Oregon Fans Will Love What Devon Jackson Said About Trusting Dan Lanning

The Oregon Ducks are unranked after beginning the season with some of the highest expectations of any team in the country, but that is not a good enough reason to doubt Oregon coach Dan Lanning, at least according to Ducks linebacker Devon Jackson.

Jackson has been a member of Oregon's team since 2022, joining in the first recruiting class that Lanning ever signed with the Ducks. As a result, Jackson has had a unique perspective to see Lanning make the Oregon program his own, and after multiple seasons in Eugene with Lanning, Jackson still trusts the Ducks coach entirely:

oregon ducks dan lanning devon jackson defense trust linebacker chris hampton ucla bruins upset loss college football playoff — Oregon inside linebacker Devon Jackson scores off a pick-six as the Oregon Ducks face the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sept. 12, 2026, at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"We just got to continue to trust the preparation. We're going to get it right as a whole defense. Again, it's not just, well, it was just this group or it was this group or whatever. We're all in this together. We see the holes in our defense and we see the holes that are out there."

"And again, we trust the coaches to fix those and trust them. We trust Coach Lanning up to this point. Coach Lanning’s done a phenomenal job in the five years he's been here, so it's crazy to even see people try to doubt him now. It's crazy we're going to doubt him in five games and the work he's put in. But can't really control that, again, the outside noise. But especially for me and our defense, like we continue to trust Coach Lanning, Coach Hamp, our position coaches."

Oregon is currently 3-2 after losing to UCLA at home, and the margin for error is slim for Jackson and the rest of the Ducks if the program is to make the College Football Playoff for a third consecutive season.

In addition to expressing his confidence in Lanning and the Oregon coaching staff, Jackson touched upon Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea, the Ducks' morale, and more before facing off against the Cornhuskers. Here is everything Jackson said after Tuesday's practice.

Improvements in the Linebacker Room

"Absolutely. You know, I felt like I kind of hopped right into it all year. Like, we had the guys that have been here for a while. And, you know, as we get more comfortable playing with each other and, you know, obviously this defense and every week as we go out, like, we get more comfortable and feed off each other's energy."

"You know, as weeks gone one, I think Jerry had his best game so far this year, and he's going to continue because that's who Jerry is. And of course, he gets another pick because that's who he is. And Dylan, D-will, he's getting better. And myself, just keep trusting myself, and we feed off each other. It doesn't matter who's on the field, and we'll keep getting better."

Team Morale After Two Losses

"I mean, with that goal, I mean, you can't really control that far out. You know, all I got is today, just like everybody else in this room. Like all we got is today, and all we can do is focus on to get better for the day, right?"

"And to improve the things that need to be improved on as a defense. Continue to trust each other, continue to trust the coaches, continue to trust the preparation. Now, you know, at the end of the year, what happens happens, but I promise if we focus on the day and focus on one game at a time, we will be okay."

How the Defense Reacts to Offense's Struggles

"I mean, we all in this together. It's not like all defense won the game and offense lost or special teams won or lost. We all lost together and we all win together. So we got each other's back no matter what. I remember talking to Poncho for like 20 minutes after the game, and it's just like, ‘Bro, I don't care what's going on or what happened or what the result is. It's like, I got your back.’ I trust that group. I wouldn't trade that group with anybody else in the country, despite what other people may think. And we're going to continue to lean on each other because we all we got, we all we need."

Blocking Out Social Media

"As a team, it has nothing to do with how we show up and prepare. For me personally, I don't see it because it's not on my phone, personally. The good or the bad. I don't see it because, again, it has nothing to do with how we show up every day."

"What people say on the outside has nothing to do with how I practice today, whether that was good or bad, or how I practice tomorrow and how I practice the next day and how we continue to prep for this next game. We just got to continue to focus on the basics, continue to harp on the basics, and again, trust each other, feed off each other's energy, and continue to trust these coaches because I have full faith, and we all have full faith, and they know what they're doing."

On Nebraska Quarterback Anthony Colandrea

"He's a good quarterback. He's a good quarterback. We got to contain him, make sure he can't get off the spot. We have the athletes to do that, for sure. And then try to confuse him, get him off his game. But he's a very good quarterback. I got a lot of respect for him, for sure."

Significance of Nebraska Game

"It's the next game. So it's that important because it's the next one. I mean, technically it’s the last Big Ten team we play, but it's the next one. So can't wait to continue to prepare and really get to know this team in and out and put on a performance."

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