Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Evaluates Incoming Transfers Isaiah World, Jamari Johnson

EUGENE – Spring break is over, and the Oregon Ducks are back on the field to continue their spring practices. As the Ducks continue to build for the 2025 season, Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff are focused on developing their very talented yet inexperienced roster.

“We’re in that build phase,” said Lanning after practice on Tuesday.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning leads practice as the Oregon Ducks hit the practice field ahead of Michigan State Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024 at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With leaders like quarterback Dillon Gabriel and linebacker Jeffrey Bassa gone from this year’s roster, leadership has become a critical factor. Tuesday, Lanning discussed the ways in which veterans such as linebacker Bryce Boettcher and offensive tackle Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu are leading the way both on and off the field.

Lanning also discussed position battles, as well as how he and his staff are integrating key transfers like offensive tackle Isaiah World and tight endJamari Johnson.

Louisville Cardinals tight end Jamari Johnson (11) celebrates his play during their game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky. | Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Next week, the Ducks will start a series of weekly scrimmages. The purpose of these scrimmages is to evaluate talent and create more competitive opportunities for athletes vying for starting positions.

What Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after spring practice:

On returning from spring break:

"Today, coming back from spring break, you know, I think this is one of those practices where you always want to figure out where guys were at over the break, you know, and we took some good steps forward, but there's a lot of room for us to improve as a team right now. We’ve got a lot of talent, not a lot of experience. We've talked about that, but I'm excited about the direction of our guys. They want to get better. They want to improve, but that's what these practices are for."

Oregon Ducks fans react during the second half of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2025. Ohio State won 41-21. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lanning on leadership:

"You just said [leadership’s] really new to him, right? I still want to hear his voice out there at practice even more and more. It's always showing up as a player, right? But that's not something that's new to Bryce. So I have high expectations for what he looks like on the field and continue to challenge him to keep pushing, but he's been a really good player for us and a really good leader for us," said Lanning.

"We want everybody on our team that's capable of being a leader to be a leader, right? I don't care how old you are, right? I don't care how many snaps you’ve played, right? Where can you contribute? Where can you lead? It starts by leading yourself, right? You want to be a guy that can set an example for yourself. What's it look like? And then the players recognize that. It's not a secret, right? Who works hard, who doesn't, who attacks every single day. We've got a lot of guys on our team that are really capable of that."

Lanning on the tight end room and Kenyon Sadiq:

"We’ve got a lot of good, talented players in that position. Obviously, Kenyon has the most experience there. He's shown an ability to make great plays. I think he's going to be a great playmaker again for us this year, you know. And just even watching the way he took the field today, you realize, okay, this guy has a purpose, right? He's coming out there for a reason. But there are a lot of guys that we're looking to create opportunities for at those spots, and that's what you want— as many good guys as possible that can go play at a high level."

Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) hurdles over Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Jalen Kimber (3) on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, during the Big Ten Championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lanning on transfer Isaiah World:

"Great athleticism and size, you know. They just don’t make very many people like that, right? And he's got a great spirit every single day, you know. He has the right mindset and the right attitude. He's a guy that played basketball, you know, in high school, and then he's grown into a football player. And with that size and strength, it's something that we really want to take advantage of."

Lanning on evaluating players and position battles:

"We'll have scrimmages the next two Saturdays—not this Saturday, but the next two Saturdays—and then our spring game, you know, and I think those are the best settings where you can evaluate where players are at."

Lanning on the advantage of scrimmages:

"There's great benefit from the live reps, the work on the field, you know, really, really good for us to be able to take advantage of. We have to build up, you know, our ability to go compete in a scrimmage, right? At this point, just coming off a break, that's not really this week, right? So we're in that build phase as we go through spring, and then we'll have three opportunities to really evaluate these guys in live reps."

Oregon defensive end Jordan Burch works out with the Ducks as the Oregon Ducks practice ahead of the Rose Bowl Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Lanning on the most challenging part about spring practices:

"What's great about football is every single day is a different challenge, right? And you don't know what it's going to be when you get out of bed, right, when you come up here. What we can do to control it is our organization, right? The way we teach, right? For us, every single day, those guys step into the classroom or step into our meeting room, it should feel like they're going to a class session, right? There's a lesson plan, right? There are objectives for the day, right?"

"And then how you grade that? did we execute that on the field in that practice? And if we didn't, then how can we teach it better, and how can we execute it better? So every day is different. Every day has different goals, different themes, right? Today, we focused a lot more on the red area, being a little bit tighter to the goal line and attacking that. Now we have to go watch the film and see how we executed it and where we were great. Then we need to keep building on that. And where we weren’t, we have to attack."

Lanning on Louisville transfer tight end Jamari Johnson:

"Yeah, great kid, great family, you know, really, really excited about him. I think he, you know, performed really well, and his reps at Louisville this year showed up on film. What he was able to do—obviously, he had an injury that he's coming off of—and we're really excited about, you know, the future there."

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning looks to the clock towards the end of the first half 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

Lanning on Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu:

"Yeah, you know, Poncho has been fantastic when it comes to that, right? And I think, you know, O-line for us is always— I think Coach Terry does a great job, and really, just the culture of the team here, they've always done a good job of being leaders. And Poncho stepped it up."

"I think he's realized his voice can be heard more, right? His play is one thing, but his ability to move other people and impact other people is something I've seen him step up in. And that comes from communication, that comes from the details, knowing what your job is. It comes from the way you train in the offseason, what you eat, right? Making sure your body's in position to be successful. So Poncho is doing a lot of those things for us right now."

Lanning on developing quarterbacks:

"I always say proof’s in the pudding, right? And you look around here—if you're a great quarterback, right? You come to the University of Oregon, you’ve got a chance to have a lot of success, right? A chance to go perform in pro days, get drafted high, go have the opportunity to play in the NFL. And you talk about three great guys that did an unbelievable job for their team here at Oregon and are getting opportunities now at the next level."

Oregon Ducks defensive back Brandon Johnson and fellow members of the Oregon defense celebrate an interception as the Oregon Ducks host the Idaho Vandals Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lanning on the advantage younger quarterbacks have because of Dillon Gabriel, Bo Nix, and others:

"More than anything, it's watching how those guys work, right? Whether it's Dillon, Bo—obviously, the success that Justin’s had—but the details that those guys, you know, go into day in and day out. The professionalism that the position requires, the confidence that they have. You know, all those things pay off, and they come with time.

“But being able to see the way Bo Nix takes notes every single day in a meeting benefited, you know, some of our younger quarterbacks on our team. Being able to see the way Dillon competed on the field or his ability to keep a great temperament in the middle of a game, I think all those things benefited those guys."