Dan Lanning Film Breakdown: Oregon Ducks Defensive Pressure Packages

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning is one of the foremost defensive minds in the country. Learn some schemes that make him one of the best and how he implements them.

Oct 28, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning congratulates players after defeating the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

As the 2024 Oregon Ducks football season rapidly approaches, there is no better time to leap in and learn more about the Ducks' from an operational and schematic standpoint. Specifically on defense, the Ducks are poised to be one of the best teams in the country. A big reason why is the variety of looks they give opposing offenses.

As a mainstay on the off-season speaking and clinic circuit, coach Dan Lanning is well known for breaking down his thought process when creating a specific game plan and how he then translates that toward teaching the players through meetings and drill work in practice.

Simulated pressures have become a highly discussed topic among football coaches, media, and fans alike. A simulated pressure is simply a defensive look that creates confusion and miscommunication. It does so by mirroring a traditional blitz that sends more than four players while only sending four pass rushers and keeping coverage integrity. Lanning details why he uses simulated pressures and when to use them intently. 

Traditional blitz packages that send five, six, and sometimes seven or more players are also discussed in depth by Lanning. After spending years under coach Nick Saban at Alabama and coach Kirby Smart at Georgia, Lanning has learned from what a large faction of people believe are the best two defensive coaches in college football history.

Filled with talent at all three levels of the defense, Oregon has developed talent while adding some stellar players through the transfer portal, like Washington cornerback transfer Jabbar Muhammad. Want to know how they’ll be used this season? Give the videos above a watch.

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