Latest news with #Lanning
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
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 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
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dan Lanning named to Dodd Trophy preseason watch list
During his three seasons with the Oregon Ducks, Dan Lanning has quickly developed into one of the best coaches in college football. He has posted an absurd 35-6 record which ranks fourth among all programs since he was hired in late 2021. The Ducks have enjoyed tons of success in the last few decades, but Lanning has come to Eugene and transformed a great program into a college football powerhouse. Thanks to his excellence on and off the field, he is now being honored for his accomplishments. Lanning won the Stallings Award earlier this year which recognizes a coach who exhibits great leadership and extraordinary humanitarian efforts. The Oregon head coach is expected to be in the running for another award this season after the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation released their watch list for this year's Dodd Trophy. The foundation mentioned Lanning along with a slew of other notable names like Ryan Day of Ohio State and last year's winner Marcus Freeman from Notre Dame. The Dodd Trophy is widely considered to be the most esteemed coaching honor and Lanning has a great shot to win it. 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.
Fox Sports
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 College Football Prediction, Best Bet: Back Oregon to Eclipse Win Total
With college football kicking off in just two months, it's time to assess how successful — or how unsuccessful — teams will be this upcoming season. There is one team whose win total stood out to me in particular: the Oregon Ducks. And based on what we know about this team from last year and its offseason moves, I'm ready to throw down some cash on these Ducks. Let's take a look at what I think Oregon's regular-season win total will be. Oregon Ducks Over/Under 11 wins Dan Lanning returns to Eugene for his fourth season as head coach of the Oregon Ducks after three successful years. At 38 years old, this first-time head coach has an overall record of 35-6: 2022: 10-3, 2023: 12-2 and 2024: 13-1. For the sake of a regular-season win total, his record in just 12 regular-season games is 32-4, with three losses coming from his first season. One characteristic of Lanning's teams is their play against opponents they should beat. Aside from a loss to Oregon State at the end of the 2022 season, the Ducks have not lost a regular-season game they shouldn't have. Their three other regular-season losses are to Georgia and twice to Washington. However, there have been close games. A late comeback against Washington State in 2022, a late pick-six to seal the game at Texas Tech in 2023 and a three-point win against Boise State and Wisconsin were Oregon's closest wins last season. Otherwise, it's a bunch of lopsided scores where Oregon was in no danger of losing. This mindset of respecting every opponent is welcome when you're wagering Over 10.5 wins on a team. They can not be upset. There's no margin for error. The Oregon schedule allows for the Ducks to win most of their games. The non-conference slate includes three home games against Montana State, Oklahoma State and Oregon State. Oregon will be multiple-touchdown favorites against all three. While Montana State did play for the FCS championship, I expect the Ducks to be on high alert after their previous season opener against Idaho. Oklahoma State went 0-9 in the Big 12 last season, and the Beavers just don't have the horses to compete. In conference play, Oregon hosts Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and USC. Oregon rarely loses at home, and none of these teams pose a threat right now. Indiana could be feisty with Mendoza and its coaching staff, while USC could be peaking near the end of the season if things break right. Still, these games are at home, where the Ducks usually win. Oregon will face conference road games at Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers, Iowa and Washington. The Penn State game will be difficult, and Oregon may lose that game. In the other four games, Oregon will be a touchdown favorite or more, but playing at Washington to end the season is a rivalry game — one I'm hesitant to mark as a win ahead of time. If the Ducks are 10-1 and you're afraid to lose the Over wager, then take Washington moneyline. The Ducks' winning ways over the last three seasons have included one of the best rosters in the country. They have fielded two straight Heisman finalists and over a dozen players drafted into the NFL. The last draft included their starting quarterback, running back, tight end, best receiver, starting defensive tackles and more. Oregon will be replacing a lot of talent and will need to mesh quickly for success. Oregon's quarterback will be Dante Moore, a former five-star recruit who transferred from UCLA last winter. He redshirted last season and has a gifted arm. There were also transfer portal additions at running back, left tackle and left guard. Both of the offensive linemen could see their names called in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Ducks defense saw major additions in the defensive back end as well. Oregon has stockpiled talent on the defensive line and at linebacker, and will need those guys to step up this season. I have no doubt the coaching staff — with years of results to back it up — will get these guys playing well early in the season. For all these reasons, I'm taking Oregon to win 11 games or more. The Penn State game will be tough, and I'm not sure Oregon will win. The margin of error is slim if the Ducks lose, but they have shown no history of losing games that they shouldn't. It's a talented roster with a coaching staff who's getting better each season. PICK: Oregon Ducks Over 11 wins Geoff Schwartz is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. Follow him on Twitter @ GeoffSchwartz . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
USA Today
19-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
5-star Oregon football target Tyler Atkinson schedules visit to Texas Longhorns
5-star Oregon football target Tyler Atkinson schedules visit to Texas Longhorns When looking at the Oregon Ducks recruiting board in the 2026 cycle, there are few players who are likely higher priorities than 5-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson. Standing at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Atkinson is rated as the No. 9 player in the nation, and the No. 1 linebacker in the 2026 class, per the 247Sports Composite. He has been in Eugene a couple of times this year for visits, including an official visit earlier this month. A select group of Oregon coaches has also gone in-home to visit with Atkinson, and the Ducks reportedly feel good about where they stand for the elite defender. They're going to have a lot of competition to land him, though, particularly down in SEC country. Last week, Atkinson — a Georgia native — took yet another visit to Athens to see the Georgia Bulldogs, and this week, he announced that he is heading to see another SEC school: the Texas Longhorns. Much like former 5-star LB Justin Williams, a high-profile member of the 2024 class, it feels as if Atkinson is being made a major priority for Lanning and his staff. Williams committed to Georgia a couple of years ago, but has had very little playing time so far with the Bulldogs. We will see if Lanning and the Ducks are able to land Atkinson and bring him across the nation to the Pacific Northwest. If so, it would be undoubtedly one of the crowning achievements of Lanning's recruiting career thus far. 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.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
5-Star Oregon Football Target Makes Announcement After Visit With Ducks
5-Star Oregon Football Target Makes Announcement After Visit With Ducks originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning is up for a pivotal weekend, as he and his staff are hosting a handful of five-star and blue-chip prospects on official visits. Advertisement One name involved with the Ducks this week is five-star safety Joey O'Brien, who would be a massive get for Lanning and co. According to 247Sports, Oregon ranks No. 29 in the nation with their 2026 recruiting class at this time -- which is subpar to Lanning's standard in Eugene. Landing O'Brien, a Pennsylvania native, would be phenomenal for Lanning's class, especially if Oregon can receive commitments from others on the trip this week. Battling Penn State, Clemson and Notre Dame, Oregon will soon know where O'Brien will pledge his services, as the highly-touted safety has announced when he will make his announcement. Advertisement O'Brien will choose between the four programs on June 20, which isn't long after his visit with Oregon. "Almost that time!" O'Brien shared on X after his commitment date was revealed. Given that the Ducks are getting a great chance to sell the safety on landing in Eugene this close to his commitment, Lanning might be able to secure O'Brien over their new Big Ten rival, Penn State. Still, Penn State's proximity to O'Brien, as a Pennsylvania native, might give them a leg up when it comes to decision day. According to 247Sports, O'Brien is the No. 30-ranked prospect in the 2026 class and the No. 4-ranked safety. Advertisement The Ducks won't get the last word in the blue-chip recruitment, as he will be visiting Notre Dame next weekend to round out his trips before his commitment. Oregon would love to land O'Brien's services and bolster their 2026 recruiting class with another five-star talent, as they could be up for a pivotal few weeks. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
