Lanning looking for continued improvement from Oregon's young stars

A lot of the Oregon Ducks ' success on the football field has to do with the young talent Dan Lanning and his staff has been able to assemble in Eugene. Mixed with some of the veteran talent, the Ducks have been and should continue to be one of the top teams in the country.

But that younger talent can't rest on its laurels, according to Lanning. They have to continue to improve to become the best versions of themselves.

“I think you've seen it within our program for several guys before. You know, whether that's Jeremiah McClellan this past season, like, it's up to them. They’ve got to go attack the work, and they’ve got to know that they're not the best version of themselves yet," Lanning said. So guys like Dakorien (Moore), guys like Dierre (Hill), all those guys that were able to make an impact last year.

"Brandon Finney ... that's a big piece of them, right? That's what they have to be internally and intrinsically motivated to go improve. And you know, I think those guys are wired the right way to do that.”

It shouldn't be a shock that those young players are wired like that. In the recruiting phase, it's what Lanning is looking for. Not only the talent on the field, but Lanning's recruiting team also looks at the mental aspects of a potential Duck. They want kids who are motivated to become the best possible players. What's scary is that they are already really good players and it'll be fun to see how good they can be.

That individual success will only turn into team success as the Ducks are still in pursuit of that elusive national title.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Lanning looking for continued improvement from Oregon's young stars