Dan Lanning May Not Announce Oregon's Starting Quarterback Before Showdown With Georgia

Lanning is keeping his cards close to the vest before his first game as Ducks' head coach on September 3 against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Author:
Graham Metzker
Updated:
Aug 26, 2022 6:43 PM EDT
Original:
Aug 26, 2022

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Oregon Ducks

Ever since Dan Lanning first donned the Oregon green, he has been asked about who will lead the offense at quarterback. And since day one, Lanning has been consistent in saying that it's anyone's position to win.

Despite Oregon picking up a big-name quarterback from the transfer portal in former Auburn Tiger Bo Nix, Lanning has never given any of his quarterbacks the advantage in his time with the media.

After the latest Ducks' practice on Thursday morning, it sounds like Lanning will maintain this mentality all the way until Oregon plays their season opener on Sept. 3 in Atlanta.

When asked about who will be starting quarterback, Lanning simply stated "I'm not telling you."

"When you guys see that first snap, we'll see who's out there on the field," He said. "I'm not playing quarterback, I'll tell you that."

Lanning's declaration on Thursday seems to be setting a precedent for his entire coaching staff, saying not to expect any position to have an official starter ahead of the opener against Georgia.

But this announcement is especially significant for the quarterback position. Lanning revealed this when explaining the rationale behind keeping his starters a secret.

"Again, the only reason I'm not really talking about it with you guys is I don't know why that's an advantage for us," said Lanning. "If I felt like it was an advantage I would tell you guys. I don't."

The reason this is revealing from Lanning is because quarterback is where you find the biggest difference between players.

For example, if Georgia knew that Nix was the starter, they would prepare for deep passes and scrambling to pick up yards after the play breaks down. If Georgia knew that Ty Thompson was starting over Nix, they would prepare for short passes and a more-emphasized rushing attack.

But because Lanning won't reveal his starting quarterback before the game, Georgia has to prepare for all options, which includes Jay Butterfield.

So for Ducks fans who want to know the newest Oregon QB leading the offense, at least they can find solace in knowing they will be waiting along with the Georgia coaching staff.

Waiting to reveal the starting quarterback, however, is nothing new for Oregon coaches. Last year's head coach, Mario Cristobal, waited until the week of the season opener against Fresno State to name Anthony Brown the starter.

Last year the decision was much more clear cut, as Brown had won over the QB1 spot from Tyler Shough by the end of the 2020-21 season. The starting quarterback for the Ducks this season will be someone who has never started for the team.

Nix is the only quarterback on the roster who has any sort of starting experience at the college level, while Thompson, Jay Butterfield and Jake Van Dyne have seen minimal playing time.

Nix has started all 34 games he has been healthy for, and has passed for at least 2,200 yards in all three of his seasons at Auburn. Nix's resume compared to the rest of the room makes it his job to lose.

In nine days time, the answer will be revealed.