Notable quotes from Dan Lanning following first 2025 spring practice

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Notable quotes from Dan Lanning following first 2025 spring practice

Don Smalley, Ducks Wire

Thu, Mar 13, 2025 ·

14 min read

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The spring football season officially kicked off for the Oregon Ducks on Thursday morning inside Autzen Stadium, with Dan Lanning leading his 2025 roster into the new year after an incredibly successful 2024 campaign.

It is a new-look roster in Eugene, with 22 newcomers on the roster who joined the program via the transfer portal and as true freshmen in the 2025 recruiting class. This spring season will be enjoyable for fans to pay attention to, with new faces at key spots across the roster, including at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, defensive line, linebacker, cornerback, and many more.

On Thursday morning, Lanning met with media members to talk about the offseason and how the first day of spring practice went. He touched on some of the newcomers, where the leadership is going to come from for this young team, and what to expect going forward. Here are some of the most notable quotes from his press conference.

Opening Statement

Sep 23, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; ESPN reporter Katie George interviews Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning after the game at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Lanning:All right, good day. One thing I've said before, I've never been around a lot of Day 1s that weren't great, but our guys did a good job there, playing with great energy and enthusiasm. You know, some early mistakes, but we've also had a lot of time to prep for Practice 1, so it's gonna be about how we can learn and move forward from here.

Young players in leadership roles

Nov 30, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) throws a pass during the second half against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Question:What's it been like this year to see some of the new guys, some of the young guys, kind of take on more of that leadership role?

DL:Yeah, 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. You know? 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 creating standards for our team, and those guys attacking

Spring Game?

Q:Will there be a Spring Game and why or why not?

DL:It's the best way for us to get better. We're absolutely gonna have a spring game and play football. And spring game, you know, you just mentioned new faces. I think that's a great opportunity create, you know, 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 the, you know, just the fans, what they bring to that, I think, is a huge piece. So for me, it's the right way to cap off the spring. And as long as I'm here, we'll be doing Spring Games.

Quarterback group

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore looks to pass as the Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.

Q:Talk about the quarterback group for this season.

DL:You know, we got a bunch of cerebral guys, talented guys, some guys that bring different skill sets. You know, in that room, it'll absolutely be a competition, 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.

Evaluating the 2025 roster

Oregon White Team wide receiver Traeshon Holden waves to the crowd as the team takes the field during the Oregon Ducks' Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. — Oregon White Team wide receiver Traeshon Holden waves to the crowd as the team takes the field during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

Q:Can you evaluate the 2025 roster overall?

DL:Well, just that, there's some great players, but they don't have necessarily the same experience that we've had in the past, or at least last year, right? We had a lot of experience last year returning. So we got to figure out what these guys can do. You don't figure that out in one practice, right? And that's what the springs for. Got a lot of opportunities to step out in the field and figure out what we have, but I think we're a team that can attack you in different ways, and we got to take advantage of that back, right? Right?

Freshmen on Day 1

Oregon defensive back Aaron Flowers goes up for a pass during warmups ahead of the Oregon Ducks' Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. — Oregon defensive back Aaron Flowers goes up for a pass during warmups ahead of the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

Q:How did the true freshmen look on Day 1?

DL:Just looking for growth, right? Don't let your highs get too high or your lows get too low, and talk to the guys just now. But if you have a great practice, don't be satisfied. If you had a disappointing practice, don't be discouraged, right? There are opportunities to grow and continue to improve. If we have consistent growth out there in the field every day, I would be really pleased with that.

Dakorien Moore

Q:Can you speak on Dakorien Moore's leadership?

DL:Yeah, 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 decoy, as well. As several other players on our team are taking that lead, right? They're stepping up and taking advantage opportunities to lead. And it doesn't mean that you don't make mistakes too, right? You'll make mistakes at times. But that doesn't mean you can't learn from mistakes and continue to improve, and it's about just the standard and the consistency across our team. So whoever that might be, if it's a freshman or a senior, a junior, sophomore, guy that's played 1000 snaps, or a guy that's hasn't played a snap, right we're looking for people to step up.

Balancing out Moore

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore throws out a pass during warm ups as the Oregon Ducks host the Idaho Vandals Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. © Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Q:With Dante Moore 's unique experience, how do you balance out coaching him up and just letting him figure out things on his own?

DL:I think you're always coaching, right? And I think you know within the play and that on at the practice field, when the when the ball snapped, they got to solve problems, right? And then in between, that's your opportunity to coach. But with the great players want feedback, right? Great players want to know how they can get better. And we've had some guys that come in here with a lot of experience that want feedback, that want to be coached. So we're going to coach every one of these guys, but while they're out there on the field playing, you got to let them go learn and make mistakes as they happen, and learn from those moments.

First impressions of Dillon Thieneman

Oct 18, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Jay Harris (22) is tackled by Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Q:What was it about him that made you want to get him out of the portal? What are you seeing from him so far?

DL:Well, he's a dynamic player on film. And then 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 no one's not in the weight room, getting bonus work, doing extra rehab, getting extra film, his intelligence, all those things are really picking up, you know, 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, that are 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.

Splitting reps between squads

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington (6) runs against Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun (1) in the second half in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Q:Will you be splitting reps between squads like you have in the past, and how will that impact, particularly the offensive line with your transfers?

DL:I think it's really important to be able to shuffle players. You know, because injuries happen in season. How do you adapt to injuries? Right? How do you see other people, other pieces in place as you adapt? So our teams will change throughout the spring. You know, there's times out there you see the first group around the field. You got freshmen out there that are part of that first group. There's times that you see a senior right tackle and you see a freshman right guard, right and I think that's really important across all all positions, to challenge us to grow and to figure out how we operate with each other.

Coach Ross Douglas

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) runs the ball past Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Botros Alisandro (19) during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Q:What attracted you to wide receivers coach Ross Douglas, and how does he fit in with the team?

DL:Yeah, 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. You know, 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. You know, 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 so far.

The previous freshman class a year older

Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa (Jeremiah McClellan)

Q:Only two from the previous freshman class played last season. How has that group improved and has anyone emerged?

DL:Yeah, we just had our first practice, man. So it's a little early to say emerge. But you know, we always say, if you're good enough, you're good enough, you're old enough, right? And we had some young guys that can 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. Are you 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, right?

Bear Alexander

Q:You've known Bear Alexander for a while now. What's it like to finally have him in the program?

DL:I'm really excited about Bear. You know, obviously this guy has been through transition, but he hit Oregon, with his feet on the ground and running. He got it's up here every single day, trying to get extra football. He takes it very seriously. It was a D lineman smart, too. A lot of times, he wants to play football almost with a linebacker mentality of being in the right spot, the right gap, you know, taking ownership of his assignment. And really pleased so far with how he's attacked things.

Learning from Rose Bowl loss

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Derrick Harmon (55) reacts in the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Q:Wow are you utilizing what happened in Pasadena? Is that something that you're incorporating into kind of a motivational tool? What's the the messaging?

DL:I think life's all about experiences right now. You pick one experience. I think life is all about experiences. Every day we walk out here, we learn, we grow. And you gotta learn from wins. You gotta 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, right? They have absolutely no impact on this next season either. So it's really about focusing on what's next and continue to improve back right?

Coaching staff contract extensions

Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi rallies the defense as the Oregon Ducks host Portland State in the Ducks' season opener Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. — Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi rallies the defense as the Oregon Ducks host Portland State in the Ducks’ season opener Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

Q:I just wonder what it means for you to have Tosh and Doug for a couple extra years, and to have those guys with you on this program for the next several years.

DL:Just very grateful to just the University of Oregon the commitment that they have to our coaches. I think anytime you can have continuity, you know, I feel strongly that we have one of the best coaching staffs in the nation, if not the best in the nation. And when you're able to have continuity, it gives opportunities for improvement, right? Everybody knows kind of how you do things. But then when there's change too, there's an opportunity to grow there as well. So really pleased that, you know, every single one of our coaches on multi year contracts that they're able to be here, you know, for a long time, and at some point, as success happens, you know, there's going to be growth opportunities for them at other places as well. But right now, I think every one of those coaches is hungry to be here, grateful to be here, grateful to be at a place like Oregon, and I know I certainly attained to that as well.

New offensive line

The Oregon offensive line warms up as the Oregon Ducks host Hawaii Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Q:Three portal ads along the offensive line. Just what did you like about those guys specifically, and just your thoughts of that unit as a whole going into spring ball?

DL:That's what springs about, you know, figuring out really where we're at. You know, I think it's important, you know, wins and losses start up front, right? They certainly start up front. And I think that's been a strength of ours here. We've been a team that can, you know, stop the run, and a team that can run the ball, you know, on both sides. And that's really important. It matters when it matters most. So the quicker we can get some continuity, the quicker we can get some experience with those guys, you know, the more beneficial we'll be as we move forward.

Noah Whittington

Q:What are you seeing from Noah, maybe taking up and stepping into that RB1 role, and just, how do you kind of, you know, make something work with only, you know, a handful of running backs on the roster?

DL:I think we have a lot of depth in our running back position. What you don't see is that we don't necessarily have a ton of experience, right? So I think there's a lot of great talent in that room. You know, we have as many scholarship backs as we've had here and more coming. So really excited about that group, what they can do. But that's what this spring is about, is figuring out, you know, who will roll and it'll always be, you know, competition at that position, like every other position for us. But the more guys we can get to play winning football there, you know, the better we're going to be as a team.

Establishing a reliable two-deep

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning watches from the sideline during the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21.

Q:How confident do you need to be in the two deep it's always in general, but it's how confident do you need to be by the end of spring, as opposed to having unanswered questions for fall?

DL:As confident as we can be. I don't know when that happens, when it reveals itself, what it looks like. I think we have a lot of really talented players that can play winning football on the back end for us, right? But that's again, that's what springs about, establishing I'm not going to walk away with any preconceived notions of what this off-season will tell us, right? But I think a lot of times it gives you answers to what you have to continue to improve as you head into fall camp. I do think we have the people in the back end; they're going to help us play winning football and be a team we compete with.

This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning breaks down first spring practice

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