Dan Lanning trying to set expectations for Ducks before spring break

The sun was glaring during Oregon's Saturday morning practice and it truly felt like the spring ball atmosphere that Ducks fans have longed for all winter.

Coach Dan Lanning mentioned after the last practice that the coaching staff has been able to maximize efficiency by using both practice fields to work technique and position-specific drills, effectively getting twice as many players reps at the same time.

“We got more reps today, we pushed the tempo of practice a little bit more and some fatigue showed up,” Lanning said. “We really want to push guys’ bodies — we saw that and you see how guys responded.”

RELATED: Full video and transcript of Dan Lanning's comments after the Ducks' second spring practice

Lanning referenced the upcoming spring break before the next school term as to why they pushed practice a little harder today, and the break could be a really good reset for a lot of players on the team, particularly some of the early enrollee freshmen.

The transition from high school to college is difficult enough on its own but jumping into Division I college football when you could still be attending high school is an entirely different animal.

“I think they’re handling it really well. I think we had a great transition team too when it goes with the prep for school and football,” Lanning said. “We have a detailed plan with what we do so those guys have handled it well.”

During the 15-minute viewing period media watched, the team spent a lot of time stretching but also worked on punt & kick returning, offensive line formations and fumble protection drills.

Punting was an area of concern last season and to address that, Oregon brought in Australian punter Luke Dunne as part of the 2023 recruiting class to bolster that unit.

It’s still early, but Dunne might already be a lock for the starting job. Media members were in awe of his booming kicks from the back of the end zone that sent Troy Franklin in a daze as he was forced to backpeddle to midfield before muffing the return.

Lanning discussed the changes in college football and specifically the number of guys who choose to enroll in college midway through their senior year of high school, saying that he thinks it’s “the new norm in college football.”

“You want guys here as fast as you can. That’s not always going to happen,” Lanning said “There are some guys that we’d love if we could have here early. … It’s like having an additional redshirt year for guys that are brand new.”

One newcomer that has already made an impact is defensive back transfer from Fresno State Evan Williams, whose brother Bennett had already gloated to the media about him at Oregon’s pro day earlier this week.

He talked about how excited he was for Evan to get this opportunity and that his brother would have a leader’s role on this defense.

“Been really pleased with what he’s looked like so far. I don’t think he’s been extremely boisterous so far,” Lanning said. “But his actions have spoken really loud.”

Though it doesn’t seem like the younger Williams brother has taken that leap into a leadership role just yet, he’ll have a lot of time to hone his leadership skills before he steps into Autzen for a game.

Some wonder how much these student-athletes adjust not just their bodies, but also their mindsets throughout the duration of spring camp, and what coaches are looking for might be more simple than some think.

“Really, more than anything across the board it's how you play with relentless effort. If you can’t play fast, you can’t play football," Lanning said.

As the Ducks now head into spring break and a pause from football practice, Lanning hopes getting these first two workouts in ahead of that will factor into how his players' approach the next couple weeks.

"Truly, it kind of gives a buildup," he said. "It makes our players think about this on spring break rather than rolling in."