Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Addresses Receiver Depth, Injuries, Adversity

The Oregon Ducks are set to hit the ground running with the start of 2025 fall camp. As the group looks to continue its success under the leadership of Dan Lanning, the Oregon coach took the podium during the team’s media day on Monday.

Lanning’s program looks to build off last year’s conference success and avenge a quarterfinal loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff.

What Defines A Successful Season

Dan Lanning Oregon Ducks Big Ten Media Day Wide Receivers Ross Douglas Evan Stewart — Dec 28, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on from the sideline during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels of the 2022 Holiday Bowl at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Oregon comes off a Big Ten Conference Championship and a 13-1 overall record in 2024. The Ducks continue to get better under Lanning’s coaching tenure. The team only lost a combined three games in the past two years and against formidable opponents that either finished as the National Champion or the runner-up.

Lanning and the program are hungry to not only repeat the success they had in the conference last season but build on it.

“We have high standards. We came here to win championships. Obviously, we got an opportunity to taste that last year with the Big Ten Championship,” Lanning said. “It's hard to do. Biggest goal is to be uncommon.”

Lanning reiterated what he said at Big Ten Media Days last week: that Oregon’s goal is to double down.

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Handling Adversity

Even though the Ducks achieved early success in the Big Ten in 2024, the team ran into some road bumps early in the season.

The program still went undefeated in the regular season, but it dealt with incorporating new players into the lineup early.

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Media Day Big Ten Wide Receiver — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, right greets inside linebacker Jeffrey Bassa as the team walks off the field as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“You always want to start fast,” Lanning said. “Certainly, we want to be able to play to our standard, not base it off of somebody else. But you learn a lot of things about your team, and most seasons, you are going to experience some form of adversity. It's about how your team handles that.”

Lanning pointed out that the Ducks ran into a future CFP team in Boise State in the second game of 2024, while the group was still gaining chemistry. The Ducks similarly are bringing new players into the fold, so 2025 might also feature some learning curves.

“We had a new quarterback last year, but we're going to have that again,” Lanning said. “So, there's going to be some growing pains as we grow as a team. The key is, you hope you can grow through wins and not through losses.”

Opportunity For Other Receivers

Dec 30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart (7) poses during Rose Bowl media day at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One of Lanning’s top returners, wide receiver Evan Stewart, is set to miss time with a knee injury. It opens up opportunities for other receivers to appear on the field, such as transfer Malik Benson, freshman Dakorien Moore and returners like Justius Lowe.

“It never excites you to see a player get injured,” Lanning said about the situation. “But I do think we'd be lying if we said there wasn't an opportunity now for other guys to be able to step up and create a role for themselves … I have a lot of confidence in coach (Ross) Douglas, coach (Will) Stein, and what they do with our offense.”

The program brought in a new receivers coach in Douglas this offseason after Junior Adams took a job with the Dallas Cowboys. Between Adams and Douglas, the Ducks have recruited and developed top receivers in the conference in recent years.

“There's been some great wideouts to play to Oregon, but I don't think that's something that Oregon's ever necessarily been known for,” Lanning said. “And you look over the last few years and some of the guys have been performing for it. For us, whether it's going back to like Troy right or what Tez has done more recently, like we've been able to have some real success with our wideouts.”