Dan Lanning Pulls Back the Curtain on Oregon Ducks Injuries

Lanning Proves Injury Update on Defensive Lineman Tony Cumberland:

“I know you guys already caught up on it with Tony Cumberland, but obviously, we're thinking about him and his family. Just kind of an unexpected deal. We know he wasn't driving the vehicle, but his family was part of that accident, and just glad that they're doing okay now, but he's gonna be on the road of recovery. We won't have him this spring, but we'll see what it looks like here in the future. But just want to make sure I communicate that to you guys.”

Wide Receiver Evan Stewart's Injury Recovery Journey:

“Spring has been really good. And I think even more than his play-making abilities, his leadership is starting to show up. I want to see even more of that. We talked about him as a pass catcher, to challenge him to let that focus show up. It’s how he blocks right for love of his teammates. But Evan’s had a really good spring so far, but he's looking really good.”

Lessons From Quarterback Dante Moore’s Redshirt Year That Could Be Applied to Dylan Raiola:

“There's a formula. And we've had a lot of guys come here and be able to execute that formula. I think it's a great learning experience for both those guys and in our league, you never know when you need another quarterback.”

“You always have to have somebody up and ready. And there's been a lot of guys in that room that are performing really well, but it's been good growth for Dylan, we're asking to do things he's never been asked to do. He has the talent to do it all. He's a very intelligent player.”

“You got other guys in that room. They're operating at a really high level as well, with Brock and Mark (Wiepert) and some guys coming along. KJ has really stepped it up, so things are really good in the room, and excited about the growth opportunities there.”

How Close Quarterback Dante Moore is to Mastering This Level:

“He's there. He's there. I'm very confident. He checked a play today in practice that we didn't even have tagged with a potential check because of the look that he saw. So, it's great to see from him that he's really out there operating as a coach on the field. We just got to get everybody else operating at that same level.”

The Offensive Line Competition:

“I think right now, we're better run passing or run blocking offensive unit than pass at times. And we mix the groups up quite a bit here in spring ball, just so we can see a lot of different matchups and guys in different positions for versatility. But I'm excited about the size of those guys.”

“I think they can cover people up, and I'm excited about their athleticism. So, it's going to be continued progress and continued work now, and even going against the defensive line, those guys are mixed up groups as well.”

“You got to be a team that can run the ball. It starts there for us. We've always been able to do that, and then we have to be able to protect the quarterback. We've been really good at that as well. It'll be fun to see that group continue to shape up. I think we got a lot of guys in the mix. You talk about above-the-line play and below-the-line play. I think we got a lot of guys that can be above the line for us.”

Expectations for Wide Receiver Jeremiah McClellan Next Season:

“I always expect more from J-Mac. I mean, he had an unbelievable jump last year, and I think he's a guy that's become really self-aware. For you to watch him out there on the field today, and compared to when he first got here, it’s not the same guy.”

“He has some of the same traits, but he's been so much stronger with the ball, his intellect, and where to run routes, how to run him, what to do. It's really leveled up, and he's physical at the point of attack. He catches the ball strong the quarterbacks trust him, I think that's a big piece, but I expect J-Mac to take a huge jump again this year.”

How Preparation Changes for the Spring Game:

“I think that's the biggest challenge as a coach, is you want to challenge your players from stimulating a lot of plays. How much can they handle? Throw the kitchen sink at them and see what they can do.”

“Continue to install and challenge yourself, because it's going to make it that much cleaner in the fall. But really, we want to identify who can play football. We're spending all of our time trying to figure out a lineup in a play or execute play. That means we're not figuring out who can play ball. So, it's that give and take a little bit, making sure we work on a lot of situations. But ultimately, I want to figure out who can run, who can tackle, who can block, and get off blocks. Those are the traits that we want to ID the quickest.”

Opening Statement:

“Some good work there today, a little bit of cleanup. We've had good back and forth this spring overall, as far as offense wins one day, defense wins the next. It's probably a defensive day today. We got to clean up some of our execution and focus. But overall, good work from these guys.”

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