EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning expressed optimism following the Ducks' first full spring practice, acknowledging the energy and enthusiasm displayed by his players while emphasizing the importance of continuous improvement.
"All right, good day one. Think I've said it before, I haven't been around a lot of day ones that weren't great, but our guys did a good job. They're playing with great energy and enthusiasm, you know, some early mistakes, but we've also had a lot of time to prep for practice one. So it's gonna be about how we can learn and move forward from here," Lanning said.
Oregon enters the spring with a roster that includes 22 newcomers, a mix of young talent and transfers expected to play key roles this season. Lanning stressed the need for leadership development within the team.
"We're still in the early phases of that, right? And that's one thing that I was hoping to see today. I saw some of that. Saw some guys stepping up, but we have to develop leadership in this team. We're not returning a ton of experience. We're returning some really talented players. So it's about those guys stepping up, creating leadership, creating standards for our team, and those guys attacking."
One of the biggest questions of the spring is how the quarterback competition will play out. Lanning expressed confidence in the group, highlighting the various skill sets they bring.
"I love the group that we got. We got a bunch of cerebral guys, talented guys, some guys that bring different skill sets in that room. It'll absolutely be a competition at every single position on the field for us. And you know, competition is what makes everybody better. So excited to see those guys grow, but they've done a good job. We've added some wrinkles this off season. They're a little bit different, and they've done a good job absorbing that and executing it."
Lanning confirmed that Oregon will hold a traditional spring game at Autzen Stadium, maintaining the game-day environment that has been a staple for the program.
"Yeah, I think it's the best way for us to get better. We're absolutely gonna have a spring game and play football. Just mentioned new faces, I think that's a great opportunity to create; Autzen is one of those places we have a spring game, it's a game day environment. Creating that environment for those players, the competition that exists in that, and just our fans and what they bring to that, I think, is a huge piece. So for me, it's the right way to cap off a spring. And as long as I'm here, we'll be doing spring games."
Among the true freshmen on the roster, Lanning is looking for steady growth and mental toughness.
"Yeah, I'm just looking for growth, right? Don't let your highs get too high or lows get too low. And talk to the guys just now about if you had a great practice, don't be satisfied. If you had a disappointing practice, don't be discouraged, right? There's opportunities to grow and continue to improve. If we have consistent growth out there in the field every day, I'm going to be really pleased with that."
Several newcomers, including wide receiver Dakorien Moore and defensive back Dillon Thieneman, have already made an impression with their leadership and work ethic.
"We encourage every single guy in our program. You don't have to be a senior to be a leader, right? You don't have to have experience to be a leader, right? But you have to be willing to put yourself out there. And Dakorien, as well as several other players on our team, are taking that lead. They're stepping up and taking advantage of opportunities to lead."
"Well, he's a dynamic player on film, and when you meet his family, unbelievable family, a guy that is infatuated with football, right? And infatuated with the extra work. You know, there's probably not a day that goes by that Dillon's not in the weight room, getting bonus work, doing extra rehab, getting extra film, his intelligence, all those things are really picking up. Establishing some standards for the DB group and how they're going to operate. I think he's done a great job of that, and I know he's not satisfied. So I love having players here that aren't satisfied, they're looking to get better and improve. I think he saw what Oregon could bring him, and I know he's going to bring a lot to Oregon."
Oregon has also welcomed new assistant coach Ross Douglas to oversee the wide receivers. Lanning praised his background and the effort he has put in early on.
"I've been really pleased with Coach Douglas so far, the energy that he brings on the field. I think he's looking to coach every single moment. He had obviously, some great references with his time with Coach Belichick and some of the other coaches that he's been around. His experience on both the offense and defensive side of the ball, the amount of work and time that he's putting in, you know, to get ahead of the curve, learning it in the spring is not the easiest thing. He's done a great job of coming and attacking it and building relationships with those guys. He knows it doesn't happen overnight, so he's working really hard at it, but really pleased with Ross."
Lanning also addressed how last year's Rose Bowl loss factors into this season's mindset.
"Life's all about experiences, right? I don't think you pick one experience. I think life's all about experiences. Every day we walk out here, we learn, we grow. And you got to learn from wins. You got to learn from losses. We certainly learned from that one, but this is a new season too, right? That has no impact on our next season. All the wins that we had last year, they have absolutely no impact on this next season either. So it's really about focusing on what's next and continuing to improve."
As Oregon continues to build for the fall, Lanning emphasized the importance of evaluating the roster and fostering growth throughout spring practices.
"We just had our first practice, so it's a little early to say emerged. But you know, we always say, if you're good enough, you're good enough, you're old enough, right? We had some young guys that could contribute last year, but maybe more ready for the biggest roles. And I think you'll see some of those guys step up and have bigger roles for our team this year. Again, wherever you fall in the packing order, it doesn't matter. It matters if you're playing above the line football. And if we have a lot of guys that can play above the line football, you'll see a lot of guys on the field for us."
The Ducks will continue their spring schedule in preparation for the upcoming season, with Lanning and his staff focused on solidifying roles and fostering competition across the roster.
