se add to kind of the storyline here, especially coming this season? And how do the losses? How important are they? I think a lot of people get strung up with falling short, but there can be a lot of good things that come out of it.
DL: Yeah, as much as I'd like to say you learn more from wins than losses. That's not true. You learn more from losses, and unfortunately, that's the way everybody's season ends, except for the team that gets to hold a trophy up at the end. So we've learned a lot of a lot from adversity, you know, in our time here. We haven't experienced a lot of adversity, but we've had it. We've learned a lot from it, so I think they're huge. They're huge learning moments. But I also think this is a new year. You know, this is a new season, a different team, and there's no way that you can script it out and see how it's going to play out. But it's going to be fun, you know, to watch these guys go execute.
Running back depth
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Q: Feels like a position group that always flies under the radar is the running backs. When you're returning two freshmen that had great years last year, like Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill, just what can you say just about the depth in that room? And when you talk about the young talent you had last year, now with an extra year of experience, just what are you looking forward to the most about those two players coming back with that year of experience, and just about the depth in the running back room in general?
DL: That's a great thing to to really highlight in general, and that's kind of what I'm talking about as this team. I don't know that any of us knew that Jordon and Dierre's role would become what it became last season at this point, right? Now, fast forward. Obviously, they both had huge roles in our team, and now they have a lot of experience too. They played a lot on ability, right? Now, now they're getting the opportunity to play on what they know, using you know the intelligence they have, the year in the system, and now going into year two, we expect you know certainly really big things.
Then you have some other faces that are in that room now with Dink that was injured a lot of last year. That's back Simeon (Price) who joined us, who's had an unbelievable off-season, right? Brandon Smith, who's done a really good job. So should be a good group. It'll be a different group. We'll have to figure out what our strengths are, what our weaknesses are, but you lose some veteran leadership when you lose a guy like Noah (Whittington), right? But those guys have really learned a lot of those habits from Noah and how he operated every day.
This team vs Lanning's championship UGA team
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Q: How would you compare this year's team going into camp from a talent and a leadership standpoint to your last national championship team at Georgia from going into camp. Now we already know the outcome of what happened with Georgia, but how would you compare the two teams going into fall camp?
DL: It was so far ago, remembering that moment specifically and what that looks like going into fall camp. I you know I think we've always, as a coach, are somewhat of a pessimist sometimes on what you are really capable of, what you have, and you really just focus on problems. We had problems then that we wanted to fix at Georgia, no different than we have things that we want to fix right here at Oregon. But both teams were certainly talented. Both teams had good experience coming back. You know, so I think that in that piece, we're very similar.
Gaining experience from the 2025 season
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Q: We talked about last season as an outlier in terms of youth and first-year talent. What did you learn from coaching that team that you can bring to this more experienced team this year?
DL: You know, you learn you learn a lot of lessons in coaching every single year, and I wouldn't say that I learned more last year in comparison to any other year from coaching. But just you know, I think guys will meet the level of the expectations of the coaches in a lot of ways. We had like we had a lot of young players that were able to contribute and help, and that's because we gave them an avenue and an opportunity to go make an impact. So right now, it's about how fast we can find people that are above the line, that can play above the line football, and once we find that, those are guys that we have to figure out a way to get involved.
Coaches getaway
[IMG alt="New co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Hampton, right, joins the first practice of spring for Oregon football as they prepare for the 2023 season.
Eug 031623 Uo Spring Fb 06"]https://media.zenfs.com/en/ducks_wire_usa_today_articles_200/ed2c8a995078d8dcb8fd6ed3f3374fdf[/IMG]
Q: How was the coach's getaway weekend, and was there some fun camaraderie among the group?
DL: There were some great moments. We went to Central Oregon like we do every year for our staff retreat, and there's a lot of football in the in the first half of the day, and some fellowship in the second half of the day. But we had a great time. A little white water rafting, some other stuff that happened as well. So it's fun to watch.
Offseason schedule
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Q: There was a change this offseason. What was the difference in the offseason schedule with only one transfer portal window before spring ball. Curious, looking back, how did that ultimately change the construction of this roster and how you guys went about building this team?
DL: I don't know how much it changed it. You know, you get to the end of the spring, you say, "okay, this is who we got. You got to work with the guys you have." You know, I think it created a little bit more of a focus on improvement rather than figuring out. Okay, is this guy comfortable in his role? Does he want to leave? Does he want to stay? I think us having the chance to say walk into the spring, know where our team is in spring ball, and work with that team you know all spring and summer I think is a huge benefit.
Obviously, the negative is the portal opens while the season's still going on. You deal with that a little bit, so it doesn't change the construction a ton. You know, even going in spring last year, you want to build the best team you can possibly build before you get to spring, right? And that's no different. But you do then have the opportunity to say, okay, here's a hole that maybe we want to fill. Here's a hole that maybe we want to look at, where you can bring guys in that can make an impact. And that wasn't the case this year.
Fall camp success
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Q: How do you define success for fall camp when there are no games, there are no scores to keep track? How do you define success for this team in fall camp?
DL: Yeah, for us it's improvement, right? Where guys step in, our guys making the same mistakes twice. Again, do they understand the concepts that we're trying to institute? Do our coaches really get comfortable in the roles that they're wearing? We have a lot of new coaches that are wearing new roles than what they've worn in the past, you know, and making sure we push those guys to the level. And then you'd love to leave fall camp healthy, right? That's something you want to be able to accomplish and make sure you can go into the season, you know, with a full clip.
Fellowship
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Q: You mentioned the fellowship. How important is that aspect of it? Once you get to the season, with the new voices on the team, the new faces, the different things that happen during the season with pressure, stress, intensity, emotions, how important is that fellowship aspect be down the line?
DL: Yeah, I always feel like connection, fellowship, like that. That's a huge piece for us, right? And that doesn't happen just in the summer. That doesn't just happen in spring, or even just in fall camp. That's something we want to carry over. So we have to challenge ourselves to create those moments.
Theme for 2026
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Q: At Big 10 Media Days, you challenge your players to think back from 365 days from today, 365 days ago. Today, you said the theme going into last season was doubled down. If you could put it into words, kind of what's on your mind as far as a theme?
DL: Yeah, not so much a theme more than, you know, a vision. Our group created a vision board. It's called the Verada Method. It's really used by Shohei Ohtani when he's coming out of high school, and I think that's something that we're really focused on of okay, what do we want to accomplish, and what can we do today to get there?
Dante Moore being expansive vs being sharper
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Q: You've had so much experience at quarterback in your years here that Donte actually has more experience in your system than anybody you've had. Yeah. Do you guys come into this trying to expand what he does for you, or do you just want to be sharper doing everything you said before?
DL: It's a combination of both. I mean, I think with any great player, you always say, "What are they capable of? What can they handle?" And the more they can handle, the more you throw at them, right? You throw the kitchen sink at them and see what they can do. But on the same note, let's not forget how we got here and what's made him really good in the past. So every player is different. Dante has a ton of experience. We're going to add wrinkles every single year on both sides of the ball, and then special teams. So there are new things that we haven't done in the past that we're going to do now. There's certainly a lot that Dante can handle, but then there are times you just like, hey, let's just call inside zone and let him hand the ball off, right? Or let's throw four verts and let him take care of business there. So all the stress shouldn't be applied to Dante, right? But he's capable of a lot, so we're going to give him a lot.
Benefits of the two new coordinators being in-house hires
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Q: How much of an adjustment is it to have two new coordinators coming in, and how much does it help that they are internal hires?
DL: Yeah, there are benefits. There's positives and negatives to each one of those things, right? When you stay in-house, maybe you don't create as many new ideas. I'm really excited about the new ideas that we've had brought with both those guys. How much of an adjustment? It's an adjustment, but it's one that we've been through. Two is a little bit different than one, but I think there's always a lot of communication on coaching staffs to do a good job. And the key is how quickly can we all be on the same page? There are not drastic changes schematically in what we're doing with the new hire. So now it's more about experience and giving those guys the time and the opportunity to lead the coaches, lead the players, and go execute on the field.
2026 O-line vs 2025 O-line
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Q: So you lost three players in the NFL, three starters, who were transfers, who were clearly brought in to fill holes, but you didn't run right out to get more transfers to fill those holes, which is a clear indication that you feel really good about your young linemen. So, what's different about this group of linemen, their development in comparison to the group of linemen that maybe needed help from the transfer?
DL: I think you know, one, you look at Coach (Alique)Terry's history and what he's been able to do. You know, the first year, as good as Alique is, and I think he's the best, if not one of the best O-line coaches in the nation. You look at the reality is we weren't able to hit home runs on every position as we were recruiting early in this process, finding the guys that we can go compete for. Now you're finishing, you know, three years later since the league's been here. We've had three Joe Moore Award finalists O-lines with a lot of different people in those lineups, so we've attracted some really good players, guys that we have confidence in that we think can make a big impact. It's a really hard position to go make an impact quick, right? If you look back even to Josh Conerly, he played some as a freshman, but he played tight end at times. He'd be our sixth field lineman. He'd rotate in. I think that this year could look a lot like this, where you have six, seven, eight guys even that are rotating in as players, and their roles grow throughout the season based on how they do in their roles. But we had a lot of confidence in the guys that we had in that room that we didn't need to reach as long as we continue to develop that talent.
Going to Japan
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Q: What were the benefits of the trip to Japan? Can you kind of elaborate on the trip and how it helped your team?
DL: I think in a lot of ways, starting just with our players, the exposure to a different culture, the recognition of what else exists out there, how special a place like Japan and Tokyo are, you know. And even though there might be differences, there are some really unique things you can learn there. For us as a program, I think there are a lot of benefits in the exposure that we get over there and creating some worldwide fans in Japan. You know, no reason we can't be their favorite, you know, college football team. And then, the opportunity to just fellowship again. We talk about how connection is important, the chance to play a little football while over there, but also get exposed to some unique things.
Finding an identity
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Q: You talked about how improvement at fall camp is probably the most important focus, but how important is it also maybe trying to find an identity during fall camp? Is that something you can do, or is that something you really only discover once the season kind of gets underway, both offensively and defensively?
DL: I think that ultimately, for us, our culture and what we've been over the previous years has helped form kind of that identity. The key is to solidify it throughout fall camp. So, what's won games for us in the past has to be the same thing that wins games for us in the future: our ability to tackle well, our ability to block, execute plays at a high level, so that's what you refine. It doesn't necessarily change the picture of who we are. There'll be little things here on each side of the ball that maybe look a little bit different, but if you don't block well, it doesn't matter, right? If you don't tackle well, it doesn't matter. So it's really about fundamentals, technique, and effort that we have to maximize in fall camp.
New practice facility
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Q: At this time last year, the construction of the new practice facility like kind of really got underway. Just looking at it today and knowing by next year it'll be completely done. Just what kind of role does that play in recruiting and just the vision that you talked about of what you want to build here in Oregon?
DL: Yeah, I think ultimately it gets everybody anxious and excited when it is done. Every day you drive up here and you see it, you know you're like, I can't wait to be using that thing. There are modifications this year, just like there was last year. We do have some temporary fields that we're able to use now out there. They're not full fields. When that's all done, it's going to completely change the program from the standpoint of. I think it'll be one-on-one. I don't think anybody in the nation will have anything that quite compares to what we'll have there, and that certainly helps in recruiting. That certainly helps in development, and that's the goal, you know, of that entire you know facility is to make the best you know options possible for our players and their growth.
Scheme to personnel
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Q: You say every off-season that you guys adapt scheme to personnel. Personnel is a scheme. How much of that is done in the off-season? How much of that do you guys have done already, or how much do you just need to figure out over this next few weeks of fall camp?
DL: Yeah, a combination of both. Again, we'll have some different personnel groups that we haven't had in the past, based on trying to figure out how we can highlight players, put them in good positions. Some of it's scheme. I mean, there's a lot of things that we did differently last year with Dillon Thieneman that we haven't done in the past because we felt it fit like his skill set really well, so it'll be a combination. We've done some of that in the off-season. Now you test some of that theory a little bit in fall camp. We've tested some of that theory in spring ball, but certainly that'll be a piece of it this fall.
Tight ends
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Q: A question about the tight end group and Jamari's (Johnson) role there, bringing everybody along, but not a lot of experience around it, and just kind of what maybe the early signs are from some of the other guys.
DL: Well, we haven't practiced yet, right? But I am excited about the group. Obviously, Jamari is a dynamic player. He can line up wide as a wideout. He can line up in the backfield. He can line up at tight end. So we know we have that, right? What will be with that is it's going to be a matter of what the next few weeks in fall camp look like. You know who else can can take that role similar to what he took this past season, and we have some guys that we think are capable, and Andrew (Olesh), Markus (Dixon) that just joined us, Kendre (Harrison), a new freshman, AJ (Pugliano), guys that have been in that room before, but that's what fall camp's for is to find out.
Devin Jackson
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Q: Devin Jackson's a guy who was a little banged up at the start of last year, but comes into a big role this year with Bryce (Boettcher) gone. I'm wondering, you know, how important it is to see him come into his own and then, you know, work alongside a guy like Jerry (Mixon).
DL: We're going to be a really good team if Devin's able to play the way he's capable of, and he's always had a unique skill set, but he just wasn't himself as he went into last season, and he missed spring ball. You know, he's had a really good offseason. He's been able to be healthy throughout it. He's shown a lot of great leadership skills, and he has some experience. He's a guy that's been here longer than a lot of these other guys. So excited for Devin to be healthy and go attack fall camp. But the work he's done this offseason is going to certainly be a big benefit.
The Harada Method
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Q: When did you become exposed to the Harata Method, and what's the appeal for you for this large of a group of players to use that?
DL: We work kind of hand in hand with Corey Schaefer, who's worked with our team and some of our you know our messaging, some of our stuff that we do in the off season, and then you know even local guy Jamin Yee, who sent me you know a text message of an early article about you know the Harada Method is something that was kind of studying before, and then Corey and I both actually sent it to each other, so it kind of worked out. Was like, "Okay, this might be something we want to surround some of our thought process," and it started a little bit with our leadership group when we did our leadership retreat, went through it, and kind of built out some of our vision boards. Some of our players have done the same thing individually, but yeah, it kind of grew from there.
Changes in the sport of college football
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Q: So I know it's not your lane, and you can't control it. But given that football is going to change, like you said, do you enjoy the puzzle of having to adjust to a new system every year, or is is the you think the sport needs to choose a path and stick with it for a while, essentially?
DL: Yeah, I just think it's really hard when you create new rules, create new rules, create new rules, and you can't ever put the toothpaste back in the tube. You know, I think that's a challenge. But I do enjoy the challenge of everybody having to adapt. Can we be the team that adapts better than anyone else? I just think the reality is that things will continue to change. So let's continue to be a team that can adapt.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Everything Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said during Media Day
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