Oregon football wants to 'double down,' coach Dan Lanning said at Big Ten media day

Oregon football made a splash last year during its first season in the Big Ten Conference – both literally and figuratively.

First came the giant, inflatable Duck that was plopped into the White River on the opening day of Big Ten football media days in July in Indianapolis. Four months later Oregon followed its undefeated regular season with a win against Penn State in the conference championship game.

Year two officially started July 23 in Las Vegas when coach Dan Lanning and three players – linebacker Bryce Boettcher, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei – participated in Big Ten football media days inside the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

There were no gimmicks this time around for the Ducks, whose only blemish on their 13-1 record in 2024 came in the season-ending loss Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl to conference rival Ohio State, the eventual College Football Playoff champion.

“Coming in a year ago it was uncharted waters for us,” Lanning said. “It was, ‘OK, what’s the Big Ten going to be like? And it’s been super fulfilling. Getting the opportunity to win the Big Ten in our first year, play some unbelievable teams, has created a really special experience.”

Here are some highlights from Lanning’s turn at the podium on Wednesday.

The Oregon Ducks’ theme this season is “Double down”

Lanning heads into his fourth season at Oregon with a combined record of 35-6, and the Ducks are coming off their best season yet under the 39-year-old.

The 2024 squad opened the season with 13 straight wins and won the conference title, played in the Rose Bowl and earned a spot in the CFP – all firsts for the Ducks under Lanning.

Now, with the Aug. 30 season-opener against Montana State at Autzen Stadium just five weeks away, Oregon is looking for more.

“We’ve done an unbelievable job of building this team over time,” Lanning said. “If you look at our success season to season as this team has grown, the process works. We’re close.”

The Ducks lost several key players from last season’s team, as a program-record 10 players were selected in April’s NFL draft, including a pair of first-round picks in offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, as well as quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel.  

“It is a cast of new characters,” Lanning said. “You’re gonna see new people on the field, which is exciting. I’m very excited about this team.”

The Ducks are more than a half-ton heavier – and that’s a good thing

Lanning spent a few minutes raving about Uiagalelei’s offseason development and what could be expected from the junior after a season in which he led the Big Ten with 10.5 quarterback sacks during the regular season.

“He was a terror for quarterbacks this past season,” said Lanning before noting that Uiagalelei has added “10 pounds of muscle” to his 6-foot-5, 270-pound frame.

Uiagalelei isn’t the only player to put on weight in the offseason.

“Our players have worked really hard,” Lanning said. “They’ve put on more than 1,300 pounds over the offseason and our peak power numbers have gone up over 21%. The average gain for our freshmen is over 17 pounds. You look for wins in the offseason and those are some great wins.”

Dan Lanning supports Wisconsin’s tampering lawsuit

The Oregon coach was asked by a reporter about the lawsuit filed by Wisconsin on June 20 that claims the Miami football team broke the law by tampering with a former Badgers player, who left Wisconsin to enroll at Miami in January.

In the lawsuit, Wisconsin claims that Miami committed tortious interference by knowingly compelling a player to break the terms of his deal with the Badgers.

 The former player – presumed to be defensive back Xavier Lucas – met with a Miami staff member and a prominent alumnus who offered him money to transfer not long after Lucus had signed a two-year contract with Wisconsin.

The Hurricanes are coached by Mario Cristobal, who left Oregon for Miami in 2021 and was replaced by Lanning.

“Play the game the way it’s supposed to be played, right?” Lanning said. “There has to be consequences to actions and if there aren’t consequences there’s going to continue to be issues like that.”

Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at [email protected] and you can follow him on X @chansen_RG

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: What Oregon coach Dan Lanning said at Big Ten football media day