Dan Lanning discusses Oregon, 2026 season at Big Ten Media Days
· Yahoo Sports
The Oregon Ducks' 2026 season got off to an unofficial start on Wednesday afternoon in Chicago, with head coach Dan Lanning kicking things off at Big Ten Media Days.
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Talking in front of a full room, Lanning addressed the offseason of work in Eugene and talked about how much improvement his team has been able to make after the end of the 2025 season. With a bunch of returners coming back for one more year, headlined by guys like Dante Moore, Evan Stewart, A'mauri Washington, and Teitum Tuioti, among others, the Ducks are as talented as ever and bring a lot of experience into the new season.
For Oregon, this only creates high expectations for the upcoming year. Lanning talked about what it's like to deal with those expectations, and what his team has learned over his five years in Eugene. Here is a look at everything he said on Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days:
Intro and Thank Yous
"It's year five for us here at Oregon and year three in the Big 10. So being a part of this conference has been unbelievable. I told our players the other day, sat down with a few of them. I said I want you to think back to 365 days ago: what's different about you today and where you're at today. You know right now in this moment what's different than 365 days ago, and I think you see a lot of differences in our team, a lot of differences that we get to be a part of. But first, I want to thank you guys for the job you do covering our conference, covering our team. It's certainly an honor to get to be at a place like Oregon. A lot of that starts with, you know, our administration; it starts with President Schulz, it starts with Rob Mullins, and our relationship. We're together, and it's been a lot of fun working with Tony Petitti and seeing the work that he does for our conference. He's a guy that really shows a voice for our conference, and I think that's obviously shown over time here with how the Big 10 has competed over time. Very excited about this season. I really like the work that our guys have put in."
2026 Differences
"Obviously, we have some great returning players that have been big contributors to our program. One thing I recognize is that last year I felt like we had a team with a ton of talent. This year, I feel like we have a team that has a lot of experience returning. A lot of those young players that played are now guys that have also had great experience, and I'm excited to see what that looks like."
Dante Moore
"I'll start talking about our quarterback Donte Moore, obviously a guy that I feel like has been around for almost as long as I've been around Oregon. Took a little pit stop somewhere else and then came back and joined us. But obviously had an unbelievable year last year, and is really obviously a special a special quarterback, but what makes Dante so special is who he is as a person, seeing the community outreach that he does, the leader that he is for his teammates, the work that he's done, and obviously a guy that can make a mature decision about what's best for his future and where he's headed and what he wants it to look like and how he has some some business that he wants to complete, so really excited that he gets to be, you know, really somebody that's that's showcasing Oregon this week and and here at Big 10 meetings."
Jamari Johnson
"Also got the opportunity to bring Jamari Johnson. Jamari, you know, last year I sat up here and I talked about a tight end at Oregon and how special he was in Kenyon Sadiq. Jamari's also that special. He was a guy that we recruited out of high school. Actually, used to play quarterback, and he just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. He can run, he can block, he can catch. If you've seen Jamari today, that means you've also seen his smile. He's a guy that makes you feel really special every time he steps in the room, and I'm certainly excited to see what he's able to accomplish this year in our offense."
Teitum Tuioti
"And then thirdly, I got the opportunity to bring Tatum Tuioti. This is a guy that's been along our journey the entire time, you know, son of our defensive line coach Tony Tuioti. It's a guy that came in at 215 pounds, and now he's 265 pounds. Has been one of the best players in our league. Certainly a dynamic piece of our front. I remember looking out the window, you know, when when Tatum first joined us, and he's out there on the sled, striking the sled, and I think that speaks volumes about his work ethic, the time that he's put in, and what he's created. So, Coach Love has done an unbelievable job with our players this off-season."
Off-Season Work
"You know, I've said it already here that we're returning a lot of experience, but what's really been impressive was the work that our guys have done. I think this will be the most player-led team that we've had so far in my time here at Oregon. You know, with that experience comes new leadership roles, and a lot of guys have really rolled into those roles."
New Coordinators
"We also have a couple new leaders on both sides of the ball. You know, in our four years here, we've had three guys go on to become Power Four head coaches, and we're certainly excited for Coach Stein and Coach Lapois and their new opportunities. But that creates a new opportunity for guys in our building, and Chris Hampton and Drew Maringer. You know, both these guys are all-stars in the profession. They both do an unbelievable job developing players. They understand scheme, and they've created you know some some great memories in their position rooms, and they've done an unbelievable job hitting the ground running this off season, having guys in your program that understand your culture, what you want to create, those guys have been you know home runs so far, and I'm really excited to see what they'll accomplish this year."
Offseason Activities
"A couple fun facts in the offseason: got to spend some unbelievable time with my family. We took seven players to Tokyo, Japan. If you haven't been there, I encourage you to go there. You know, I don't know if all of our players enjoyed the sushi, but we certainly enjoyed the people. It was an unbelievable experience, an opportunity to showcase, you know, our football team, do a kids camp, do a coaches clinic, and really just expose our players to a culture that we grew to love and really understand. But the thing I always love about Media Day is that it's a great indicator of what's next, and we're about to hop right into the middle of football season. I absolutely can't wait for it. We've got a coaches retreat. When I get back this weekend, we'll have our coaches retreat in Central Oregon, and then go hit the ground running as we attack fall camp."
Winning Rematches
Question: What have you learned about playing teams a second time, and how you can improve there?
"You know, obviously, it's it's been it's a it's a tough league. I think that speaks volumes about our league, especially when you're talking about repeat games within our league. We got some unbelievable coaches, great teams, and there's a lot of things we've studied with ourselves in this off-season. Sometimes the ball's got to bounce the right way. Sometimes you could do stuff different schematically, and I think we'll take all those notes. All the things that we've really studied about ourselves. We've studied some other teams that have won games in their second opportunity, and we're looking for our opportunity to be a team like that. But means you've got to be clicking on all cylinders at the end of the year. Obviously, Indiana had an unbelievable team last year. I think everybody that played them got to see that, and certainly everybody that watched. And then Ohio State the year before. So I'm excited about this group. It's a different level of experience that we have going into this year with this group and a different a different coaching group as well, so should be a lot of fun."
Dylan Raiola and the Portal
Question: Dylan Raiola came to you through the portal, what confidence to you have that he won't get in the portal again after this year?
"I think there's always a looming threat, but not with Dylan. You know, I feel that Dylan chose Oregon knowing in advance what it looks like at Oregon, right? He wanted to sign up for an opportunity to be with us; he was. We were very transparent throughout the process that there's a great chance that Dante could be back. Dylan's done an unbelievable job changing his body, working really hard. He's got unbelievable talent. He's a really smart player that has the opportunity to get exposed to our system. And you know, the reality is that you're only as strong as all your players. You need everybody to be a part of that, and Dylan's a big part of the success that we'll have this season, as well as every other quarterback in that room."
New Redshirt Rule
Question: With the new 5-for-5 redshirt rule, how does that change your roster management throughout a season?
"I think we've always had the conversation: if you're good enough, you're old enough for us. And if guys are playing above-the-line football, we want to find roles for them on our team. And as you play in those roles, your role grows if you perform. You know, Jordon Davidson is a great example for that. Last year for us, he started off as a short-yardage back and became a guy who carried the ball a lot for us. That's what we're looking for. How can we expose them to that? But now there is that decision that no longer has to be made. Do you preserve this guy's redshirt or do you go ahead and play him? Now we have the opportunity to play him, and they have an opportunity to help their team."
2026 Expectations
Question: With so many veterans returning, the expectations obviously go up. What was your reaction like when you found out all of these guys would be coming back for another year?
"I was pretty excited. You know, nobody's going to have higher expectations for our team than us. We're the guys in the building doing the work every single day. Certainly, really proud of the team and the work that they put in. But we have high expectations. We want to. We've got a lot that we want to accomplish. So having players like that only helps you. I think it speaks volumes about what they think of the culture at Oregon, what they want to be a part of, and a great recognition of Hey, I've got an opportunity to improve and grow, and that's one of our DNA traits. We're about growth."
Roster Construction
Question: With roster construction changing every year, how do you see the role of a walk-on progressing down the road?
"I think for us it'll always be a big part. And like I said, if you're good enough, you're old enough. Same goes with, you know, it doesn't matter where you come from, right? Nothing's handed out to you at Oregon. You see a guy like Bryce (Boettcher). He started off playing baseball. He's playing center field. He started for us as a safety. Was an OK cover guy, and then all of a sudden, he's a guy that's making a tackle all over the field, and we're going to find a role for that guy. We want to continue to find guys like that every year. We've had walk-ons that have been put on scholarship for us. I hope that continues to be a big dynamic piece of our team, and certainly the lifeblood of your program, because those guys play really hard."
Waffle House and NIL
Question: How do you manage to get guys playing for each other in this NIL world, and on a separate note, you guys finally got Chick-Fil-A in Eugene; how would you like a Waffle House?
"Oh my gosh, Waffle House sounds great. Waffle House sounds, you know, fantastic. No, yeah, really for us, you know, football is a piece of it. But you know, I hope that guys that walk into our program, they walk away with lifelong lessons about what's so much more. And I think the world thinks that everything's really transactional right now when it comes to college football, and there's certainly a piece of that. I think where we've been able to win is all the things that aren't transactional: the relationships outside the building, the trip, you know, to the beach for a workout, the climb up Spencer's Butte, this fellowship at my house, the time away from ball, I think, is something that's really been a separator for us. Something we'll always continue to do. Maybe, maybe at some point we even take a trip down here to this, you know, down to the southeast and visit a Waffle House."
Dante's Next Step
Question: Where can Dante Moore continue to improve and take that next step in his final year with you?
"I have the same expectation for Dante that I have in every player on our team. It's to grow and continue to get better, you know. And Dante understands the specifics of that. I won't get into the specifics of that, but this is a guy that's worn a lot of hats in our program. He came, and he watched Dillon Gabriel for a year. He sat in that seat as our starting quarterback this past season, and now this is the opportunity to see that all mature and grow. And where he's really grown as a leader, you know, that's really shown up this offseason. What he's been able to do away and off the field is extremely impressive. The impact he's made on the community, the impact he's made on his teammates. But I'd love to see it all come together. And I think we go as our quarterback goes, right? And he's certainly in a special position to help create that and make us a special team this year."
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning discusses Oregon, 2026 season at Big Ten Media Days