Latest news with #Lanning
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Dan Lanning reveals two-word theme for 2025 Oregon Ducks season
The Oregon Ducks have experienced a ton of success this century, but none of those seasons compares to last year. The Ducks won a program record 13 games last season on the way to their first College Football Playoff berth in a decade. The team knew that it would be difficult to repeat or surpass what they accomplished last season, considering the number of their players who were drafted or entered the transfer portal. But, according to head coach Dan Lanning, they won't be using this as an excuse to settle for less. During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Lanning told the media that the team's mindset this season is to 'double down.' With an improved record in each of Lanning's first three seasons with the team, there is now a culture in place that could overcome the pitfalls Oregon will be facing. They have added a bunch of intriguing talent to combat the roster turnover, so the Ducks have all the tools in place to build upon last season. Lanning has quickly become one of the best coaches in college football, but he could cement his legacy with a stellar season in what is arguably his toughest coaching job yet. 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
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Oregon's Dan Lanning backs College Football Playoff schedule with season ending Jan. 1
While there's plenty of talk of changes to expand the College Football Playoff, Oregon coach Dan Lanning wants one thing fixed: the schedule. Lanning told ESPN at the Big Ten media days he wants the playoff to mirror the NFL with a shorter layoff from the end of conference championship week to the postseason and the national championship game to be played on Jan. 1. "I'd be in favor of creating our playoff system to mirror every other playoff system in sports," Lanning said. "The season's over, and the playoffs start shortly after. The long break is something I'm not crazy about. I wish we played every single Saturday in college football. I wish college football ended Jan. 1." It's something that Lanning can certainly attest to. Last season, the Ducks finished the regular season undefeated and won the Big Ten championship game. They were the No. 1 seed in the playoff, but had a first-round bye. Oregon waited 25 days before facing Ohio State in the quarterfinal match at the Rose Bowl, and the Ducks trailed 34-0 and were soundly beaten by the Buckeyes. All teams that received first-round byes in the new 12-team playoff lost in the quarterfinals. Lanning didn't excuse the season-ending defeat, but noted "it's almost a month" between playing games. "That's a long time," he added. Lanning's ideal schedule involves starting the regular season at the current Week 0, which starts Aug. 23. By starting the season earlier and starting the playoff the week after conference championships, it would lead to the national championship game on New Year's Day. In the first edition of expanded playoff, the national championship game was played on Jan. 20. Lanning feels it is scheduled too late, and doesn't allow coaches to hit the ground running on off-season recruiting. The College Football Playoff also ran concurrent with the NFL postseason. "There's just some things where I don't think the season aligns with the calendar in a lot of ways, and I wish I would speed up," he said. Altering the college football calendar has certainly been mentioned as the talks for expanding the College Football Playoff to 16 teams heat up. Currently, teams playing in Week 0 must be granted a waiver by the NCAA. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips previously said starting in Week 0 should be considered. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told Yahoo Sports in June the sports should have a consistent opening weekend, and although Labor Day weekend has "been a good start date," he's open to making changes. "The fact we are taking another look at it could be interesting," Sankey said. "I'm not opposed to that. I want to make sure it's a broad view of the issues and not something narrow." This season's College Football Playoff pairings will be announced Dec. 7 and play will begin on Dec. 19, 13 days after conference title games. Teams with first-round byes will play on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1. The national championship game is on Jan. 19.
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Dan Lanning kicks off Oregon Ducks 2025 season at Big Ten Media Day
After a long offseason, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has finally stepped out of the shadows and into the public eye once again. Big Ten Media Days kicked off earlier this week in Las Vegas, and the DUcks took the stage on Wednesday, led by Lanning and flanked by Bryce Boettcher, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Kenyon Sadiq. After a successful 2024 campaign where Oregon won the Big Ten Championship in their first season as league members, the Ducks have high expectations to uphold the standard in 2025. However, they've got a lot to prove with an almost entirely new starting lineup, and only a select few starters returning from last year. There will be a lot of questions about how his team can step up this season, and which guys will prove to be the biggest difference-makers that Lanning has to answer over the coming weeks and months. On Wednesday, though, Lanning took some preliminary questions and talked about the current state of the program. Here are some of the top quotes from that press conference on Wednesday: Opening Statement Lanning: "Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to be here with you guys today. We certainly wanted to let you know that we appreciate the job you do here. I know sitting around in this room all day can be a challenge, especially in Vegas. You guys seem to be handling it well, though I don't see too many closed eyes. Really thrilled to be representing the University of Oregon. It's a dream come true for me. You know, going into my fourth season, to get that opportunity and wake up forever grateful for that chance. Want to continue to thank the leadership that we have at the University of Oregon, and President Schultz, Rob Mullins, they do an unbelievable job in our program. Also thrilled with the leadership we have here in the Big 10. Tony Petitti and his staff do an unbelievable job representing us, getting to do this and the conference that we get to do it in against the caliber of teams that we get to play against, is a real thrill for our team, something that we really pride ourselves in, and are thrilled that we get that. That opportunity coming in a year ago, it was uncharted waters for us. It was, 'Okay, what's the Big Ten going to be like?' And it's been super fulfilling. You know, getting the opportunity to win the Big 10 in our first year, play some unbelievable teams has created a really special experience." Kenyon Sadiq Lanning: Along with me today, I have some unbelievable players. We could have brought several guys from our team, really proud of where our team's at right now, but want to take some time to acknowledge those guys that came along with me. Kenyon Sadiq, our tight end, has had an unbelievable offseason. He's been an integral part to our team. He's done a lot of special things. And I think many of you realize that he's a really special talent, you know, but beyond that, he got the opportunity this offseason to travel to Africa and help build courts for kids. He's taken a real interest in real estate, which I'm excited about for him. And on top of that, he runs 23 miles per hour, and can vertical jump 41 inches. So that's pretty good too, especially when it comes to football. Unbelievable player. Excited to see him jump into a leadership role on our team. I think several of you got to see what he can do in the Big 10 Championship this past year. Will be an integral part of our team. Matayo Uiagalelei Lanning: This year, we also got to bring Matayo Uiagalelei. One thing I'm really excited about for Matayo is that he's been a guy who's been himself since the day he stepped on campus. He's unique. You know, our guys were joking with him about how he dressed on the airplane yesterday. He looks super comfortable. Had his hair in this cool thing and a neat backpack. I think he's wearing a coat that he got at a thrift store today, and he looks fantastic. But he's been uniquely him, and beyond being uniquely him, he's been a terror for quarterbacks this past season as a sack leader in our conference; he's done an unbelievable job. He's worked really hard this offseason, gained 10 pounds of muscle, and his voice has grown this offseason as well. All the guys that you see that came with us today are not guys of many words; they like to show with action. And Matayo certainly is a guy who does that. Bryce Boettcher Lanning: "Also had the opportunity to bring Bryce Boettcher here, you know, returning after an all-conference year as a linebacker for us. You know, Bryce is one of those unique guys who also had the opportunity to win a Golden Glove in baseball at the University of Oregon. Was two sport athlete, has been a lifeblood of this program. He's a heartbeat in a lot of ways. He's the guy that's excited for practice. When he steps on the field, it means something to him. He's prideful to wear the Oregon O, it means a lot. He grew up wanting to be a part of this program, and we were thrilled to get him back. You know, this season, obviously, had the opportunity, after being drafted by the Astros, to go play baseball, but wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to play for us a little bit more. He's put on some great weight this offseason. He's done an unbelievable job. Double Down Lanning: "Since we're in Vegas, you know, it seems like the right time to say our theme for this team is 'double down.' We have done an unbelievable job of building this team over time. You look at our success season to season, and as this team has grown, the process works. You know, we're close, and we've been able to accomplish a lot, so that's really what's going to feed our program this off-season, and will feed us into fall camp is believing in the process that we have. We got great buy-in from our players. It is a cast of new characters. You're going to see new people on the field, which is exciting. I'm very excited about this team." Leadership Lanning: "You know, going to the off-season, we felt like we had to take an opportunity to really develop leadership. We did that through a leadership retreat. We've done that through focusing on our DNA traits that have always been a big piece of our program, and continue to see our team grow in that area. You know, whether it's connection, whether it's growth, when you see our team play, you're going to see a team that plays with toughness. You know, I know a year ago, we got asked the question, 'Are we tough enough to be in the Big 10?' I think that we were able to answer those questions on the field last year." Off-Season Gains Lanning: "I do want to take the time to recognize the efforts of some of our support staff. You know, back in Oregon, you know, our strength staff, Coach Love and his crew, our nutrition staff with Brenna, sports performance with Ben McKay, these guys have done an unbelievable job this summer of putting our team in position to be better. Our players have worked really hard. They put on over 1300 pounds this offseason. Our overall peak power numbers have gone up over 21%, our freshmen, you know, the average gain from our freshmen is over 17 pounds. So there are some exciting things that you can look for wins in the off-season. Those are some great wins for our team. Just as proud as I am of what we've done, you know, training in the off-season, I'm really proud of what we've been able to do off the field. You know, over 600 hours of community service in the last six months. Again, we partnered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace and built over 150 beds for kids in the community who don't have beds. We're able to support 300 Foster and at-risk youth this off season, as well as many other contributions to our community and outside, and for our player,s you know, to develop that education off the field, our player personnel staff has done an unbelievable job." Staff Retention Lanning: "Heading into year four, I feel like we've got a really strong foundation. Kind of said that about our team. Our guys have embraced the work, the experience on our staff, you know, I continue to be impressed with the staff that we have going into year three. Now with the same offensive and defensive coordinator, we've got several of our staff members back, even though they've been given opportunities to be in other places, they've chosen to be here. And that's a credit to the success of our team, but that's also a piece of the success of our team, which is the continuity that we've been able to have, and we're grateful to Rob and our support here to be able to make that happen. Also really excited about some of the future stars we have on our team. There's guys that are unbelievable players, but they're also going to be, you know, unbelievable humans, and that's something that we're excited about. You know, several of our coaches are going to make outstanding head coaches in the future. You know, I want to make sure that I always get the opportunity to say that, because these guys do a great job. They make it work. They make my job easier and certainly makes a lot of fun for us." New Challenges Lanning: "We do have a brand new team and brand new challenges, and what happened last year has nothing to do with the future. So building that, starting from scratch, getting the opportunity to head back to the kitchen, figure out what we're going to be able to throw in from a recipe and create a great meal, is something we're super excited about. I have confidence in this group more than anything, because I've seen the work, right? Not everybody always gets to see the work. We've been a little bit under the radar this offseason, but these guys have worked extremely hard. They put their best foot forward, and that's part of what makes this so much fun for me." Player Retention Lanning: I'm really excited about the retention that we've had with our team. Look at Oregon, the players that we've been able to recruit have done well. Have been able to use the portal to be a real success for us, but we've done an unbelievable job of keeping our players, and not losing them to somewhere else." Family Fun Lanning: "I really enjoyed the last couple of weeks getting to spend time with my family. As I said before, there is no balance in this profession. You are all in, and we've been all in, but these last couple of weeks, I've been all in on being a dad. It's been unbelievable. Caton's 15 now, Miles is 14. Titan is 12. We've had flag football this summer, a couple summer camps, a couple trips on the lake. They're getting harder to throw off the tube, but we've had an unbelievable experience. It's been fun hanging out with my wife and the boys this summer, but we were excited to get to run." Tampering Question: There have been more instances of schools getting sued for tampering in the transfer portal, do you think there needs to be more of a crackdown on this? Lanning: "Yeah." Question: Can you expand on that? Lanning: "I just like, play the game the way it's supposed to be played, right? But there have to be consequences for actions, and if there aren't consequences, then there's going to continue to be issues like that." Rose Bowl Motivation Question: You said last year has no weight on the future, but how much motivation do you find in the way the season ended in the Rose Bowl? Lanning: "Yeah, for me as a coach, I've always, I think every coach probably feels this way, but we always remember the losses over the wins. I think there's a lot you can learn from that, which doesn't take away from what we were able to accomplish, but we lost to a great team. You know, Coach Day did an unbelievable job last year of having his team in a position to have success there. And there's some things that I feel like I could have done better there. At the end, I don't think we played our best football. That being said, we, you know, we did go undefeated in conference. We won the Big 10 Championship in our first year. So like I said, double down, learn. You know, 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." Quarterbacks Learning Question: How have your QBs been able to learn from the likes of Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix? Lanning: "Yeah. I mean, all of our quarterbacks have. Austin, Dante, Luke, we've been really fortunate the last few years. And I've said this to a few that we've had a great mentor in that room. We've had guys who have had unbelievable experiences, right? That were these guys were able to watch and see. And I think probably what impresses 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, but to have the slow-cooked meal, right? 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 and that's that same goes for Austin, that same as goes for Luke and the other guys in our program, like those guys have learned from great quarterbacks that have done it at a really, really high level. For him to have that opportunity, show maturity, and develop in his leadership, I think it's going to create great opportunities for our team." Kenyon Sadiq Shouldering Load Question: How have you seen Kenyon Sadiq step up and shoulder a bigger load this offseason? Lanning: "I actually told Kenyon on the way down that, you know, yesterday was the first time I played it. But I played with my youngest son, Titan. We played the NCAA College Football, and Sadiq went off, right? He balled out. So I need to make sure I bring that up to our quarterbacks. Throw it to Kenyon, you know, because he's been unbelievable this offseason. Like I said, if you just see him work, it's not a secret. I feel like he would tell you that those are some of the traits that he learned from the guy—learned from the guys that were ahead of him, whether that's Terrance Ferguson or Pat Herbert. But yeah, there is a chemistry being developed, and that's part of what fall camps about, right? Our quarterbacks getting on the same page is our tight ends, is our wideouts, as our backs, and just, you know, creating that rhythm. Our guys have worked really hard this summer, but Kenyon is going to be, it's going to be hard for people to deal with. You know, he's a special player. I think he can be the best tight end in the nation. And you know, when you have a great rhythm with your quarterbacks, being able to get the ball to him, that's going to be a special weapon for us. 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
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.
