Oregon Ducks Football's Dan Lanning “Thrilled” to Join the Big Ten, Sees Realignment's Impact on Recruiting

The Oregon Ducks have now finished day three of fall camp. Post-practice Oregon coach Dan Lanning discussed what he saw from the team and provided insight on how Oregon will fit into the Big Ten Conference.

Jul 25, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach ??Dan Lanning speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Friday marked a new chapter for University of Oregon Athletics. The Oregon Ducks are now an official member of the Big Ten Conference. Although this marks an historic date for the University of Oregon, for the Ducks football team, it was just another day of Fall Camp. 

The Ducks have now finished day three of fall camp, and coach Dan Lanning is pleased with the team's progress so far. He's also excited about the opportunities the Big Ten Conference brings. After practice on Friday, Lanning emphasized the need for offensive improvement and discussed the coaching staff's strategy for managing player workloads, particularly on the defensive line, to keep players fresh and maximize their impact. 

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Oregon Green Team defensive back Dakoda Fields intercepts a pass indended for wide receiver Jurrion Dickey during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Here are some quotes from Lanning following day three of Oregon’s Fall Camp.  

Dan Lanning on the excitement surrounding Oregon joining the Big Ten: 

"We're officially members of the Big Ten. Thrilled to obviously be a part of that and more importantly, the work on the field today we put on our practice shells, right so it looks a little different." 

Dan Lanning on quarterback performance: 

"Our quarterbacks have a lot of control in this offense about getting us in the right place and allowed us to take advantage of certain looks that we'll get and that's starting to show up for him." 

Dan Lanning on the need to improve the team's production and capitalize on on-on-on opportunities: 

"We want to see improvement with that addressing group from last year to this year. Just production like we don't want to anybody that's given us a one-on-one opportunity. Those are opportunities we feel like we need to be a win, right?" 

Oregon running back Jay Harris works out during practice with the Oregon Ducks Tuesday, April 2, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Dan Lanning on junior running back Jay Harris: 

"Just the energy that he brings every single day the smile that he has on his face, you know, in the way that he comes to work, right. He's serious about his work, but he's always smiling when he's around here." 

Dan Lanning on the coaching staff's approach to playing players regardless of age/class: 

"If you're good enough, you're old enough. But we want to be able to use guys that can play winning football right at a high level." 

Dan Lanning on how conference realignment will impact recruiting:  

"More of a big impact from a recruiting standpoint, what that allows us to do in areas that we might be able to go attack, again more than anything giving clear vision about what the future looks like."