Ducks Get First Look at Newcomers in Spring Scrimmage as Lanning Targets Improvement Areas

The Oregon Ducks are back in pads and feeling the grind of spring football, and for the first time this offseason, they got a real taste of game action. Saturday opening scrimmage gave head coach Dan Lanning a valuable data point as he evaluates which freshmen and new faces can contribute right away and which areas need more work before the spring showcase on April 25.

Evaluating the evaluating, Lanning kept details sparse by design. No final score was shared, and no individual standout performances were singled out publicly. That standard operating procedure for a coach still learning what he has in a new-look roster. What Lanning did share painted a picture of a team that showed promise but also stumbled over fundamentals.

Todays about evaluating who can play football – who can tackle, who can block, who can catch, Lanning said. We saw some of those moments today, and there is gonna be some opportunities to improve there.

What excited Lanning most was the glimpse of youth stepping up against veteran competition. Oregon returns several key contributors from a team that reached the final four last season, and watching the next generation hold their own in a competitive setting was a positive sign. When the meeting started today, I am showing Nasir Wyatt last year in this scrimmage what he did and what allowed us to say, OK, we need to find a way to get this guy on the field at times. I showed clips of Jordon Davison doing that. And then I showed clips of Kenyon Sadiq and said, This guys not here anymore, who is going to replace that? I think some guys really stepped up.

The Ducks have had a compressed spring preparation window, starting later than many programs and working around spring break. That makes the evaluation process more challenging, but Lanning believes his squad understanding of the system is already ahead of where it was at this point last year. Still, fundamentals remain a focus – particularly limiting penalties. Oregon committed six in Saturday scrimmage, a figure Lanning wants to see trimmed as the spring progresses.

With two new coordinators on staff, the coaching side of things is still finding its rhythm too. The Ducks will hold a second scrimmage next Saturday before wrapping up the spring with the annual spring game, giving Lanning and his staff another opportunity to fine-tune before the fall roster takes shape.