Dan Lanning Explains Oregon Freshmen Messiah Hampton, Jett Washington's Early Success

Coach Dan Lanning shut down questions about the Oregon Ducks win over the USC Trojans, while looking ahead at where the team needs to improve during the bye week.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning speaks during a press availability on Aug. 31, 2026, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The No. 15 Oregon Ducks took down the No. 18 USC Trojans 41-27 with a convincing second half in Los Angeles. Now in the middle of the bye week, the Ducks are turning the page to their next ranked challenge.

Coach Dan Lanning met with the media on Wednesday for his only press conference of the bye week. Lanning immediately shut down questions about USC, aiming to look toward the future at a No. 23 UCLA Bruins squad he compared to the 2025 Indiana Hoosiers.

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning | Darby Winter

While Lanning’s bye week presser included areas where the program is attacking during the break and the team’s recruiting focus, he also discussed the early success of two true freshmen. Receiver Messiah Hampton and safety Jett Washington spoke after Lanning on Wednesday, and the coach had plenty of praise for the two underclassmen.

Everything Dan Lanning Said

Receiver Messiah Hampton as a Blocker:

“Yeah, it's probably one of his one of his greatest strengths, and to be a great player, right? Especially wideout, you got to be able earn the opportunity to throw the ball, right? And one of the things is you want him to honor, be able to honor both.”

“And I know throughout the season we've challenged ourselves to make corners tackle. When you have wideouts that can block, that means corners are tackling. So. he's done a good job in that area. Expect him to continue to grow there.”

Safety Jett Washington Separating Himself:

Sep 18, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive back Jett Washington (24) intercepts a pass during the second half against the Portland State Vikings at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I think it starts with special teams here. Always, like you think about some guys that have been dynamic players for us in the past. They've proven that they can create a role for themselves on special teams. He did it throughout fall camp, where he was making plays for us on defense and offense.”

“He's very, he's a student of the game. You know, he puts in the extra time, and obviously he's got some special talent that we want to be able to utilize. But I think he's a four special team starter for us right now, which is huge, right? It's hard to do as a freshman, and something that he's really shown himself at.”

When Quarterback Dante Moore Got Back Around the Team:

“Still going through the process there with him, so it's great to know that he's healthy and doing well. But still, continue to evaluate that.”

If USC Linebacker Desman Stephens II Has Had Contact With Dante Moore:

“I'm done talking about this game, guys. Let's move to the next. I appreciate all the good questions about this, but that game's over with, and like we're about to play a UCLA team that reminds me a lot of Indiana from last year, right?”

“Great staff, and let's just be honest, we're not remotely close to what we need to be. We're not remotely close. So no offense to the question, but like we can't spend a week talking about a game that happened last Saturday, and I get you guys didn't get to see me on Monday, but let's talk about the future here.”

“And our team is a long ways away from being what we need to be. For us being, you know, the great thing about a win, it builds confidence. Right? We have some guys that built some confidence, but you go back and evaluate. We are so far from what we have to be as we move forward. So, we got to grow a ton. I'm not talking about that game anymore.”

How Much UCLA Resembles James Madison From Last Season:

Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; James Madison Dukes head coach Bob Chesney and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning greet one another after the game at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Well, they got players. I mean, they got some players that can play ball, right? I mean, their running backs are as good as anyone that will go against this year. They have a lot of players that came with them. And again, like, why I draw some comparisons, you know, to Indiana, a lot of guys that traveled with their coach right to the next stop.”

“Extremely well-coached team. You got two coordinators that were with him before, so they've been together for a while. They have a lot of continuity from that standpoint. They're running the ball as well as anybody in college football.”

“So, I think you know that's and they create explosive plays. You got a good quarterback play, and the defense-they're aggressive, and they attack. They've got a lot of different looks, but they certainly present some challenges.”

Evaluating the Safety Play:

“Good at times, bad at times, right? Not good enough. I mean, there's a lot of positions I could say that we got to play better and make sure we're putting our guys in position to have success.”

Confidence in Quarterback Dylan Raiola:

“Similar to what he's looked like the last few weeks. You know, continue to work, and just like everybody else on this team, he's got an improvement plan. He's got areas that he can grow and get better, but he's proven he can play winning football for us, and has a skill set that'll be advantageous for us to have.”

Impact of Size of the Support Staff During the Bye:

“Yeah, again, we did a pretty big self-scout operation, really Sunday, Monday, right, for our evaluation for ourselves. Challenge ourselves to say, ‘Hey, these consistently look like this. How can we change this? What can look different?’”

“But it's also good to have tendencies, right? Good teams have tendencies. There's things that we can build off of, but we evaluate it, figure out what fits us. What are things that we need to adapt and change, and be able to lean in on some of those things.”

Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer and Quarterbacks Coach Koa Ka’ai Adapting:

Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer | Jake Bunn

“I would just say that that for us as a staff, we evaluate every single week what are what are the plays that we feel best about based on who's in the game and how do they how do they play those plays? What are they really comfortable with?”

“So, it showed up last week, but that's something that happens every single week of knowing what we feel really good about. Hey, what's this guy great at, and how do we put them in a space where they can be great?”

One Area on Offense and Defense for the Team to Improve:

“Yeah, I'd probably say first-down efficiency on offense. Right, we're creating a lot of third-and-longs for ourselves. We got to be more efficient. You know, we got to be able to get our running backs on the second level more before we receive contact on defense, and so we got to be better on second and long and short yardage. Those areas have to show up. We haven't been what we need to be there.”

How Meaningful the 2025 James Madison Game is for This One:

Oregon coach Dan Lanning, left, and James Madison coach Bob Chesney meet at midfield before the CFP game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Dec. 20, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, it's something you weigh. It's not the only thing you weigh, right? It'll be something you evaluate, but then you also evaluate the body of work from this season.”

Where the Defense Needs to Take a Step Forward:

“We still gave up way too many explosive plays for us to be the team that we want to be, and they have some really good scheme that we just faced, right? And they were able to create explosives, but there's answers that we didn't have answers to that we had to have better answers.”

“You know, I think we did a good job choking out the run in between the tackles, but then there were some explosive runs on the perimeter that we got to do a better job at and adjust at better. And again, some of the passing game explosives we've got to eliminate.”

Offensive Lineman Kawika Rogers’ Play:

Jan 1, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Kawika Rogers (73) against the Liberty Flames during the 2024 Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“He's done some really, really good things, and I think when Kawika plays with power and technique, right, he's a guy that can certainly help us, and you know he certainly had a good week last week when you watched the film”

Receiver Iverson Hooks’ Development and Health:

“Yeah, he's healthy. You know he's continued to grow and develop in the in the scheme and find ways to help us.”

Receiver Jalen Lott’s Progress:

“Definitely, he's even a lot closer. Obviously, he's able to take those steps.”

Philosophy on How to Utilize the Bye Week:

“Yeah, we just have so much improvement that we have to attack that we have to work on, right, and certainly we're in fine moments for connection where we spend some time outside of the facility. You know, got to protect myself a little bit from wanting to go too much, right?”

“Because it can be a long season, but the reps we get have to look a certain way, and we're trying to push right now. It's a longer practice today. Yesterday was a little bit shorter. We have to have a longer practice again tomorrow to really push to be what we want to be.”

Edge Rusher Teitum Tuioti’s Skillset to Split Out Into a Different Position:

Jan 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Teitum Tuioti (44) reacts after a sack against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half of the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I think it starts with his intelligence, right? I think as a smart player and understand the schematics between what we're doing in defense and how we're able to utilize that. You know, and when you're a smart player, you can ask those guys to do a lot of things. And Teitum's extremely intelligent, and he plays with a high motor.”

Which Recruiting Class He’s Focused On:

“It's all of it, right? You're always trying to enhance your team. You know, feel good about the class that we have right now. I want to continue to maintain the class that we have, and then go ahead and evaluate the future and what that looks like.”

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.