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Everything Dan Lanning said following Oregon's Spring Game
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- Everything Dan Lanning said following Oregon's Spring Game
It was a fun and successful at Autzen Stadium on Saturday as the Oregon Ducks held their annual Spring football game. The Combat Ducks defeated the Fighting Ducks 17-10 , but the score wasn't what mattered on this day. It was just a good day to go out and play some football, and even more importantly, no one got hurt in the process.
Head coach Dan Lanning was in a good mood after the spring game. He's excited for the next step for this program and the players showed why Lanning is excited for 2026. It was a defensive struggle, but there were some big offensive plays. Receiver Evan Stewart is back from injury, and he looked even better than he was before the leg injury that cost him the last half of the 2025 season.
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Besides the spring game on the field, the Ducks had plenty of news off the field with several former Ducks being selected in the NFL draft . Oregon also brought in former players such as Tez Johnson and Kayvon Thibodeaux to be guess coaches and show the culmination of a career looks like to the current Ducks and to some potential recruits out there who were visiting.
Overall, it was a celebration of Oregon football for everyone involved. Here's what Lanning had to say following the events on Saturday.
Opening Statement
EUGENE, OREGON - APRIL 25: Head Coach Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks looks on during the spring football game at Autzen Stadium on April 25, 2026 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)
Dan Lanning:That was a fun day. You know, there are a lot of things you can walk away with and say, Okay, we got to work on some things, but ultimately, it was fun seeing our guys out there compete. Certainly, some stuff to clean up. Got to get, get some really good reps. And there's nothing like game day experience in a lot of places in the country, and we get to have that here, because our fans are unbelievable. So big shout-out to our fans, making the day so special. I was telling the players in the locker room, they don't realize how unique and special it is to have all these guys that are playing the NFL now come back to and be a part of that. So overall, really special weekend. Obviously, some of our guys are getting drafted, creating opportunities for themselves after Oregon, which is really fun for me to see as a coach, and certainly fun for our program. You guys saw it. I know you guys will probably ask a million questions. There were some guys that we limited today. One, either we know where they're at, or two, just want to be precautionary. I don't put too much stock into what one side of the ball or the other side of the ball did today. This is about everybody improving and us being able to attack.
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Moore and Raiola's day
Fighting Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola throws a pass during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Question:Starting with your quarterbacks, Dante (Moore) and Dylan (Raiola). How do you feel like they operated the offense as a whole today, based on what you were expecting?
DL:I'll have to go back and watch the film. You know, overall, there was some good on both sides, but ultimately, I have to go back and watch it. Part of it's about, okay, who's throwing, who you throwing it to who's protecting for you? What was the call? We were very vanilla today, right? We're not going to put a bunch on film. We want to just go out there and execute some base game playing calls. So once I watch the film, I'll have a better assessment how each guy played.
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Breaking in the new coordinators
Q:What do you want the new coordinators to get out of today that they could take into the fall?
DL:Just sequencing and rhythm, getting the right sequence and rhythm. You know, there's just, when roles change in an organization, it's okay, who's talking to the guys before the team, who's making sure we have our call sheets prepared the way they need to be prepared. There's a lot of that day in and day out that's really important, and us being able to execute at a high level on game day. And again, just as much as it's preparation for the players to be, you know, catch a ball in front of a bunch of people, in front of thousands of people. It's the same thing for coaches to call a defense or an offense in front of a lot of people.
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Evan Stewart returning
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart celebrates a long reception as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks host the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Q:What does it just mean to have him (Stewart) back in the offense? I know it's the spring game, but also, to watch him rip off something like that (76-yard touchdown) first game back.
DL:Yeah, it's been, this has been Evan's best spring since I've been here. I'm really excited about the growth. I think you know, when you have something that's not there for a while, and you don't get the opportunity to do it, you're really hungry when you come back. And I've seen the maturity from him. I've seen him really level up in execution, be a guy that we can count on this spring.
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D-line dominance
Oregon defensive line coach Tony Tuioti walks the field during Oregon’s spring game on April 26, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
Q:Twelve sacks, 13 tackles for loss, not very many long runs. I'm just curious about the defensive line. What do you think of their performance?
DL:I gotta go watch the film, but I love that we're keeping stats in the scrimmage. We didn't hit the we didn't touch the quarterback, but that counts as a sack. So again, I don't put too much stock in that. We got to protect better. But I also thought we ran the ball pretty well up the middle. So I think there were some things to look at and evaluate. You know, we didn't have a ton of explosive plays. But again, that's a little bit by nature, too. And how things were called.
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Sadiq gets the call from the J-E-T-S
2026 NFL Draft: Jets select Kenyon Sadiq
Q:What was it like to be with Kenyon Sadiq when he got the call from the Jets?
DL:Yeah, man, such a special moment, you know. And for me, those are even more special because I remember being in, you know, Kenyon's living room, trying to convince him to come be a Duck, and then to see that grow three years later, where he gets the opportunity to be drafted in the first round. I know how much that means to him and his family. He's such a special human that's worked extremely hard for everything he's gotten. So when you get that, when you get to see that happen for guys that played for us, that's a pretty special moment.
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Dakorien's day
Combat Ducks wide receiver Dakorien Moore brings down a reception under cover from Fighting Ducks defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Q:Big day for Dakorien Moore . What did you think of his performance today?
DL:Some good, some bad. Have to go watch it. I think being able to play in a longer series, right, with exuded efforts, something we got to continue to see right grow. But I'm excited to go watch the film. There were some good plays that he made out there today.
Throwing some deep balls
EUGENE, OREGON - APRIL 25: Quarterback Dylan Raiola #8 of the Oregon Ducks passes the ball during the spring football game at Autzen Stadium on April 25, 2026 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)
(Ali Gradischer, Getty Images)
Q:We've seen quite a bit of quite a bit of deep shots taken today. Was that part of the game plan you guys are looking to go into this year, stretch the defense out? Or was it kind of tested to see what your quarterback, receiver kind of combination is?
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DL:We're trying to show everybody our game plan. Yeah, no. I mean, which would move the ball down the field. At times, you take shots, certain coverages dictate that again. We had a limited call sheet on both sides of the ball, so that was going to happen at times.
Overall growth
Combat Ducks quarterback Dante Moore looks to pass during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Q:Where do you see the growth from this team from the beginning of spring to now?
DL:Well, I think the intelligence of this group is really high, you know, and the acumen and ability to execute offense and defensive plays is really up there, right? So they know and understand what we're trying to do. We've got a lot of stuff packaged well that these guys can operate really well. So I'd say that parts ahead, you know, we become a much more connected team this spring. That's got to continue as we go through the remainder of this offseason. You know, we got to get stronger. We got to continue to become the physical team that we've been here in the past. So there are a lot of areas still for growth, but I think we're a really smart team right now and understand what we want to accomplish.
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Recruits seeing former Ducks get drafted
The Oregon Ducks makes his appearance before the Oregon Spring Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene April 25, 2026
Q:How important is that for the big-name recruits here on campus, just to kind of see this as a whole and as a culmination of seeing former Ducks get drafted today?
DL:Yeah, I think the, you know, you're trying to paint a vision for what it's going to be like when you come to play, you know, at Oregon, and when you get to actually experience that vision, you get to see guys that are playing in the league right now, see guys get drafted, see the fan experience. I think that paints a great picture. You know, this is a great weekend for Oregon and Eugene to be on display, right for these guys that are in town that are saying, okay, is this a place that I want to be at? And it makes that experience really fun, and for us as coaches, and fun for those recruits.
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Dylan Raiola getting comfortable in the program
Fighting Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola warms up during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Q:Dylan Raiola getting more comfortable and he has a long time to really digest this offense over the next year, but his comfort level today and his chemistry that he's starting to build with those guys. What did you see there?
DL:I just saw a guy that enjoys playing football, right? I saw him light up in his face, you know. There were a couple of deep balls that he was able to connect and some that he didn't, that just got away, you know. And overall, I was just excited to see Dylan playing out there with some joy and some passion and really understanding what we're trying to do on the field. And I think that's really come along throughout the spring.
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Guest coaches
(EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) Sep 7, 2019; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) reacts after making a tackle on Nevada Wolf Pack punter Quinton Conaway (35) in the first half at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Q:How much did the guest coaches (Kayvon Thibodeaux and Tex Johnson) do in terms of play-calling?
DL:So in the third quarter, we let them have a couple series. Kayvon had a lot of fun with it. So Kayvon was very clear to me. Wanted to let me know that he had three three-and-outs, a turnover on downs. Say, Hey man, you're still playing ball. When you're done, let me know, maybe you can come coach. But those guys had a lot of fun. I think that, you know, when you can't play the game, coaches, you know, it's about as close as you can get. So maybe some of those guys might have a future in coaching. You know, I think Penei Sewell called a good game. I mean, Deommodore Lenoir called some great plays. So it was fun. We had it kind of put together for him, where there were plays that we felt comfortable calling, and those guys could help, you know, pick which one was next. So I noticed Tez Johnson kept calling all the plays that he had a lot of success with when he was in Oregon.
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Growth from spring to spring
A pair of jets fly over following the National Anthem during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard, Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Q:Do you feel like you're ahead in some areas now that you were last spring?
DL:New team, new growth, right? It's it. You know, in football, it's a 365-day growth, right? So for us, it's hard to assess, compare, comparative to other teams, and where you're at, because it's a new team. So we'll evaluate it. The first thing you had to do is go watch the film. I haven't had a chance to do that yet, but I am pleased with where we're at right now, and definitely walking away from today. There are a lot of notes and stuff we got toget better at.
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Moving the college football schedule up
Q:During the offseason, you were in the playoffs, you were pretty vocal about the schedule of college football. They're closer to moving the season up a little bit. What are your thoughts on that, and just how it impacts many things, future-wise?
DL:Move it up. I mean, I've been very clear about I think it solves a lot of problems in college football. We have one. College football, we have one portal window, right? I don't, I don't think the portal should exist the same time that football's being played on the same note. I think the semester should be kind of the start of a new season, a new term, and right now we'll be in the second semester of school, but still, at the same time playing football. It doesn't line up with the windows of academic calendars. The closer we can get the season ending to January 1, the better it is, I think, for all programs, coaching, transitions, all things exist. So it's a it's a really easy fix, in my opinion. We'll see if we can get closer and closer to that.
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Player closeness
Oregon fans cheer during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard, Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Q:You mentioned connectedness. And within that game, you have moments like Shout, and after the game, both teams come together. Just what does the spring game mean towards that?
DL:I'll say that's the most fun our players will ever have and shop in our stadium, you know? But I'm glad they got to share that moment. Nobody else is getting to have anything quite like that, but they look like they had a lot of fun there today, and that's the best time to probably do it is in spring, right? Is to be able to celebrate those moments. So we get to enjoy during the season that's really special within a game when it happens. And nobody else has that, right? But we have to have a level of focus whenever we're doing that in season. So I think they got a chance to check out the day and really enjoy that moment.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Everything Dan Lanning said following Oregon's Spring Game
