Bryce Boettcher Reveals The Dan Lanning Quote He Still Lives By

When the Oregon Ducks take the field for their first game of the 2026 season in Eugene, fan-favorite linebacker Bryce Boettcher will surely be missed. Boettcher grew up just miles from Autzen Stadium and became one of the most unique Ducks of all time: a former walk-on and dual-sport athlete whose perspective on Oregon football carries real weight.

In an exclusive interview with Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus, Boettcher makes a bold Oregon prediction for next season, shares the lesson from coach Dan Lanning he still lives by, and names the teammates he believes are ready to take over the green dot on Oregon’s defense.

Oregon Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher NFL Draft Senior Bowl MLB dan lanning | oregon ducks on si jake bunn

As he prepares for the 2026 NFL Draft, one thing is clear: Boettcher embodies “Once a Duck, always a Duck.” His answers are direct, confident, and revealing. It's a snapshot of a linebacker who believes in speaking things into existence, trusting preparation, and never letting complacency creep in.

Bryce Boettcher Shares Dan Lanning Lesson That Still Drives Him

What is something that Coach Dan Lanning has taught you that will always stick with you?

Boettcher: I'd say the biggest thing from coach Lanning is - ‘Rent is due every day.’ It's a big thing he’d tell us after football practices. And it's so true… Everyone's so athletically gifted in this game, intelligent and physical. If you don't bring it every single day, you're going to get your ass kicked. So, you have to bring it every day. If you want to improve and show you're the best of this game… It’s the same in life. You have to bring it every day in everything you do … rent is due every day.

Bryce Boettcher On Dante Moore NFL Draft Decision, Ducks Coming Back

A group of Oregon stars decided to return to Eugene, since you also went through that, did you have any advice for those players as they explored their options? Dante Moore, for example.

Boettcher: I mean, Dante made his own decision. I didn't have any impact in that.

Boettcher: But I think at the end of the day, especially in college football nowadays, financially it could be better than the NFL in certain situations. But more than that, I think it's everyone realized what we had this year, how capable we were of going far. Obviously we lost the Indiana game. (Indiana) is a really good team, but I think everyone realized if everyone comes back, they could do the same thing next year, if not 10 times better. So I think guys realized that. It's cool that everyone decided to come back.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, right, embraces Oregon inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher after the game as the Oregon Ducks face the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Bryce Boettcher Names Future Defensive Leaders And Championship Belief

You will be missed next Oregon football season, not just your physical ability but because you wore the green dot - who on the current team do you feel could step up in that role?

Boettcher: There's a lot of capable guys in our linebacker room that can do that. Obviously you got Devon Jackson and Jerry Mixon, two veteran guys that are coming back who've been in leadership roles on this team this past few years. Either that would be great. And we got some young guys that are up and coming …. there's a lot of options, but I'm going to leave that up to Coach (Brian Michalowski.)

Oregon inside linebacker Jerry Mixon works out as the Oregon Ducks practice at Barry University ahead of the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30, 2025, in Miami, Florida. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Predictions for Oregon next year?

Boettcher: I don't want to jump ahead of myself, but I think everyone else is thinking national championship. That's the mindset every year. If you aren't thinking that going into the year and manifesting it, your mind's in the wrong place. So I'll put it out there right now. Ducks are winning the national championship next year.

Boettcher: Some people are like weird about talking about it. I'm like, you got to put it into existence for it to happen. So I'm not afraid to talk about it. Let's go.

Coach Lanning has been vocal that the 2026 team can’t get complacent - How do you know the 2026 team won’t get complacent?

Boettcher: I think that Lanning is spot on. You can't let anyone get complacent…I don't think they're going to get complacent given the bad, like what happened in that last game. It’s kind of same as last year with the Ohio State game. Guys realize that, when you are complacent, you get beat by 30. And I think the same can be said against Indiana. When you get a little complacent, you get beat by 30 or 40 points, however much it was. So yeah, I got no doubt in my mind, everyone was working hard back home.

Bryce Boettcher Ranks Texas Tech Shutout Among Favorite Oregon Games

Are you glad you came back for another season?

Boettcher: Oh, yeah. No regrets at all. I'm super glad I did. Obviously, I would have loved to have won a national championship, but we had a great season nevertheless.

What makes Autzen stadium special? What will you miss most?

Boettcher: I think just the energy and the the fans. It's a stadium that holds 54 000 people and it's by far one of the loudest stadiums in the nation. The environment's different. The fans are different. That's what I love about it. The passion is unmatched. And that's what I love about football. Whoever has the most energy and passion for the game and plays the hardest - and the fans are involved in that. And they're the exact reflection of the product on the field. So I think they both go hand in hand.

Oregon inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher speaks during Oregon football’s Media Day on July 28, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Shut out vs. Texas Tech… You had 12 tackles and a forced fumble - where does that game rank on favorite Ducks games?

Boettcher: Favorite duck games… That one's up there. I'd say it's one or two for sure. Obviously it was a big game, but to shut out a team in that standard magnitude of game, given like their defense was said to be 10 times better than Oregon's defense… So all week, our whole entire defense, was like we got to show that we're the better defense and I think we did that.

Did Jacob Rodriguez/ Texas Tech linebacker hype add more to that game?

Boettcher: It certainly did. The coaches all week were getting on me about punching the ball out and saying how they're envious of Jacob Rodriguez and they want him on their team - to get under my skin a little bit, which - they know I take it the right way. So I feel like I responded the best way possible.

Favorite Oregon games of career?

Boettcher: I'd say the Big Ten championship last year, winning that was a special one. And then a Penn State game this year. The whiteout - that was my first ever overtime game.