Oregon head coach Dan Lanning wasn’t getting ahead of himself with the positives that he saw from his team during Saturday’s spring game. He also wasn’t letting himself get to low regarding the things he wants to clean up.
He met with reporters following Oregon’s spring game to give his thoughts on how his team performed.
Below are some of his key quotes.
Opening statement
Lanning: “Fun day. There’s a lot of things you can walk away with and say, Okay, we gotta work on some things, but ultimately, it was fun seeing our guys out there compete. Certainly some stuff to clean up. Got to get some really good reps. There’s nothing like game day experience in a lot of places in the country, and we get to have that here, because our fans are unbelievable. So big shoutout to our fans making the day so special. I was telling the players in the locker room, they don’t realize how unique and special it is to have all these guys that are playing the NFL now come back to and be a part of that. So overall, really special weekend. Obviously, some of our guys getting drafted, creating opportunities for themselves after Oregon, which is really fun for me to see as a coach, and certainly fun for our program. You guys saw it. I know you guys will probably ask a million questions. There were some guys that we limited today. One: either we know where they’re at, or two: just want to be precautionary. I don’t put too much stock into what one side of the ball or the other side of the ball did today. This is about everybody improving and us being bale to attack.”
On what he wanted coordinators to get out of today to take into the fall
Lanning: “Sequence and rhythm. When roles change in an organization it’s okay, who’s talking to the guys before the team, who’s making sure that we have our call sheets prepared the way they need to be prepared? There’s a lot of that day in and day out that’s really important and us being able to execute at a high level on game day. And again, just as much as it’s preparation for the players to be able to catch a ball in front of a bunch of people, in front of thousands of people, it’s the same thing for coaches to call a defense or an offense in front of a lot of people.”
On Evan Stewart
Lanning: “This has been Evan’s best spring since I’ve been here. I’m really excited about the growth. I think when you have something that’s not there for a while and you don’t get the opportunity to do it, you’re really hungry when you come back. And I’ve seen the maturity from him. I’ve seen him really level up in execution, be a guy that we can count on this spring.”
On Dakorien Moore growth and progression
Lanning: “Some good, some bad. I’ll have to go watch it. I think the being able to play in a longer series, with exuded effort is something we gotta continue to see. But I’m excited to go watch the film. There’s some good plays that he made out there today though.”
On what part of Oregon’s growth he’s pleased with exiting spring
Lanning: “The intelligence of this group is really high and that committed ability to execute offense and defensive plays is really up there. So they know and understand what we’re trying to do. We’ve got a lot of stuff packaged well that these guys can operate really well. So I’d say that part’s ahead. We’ve become a much more connected team this spring that’s gotta continue as we go through the remainder of this off season. We gotta get stronger. We gotta continue to become the physical team that we’ve been here in the past. So there’s a lot of areas still for growth, but I think we’re a really smart team right now and understand what we want to accomplish.”
On importance of today, NFL players coming back to recruits
Lanning: “You’re trying to paint a vision for what it’s going to be like when you come to play at Oregon. And when you get to actually experience that vision, you get to see guys that are playing in the league right now, see guys get drafted, see the fan experience. I think that paints a great picture. This is a great weekend for Oregon and Eugene to be on display, for these guys that are in town that are saying, okay, is this place that I want to be at? And it makes it makes that experience really fun, and for us as coaches and fun for those recruits.”
On Dylan Raiola’s comfort, chemistry with receivers
Lanning: “I just saw a guy that enjoys playing football. I saw him light up in his face. There was a couple deep balls that he was able to connect and some that he didn’t, that just got away. And overall, I was just excited to see Dylan playing out there with some joy and some passion and really understanding what we’re trying to do on the field. And I think that’s really come along throughout the spring.”
On college football schedule possibly being moved up
Lanning: “Move it up. Move it up. I mean, I’ve been very clear, but I think it solves a lot of problems in college football. We have one portal window. I don’t think the portal should exist the same time that football’s being played. On the same note, I think the semester should be kind of the start of a new season, a new term. And right now we’ll be in the second semester of school, but still at the same time playing football. It doesn’t line up with the windows of academic calendars. The closer we can get the season ending to January 1, the better it is I think for all programs, coaching transitions, all things exist. So it’s a really easy fix in my opinion. We’ll see if we can get closer and closer to that.”