Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Opens Up About Quarterback Competition, Improvements

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks have been hard at work this summer getting ready to defend their Big Ten Conference Championship and advance to the postseason.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning addressed the media for the final time before week one preparation to reveal how the group has improved since the start of camp.

Everything Dan Lanning Said

oregon ducks dan lanning big ten fall camp quarterback makhi hughes malik benson gary bryant punter tight end wide receiver — Oct 21, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks onto the field during the second half against the Washington State Cougars at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

If True Freshman Will Make Any Appearances Week One:

“I think you will. Yeah, I definitely think you will. It's a group that's gotten a lot of opportunities, right, but the way we practice what we do, it gives those guys an opportunity to go get involved and get on the field, if they know their job. And I'll say this group is a group of perfectionists. They want to be right. They want to be great. They get frustrated when they mess up,” Lanning said.

“And they got to realize that that's part of the process. It happens. As a freshman, you don't make every single play, but can you learn from those mistakes? That's the key. And I think you'll definitely see some out there making an impact for us this season.”

What It’s Been Like To See Two Quarterbacks Perform So Well In Camp:

“I'm excited about the growth of everybody in our quarterback room. And you know, for me, it's can they operate the offense at eye level? And I think you go back and you look at the moments that those guys just first got here, and you say, okay, we should have made this check, and we didn't, or we should have adjusted this and we didn't just the way you use your cadence, the command of the offense, the way you break a huddle, like all those areas have been big improvements,” Lanning said.

“And then a couple plays hit, and all of a sudden everybody's confidence goes up. And that's the one thing that the quarterback can impact, is the confidence of everybody on the field. Because a quarterback's job is to get the people around them to play better,” Lanning continued.

“You can't be good at quarterback if you're not good at wide up, if you're not good on the old line with protection. At the end of the day, those guys have been able to create a lot of that. And if you look at them from day one, where they're at now, it's night and day.”

What Wide Receiver Gary Bryant Jr. Has Reminded Everyone:

“One, he's a great decision maker. He's proven that over time are always our number one goal is possession of the ball. He's done a really good job of that. Gary's operated like a pro. I think he's learned over time about what he has to do for his body to make sure he keeps it ready, right, and doesn't put himself in situations where he's going to be banged up later on through the season,” Lanning said.

“He's worked really hard in the offseason as far as that. And had maturity and a level of maturity there. He's shown to be a leader in that room. He knows his job consistently, and he's been a playmaker as well. So really excited about Gary's progress.”

What Wide Receiver Malik Benson Brings To The Offense:

“Explosive playability. I mean, Malik is fast. He is fast, and you see it on the field. He has a lot of explosives. He's created a lot of those. He's a certainly a deep ball threat. He's competitive. He has competitive spirit,” Lanning said.

“Last night, we had a hot seat for our team, and he was one of the guys in the hot seat. He got to share a little bit of his story. I always think it's good when our guys can connect with the players on their team and find out a little bit more about him. And he has a great story to tell. So really excited to see what he can do is for us this season.”

On Depth At Running Back:

“Really love this group. I really love this group thing. I think it's a selfless group too, like guys that want to see other people have success, like they're genuinely excited when they see one of their teammates have a great run or do a great job in pass protection,” Lanning said.

“And I've always felt like as many as you can use. This will probably be is the most that I've ever traveled. If once we get to that point, worry, how many guys do we travel, I think a lot of them can have big roles in special teams for us too. So, there's a distribution of wealth there that's really good for us that we'll use in a lot of different ways.”

What Makes Him Confident That The Ducks Can Achieve Their Goals:

“It's grown. This team has grown. I think early in the off season, I was talking about, where's the leadership going to come from? There’s a lack of experience, but I would always pick give me talented players over guys that have a ton of experience, that aren't talented,” Lanning said.

“So, we have talented players that maybe don't have as much experience, but in this last month of practice, they've gotten a lot of experience. Over the summer, they've gotten a lot of experience, and then we've seen leadership show up. So that gives me a level of confidence going into the season with, you know, the group that we have.”

What The Tight End Depth Looks Like:

“I like this position for us a lot. I think every day Jamari (Johnson) gets a little bit better when it comes to what's the scheme, what's my job? And he's proven that he can be a really athletic playmaker for us. And Roger (Saleapaga) is coming back from injury, and he's looking better and more confident each and every day,” Lanning said.

“And then there's young guys in that room, too that have stepped up, so really, a talented group that I think can block well in the C area. Can also flex out at wide out and run routes, but they all do different things extremely well, and it's a good group for us.”

What Makes Makhi Hughes Unique:

“Every, every back is different. Coach (Will Stein) I think said the other day like he ran counter where he was at, he ran duo where he was at, some of those same play schemes exist. He's big, he's strong,” Lanning said.

“Obviously, you just see him. You can see that, right? And he's learned the playbook throughout. Where he's at from the spring to where he's at now is a completely different person. So, he's quiet. He just wants to go back there and do his job. But definitely been pleased with his progress.

Why Defensive Back Sione Laulea Is In A Better Position This Season:

“The experience and time. He's certainly above the line player for us. We feel like, if he's out on the field, we can have success. He's got length. He's been a much better communicator in year two than year one, and I think that comes with learning the defense. But, yeah, he's, he's showing up.”

Where He Saw The Most Growth Since The First Scrimmage:

“Just execution. Getting scrimmage one, there's a lot of mishaps when it came from who was doing their job and if they're doing it correctly. Scrimmage two, you saw guys executed a higher level, 11, guys on the same page, doing what they're supposed to do. And that's always important early in the season.”

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What He’s Seen From The Punters:

“Great competition. Both guys have done a really, a really good job and have stepped up. I think our punt location, which is as big of is an issue as anything, has really stepped up. But both of them have had great kicks throughout scrimmage, throughout fall camp.”

When He Shifts From Building Depth To Preparing For Week One:

“We've always been preparing. It's just what we do. It's not necessarily just about the team that we're going against. We'll start to shift that direction here this next week.”

On Where His Team Is At:

“That's always hard for me. No, I don't know that I've ever felt like if you ask me, hey, can you have three more weeks of practice? Get ready? Would you take it? And I think I'd always take it right even in this moment now. But I am really happy about the progress of day one to where we're at right now. I haven't ever felt like we had in fall camp this day, man, I wish we could have that day back. That was a waste. We didn't get better,” Lanning said.

“I feel like this group's gotten better every single day. So, from that standpoint, I'm excited. Would I love to have three more weeks to get prepared for game one? Absolutely, but these guys are also ready to go hit somebody else. And that's the hard part about college football,” Lanning added.

“Is you don't have the inner squad scrimmages with other teams. You don't do that. You don't experience that. You're hitting the same guys every single day, and they're ready to hit somebody else.”

What Areas The Staff Identified For On-Field Improvement:

“I have a lot of answers here, but I probably wouldn't share with you guys, right, like if it's something that I really want to work on that I think was a weakness I don't necessarily want to announce it to everybody else what the weakness is, but there's certainly some stuff that we've attacked.”