Latest news with #DanLanning
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
What to know about the Oregon Ducks in 2025
With Dan Lanning paving the way, Oregon is entering an era of NIL-fueled success, taking the program to new heights with strong recruiting and on-field performance. Lanning dove headfirst into the transfer portal and hit the recruiting trail hard to reload for 2024, replacing a slew of departed stars. Now, with more holes to fill from last season's roster, Lanning's banking on another group of newcomers to keep the Ducks flying high. Here's where Oregon stands as the 2025 season creeps closer. 2024 in review Lanning's third year in Eugene was special. The Ducks racked up 12 regular season wins - their best showing since 2010 - snagged a Big Ten title and punched a ticket to the College Football Playoff. They earned the No. 1 overall seed before coming up short in a rematch against Ohio State. Even with a brutal Big Ten slate, Lanning had Oregon looking like a national contender up until the end. Head coach profile Lanning's got a fiery edge, and he's built Oregon into a machine. In three years with the Ducks, he's 35-6, mixing a high-octane offense with a defense that hits like a freight train. His 'stay hungry' mantra has Eugene buzzing with dreams of a title, and he's got the financial backing from megabooster Phil Knight to get there. Before he traveled west, he was calling defenses at Georgia, helping them lock up national championships in 2021 and 2022. Top offensive players Offensive linemen Isaiah World and Emmanuel Pregnon, who transferred in from Nevada and USC, respectively, will anchor the left side of the offensive line and both have All-Big Ten potential. World is viewed as a first-round talent and has three seasons of starting experience, while Pregnon didn't allow a sack while starting all 13 games for the Trojans last season. Top defensive players Edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei returns for his junior season after recording 38 tackles and a whopping 10.5 sacks in 2024. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Uiagalelei is a physical freak with first-round draft potential. Additionally, transfer safety Dillon Thieneman arrives from Purdue after back-to-back 100-tackle seasons to start his college career. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 1 safety transfer of the cycle and he's another player with first-round potential. 2025 schedule Aug. 30 vs. Montana State Sept. 6 vs. Oklahoma State Sept. 13 at Northwestern Sept. 20 vs. Oregon State Sept. 27 at Penn State Oct. 11 vs. Indiana Oct. 18 at Rutgers Oct. 25 vs. Wisconsin Nov. 8 at Iowa Nov. 14 (Fri.) vs. Minnesota Nov. 22 vs. USC Nov. 29 at Washington Oregon's September trip to Penn State has game-of-the-year potential, pitting two projected top-five teams against each other in a prime-time White Out. The Ducks haven't played in Beaver Stadium since 1964 (the stadium has changed quite a bit since), and with Penn State's nasty defense going up against the Ducks' explosive offense, it'll make for a highly anticipated rematch of last year's conference title game, which both teams will be trying to return to this season. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Scouting the Oregon Ducks ahead of 2025
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Rival Big Ten coach shares first thoughts on Iowa football road trip
Kinnick Stadium is known as one of the toughest road environments in the entire Big Ten, with many top teams seeing postseason dreams die within the confines of almost 70,000 avid Hawkeye fans. From the distance between the fans and the visiting team's bench to the pink locker room to the new north end zone section, Kinnick has turned into a house of horrors for certain Big Ten teams. And one of the newer coaches in the conference acknowledged the difficulties that come with playing Iowa on the road. Dan Lanning has been the coach of the Oregon Ducks since 2022, going 35-6 over those three seasons. Last year, in Oregon's first season as a Big Ten team, he led the Ducks to a 13-0 regular season record and a Big Ten Championship game victory. While the season ended on a sour note with a loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff, Lanning has established the Ducks as a premier program. And in 2025, for the first time as a Big Ten school, they'll travel to Iowa City to play the Hawkeyes. Lanning spoke to the media on Thursday at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas and was asked a question about his team's road trip to Iowa in November and how he's preparing his team for that game. What did Dan Lanning say about playing Iowa on the road? When asked about going on the road to play Iowa in November, Lanning had this to say. "It was something I got to experience as a GA when I was at Pitt, we played at Iowa. It was an unbelievable atmosphere, that's the NFL team of the state. Coach (Kirk) Ferentz has done an unbelievable job... the home crowd is right on top of the visiting stands. It's a special place and a fun venue, so we're excited to see them," Lanning said. Lanning has a lot of respect and admiration for Kinnick Stadium and the program that Ferentz has built at Iowa. With prior experience coaching at Kinnick, albeit as a graduate assistant, Lanning has an idea of what to expect when a visiting team walks into Kinnick. But, he should expect Hawkeye fans to show up and be loud when one of the best teams on Iowa's schedule comes into town. Iowa and Oregon will clash at Kinnick on Nov. 8. It'll be the third College Football Playoff team from last season that the Hawkeyes will have played in a five-game stretch, joining Indiana on Sept. 27 and Penn State on Oct. 18. All three of those games are in Iowa City. Hawk fans have a great home schedule of games to go to in 2025. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where Oregon's 2027 class ranks nationally after addition of 5-star WR Kesean Bowman
While there is major focus on the 2026 recruiting class as we hurdle towards the start of the season and the looming signing day in December, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks landed a massive win in the 2027 recruiting cycle earlier this week. On Thursday, it was announced that 5-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman announced his commitment to Oregon, choosing the Ducks over the likes of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Tennessee Volunteers, and LSU Tigers. Bowman stands at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, and is rated as the No. 36 overall player in the 247Sports Composite, and the No. 6 wide receiver. With the addition of Bowman, Oregon's 2027 class jumped up to No. 7 in the nation. Bowman is the second commitment that the Ducks have in the 2027 cycle, but they saw 4-star EDGE Prince Tavizon reclassify from 2027 to 2026 earlier this summer. The addition of Bowman is another massive win for new wide receivers coach Ross Douglas, who is killing it on the recruiting trail. Earlier this summer, he landed 4-star WR Messiah Hampton and 4-star WR Jalen Lott, both of whom are among the top receivers in the 2026 class. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Dan Lanning looking ahead as Oregon Ducks turn the page to 2025
The first year of Oregon Ducks football in the Big Ten was a fun one to say the least. They went undefeated, including a thrilling 32-31 win over Ohio State in one of the greatest games inside Autzen Stadium. It probably went better than expected. But as the Ducks enter Year 2 of their Big Ten membership, what happened last season means nothing, according to Oregon head coach Dan Lanning. "We have a brand new team and brand new challenges," he said at the Big Ten Day Media Day in Las Vegas on Wednesday. "What happened last year has nothing to do with the future." Oregon lost a lot of players off that 12-1 squad from a year ago, but like many good programs, the Ducks are not rebuilding. They are reloading. It will be an adjustment, however, particularly at the quarterback position, where for the first time since Lanning got here, the Ducks won't be going with an experienced transfer. Rather, it will be Dante Moore, who was a highly-touted recruit, but in his true freshman season at UCLA, was thrown to the wolves before he was ready. The talent was always there, and Oregon hopes that talent shines through after sitting a year on the sidelines and watching Dillon Gabriel do his thing for an entire season. Unfortunately, Moore will be throwing to a young receiver group that doesn't have many catches among them, but the pure talent is off the charts. They'll have to grow up a little quicker now with Evan Stewart down with a knee injury that could keep him out the entire season. The Ducks were successful in signing some sought-after players in the transfer portal, such as offensive lineman Isaiah World and safety Dillon Thieneman. Those additions and an easier schedule that doesn't include Ohio State or Michigan, Oregon is hopeful it will retain its conference championship. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Undefeated in Big Ten, Oregon somehow chasing redemption after playoff loss
Oregon was perfect all the way through its first season in the Big Ten, mowing through the regular season at 12-0 and handling Penn State in the conference championship game. Then the Ducks were dropped by eventual national champion Ohio State, 41-21, in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl to end the season as a national afterthought to the likes of Notre Dame, Texas and the Buckeyes, a team Oregon beat in the regular season. With a pair of trophies on display on either side of his dais at Mandalay Bay for Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, Oregon's coach shared his uncomfortable truth. 'I think every coach probably feels this way, but we always remember the losses over the wins,' Oregon coach Dan Lanning said at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Wednesday during Big Ten Media Days. 'I think there's a lot you can learn from that. It doesn't take away from what we were able to accomplish, but we lost to a great team. Coach (Ryan) Day did an unbelievable job last year of having his team in position to have success there. There's some things I think I could have done better at the end. I don't think we played our best football. That being said, we did go undefeated in the conference and won the Big Ten Championship in our first year. That said, double down. Focus on our process. What do we have to continue to improve? There's always learning lessons, but it doesn't necessarily impact the future.' The future in Eugene is bright. But success is going to be relative at Oregon, a reality Lanning has embraced and knew well from his background at Georgia, where he knows the one trophy every team wants -- the national title -- is the goal on constant repeat. Marinating, and believing there is victory in the process, and avoiding the 'microwave' are themes in his locker room in 2025. Dante Moore is competing at quarterback to replace Browns third-round pick Dillon Gabriel as the maestro of a system full of skill-position weaponry. Moore said Lanning consistently reminds him and other team leaders 'pressure is a privilege.' He's locked in a duel with fellow sophomore Austin Novosad to start for the Ducks. 'I think probably what impressed me most with Dante is not wanting to be in a microwave society, not wanting to just get it fast because there's an opportunity in front of him,' Lanning said, 'but to have the slow-cooked meal, to have the opportunity to sit back and mature and learn, learn from experiences that you don't necessarily have to be on the field to feel. The same goes for Austin. The same goes for Luke (Moga) and the other guys in our program.' Either quarterback would be thrilled to have the security of a sure-handed and big-play tight end the likes of Kenyon Sadiq. The junior might not be a household name nationally, but no matter which iteration of Oregon uniform he's wearing on game day, opponents are fully aware of his whereabouts. Lanning said he played some video-game football with his son before Wednesday's session, and Sadiq was a stud in the virtual world, too. 'I need to make sure I bring that up to our quarterbacks, throw it to Kenyon because he's been unbelievable this offseason,' Lanning said. 'Like I said, if you just see him work, it's not a secret.' Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
