Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning On Penn State White Out, Big Ten Dominance

The current team looks vastly different than last year’s team, after a program-record 10 Ducks were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Ducks will have a new starting quarterback, running back and top wide receiver, plus a revamped offensive line and defense.

... With so many changes comes a lot of questions.

In an exclusive interview with Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus, Lanning addresses his transfer portal players, receiver Evan Stewart's injury, the quarterback competition, the Penn State "White Out," Ohio State coach Ryan Day, how dominant the Big Ten Conference is, and more.

Below is the full video and top quotes.

LANNING ON TRANSFER RUNNING BACK MAKHI HUGHES

“Makhi (Hughes) is quiet. You’ve got to poke him to get him to talk. So he's the kind of guy that just works really hard and wants to be out there on the field, make an impact. I think he wants his play to speak for itself,” Lanning said. 

LANNING ON TRANSFER SAFETY DILLON THIENEMAN

“Dillon has a little bit more of a voice - has really become a great leader for us. He works extremely hard, super intelligent, holds himself to a high standard," said Lanning.

LANNING ON OHIO STATE RECEIVER JEREMIAH SMITH CALLING AUTZEN STADIUM LOUDEST EVER

"Yeah, I think (Smith) experienced what a lot of us Duck fans know, that our fans make a huge impact, that our stadium and our venue is really impressive and special. And not everybody in college football gets to experience that. So it's part of what makes our place so awesome," Lanning said.

LANNING ON FRESHMAN RECEIVER DAKORIEN MOORE

"He wants to be perfect," Lanning told Amaranthus. "He works extremely hard. He does. He has huge expectations, and I think that's hard, but he's handled that really, really well. He loves ball. He works every single day to get better. Really talented, obviously, and I think he'll make a big impact for our team. So I'm excited to see what Dakorien does."

LANNING ON WHAT HE'S LOOKING FOR IN QUARTERBACK COMPETITION

"We want guys to take care of the ball," Lanning said. "We have enough talent around that you don't have to make every play yourself. Great decision makers that are able to make great throws, and we have some guys that can do that."

"I'm sure we'll know who our quarterback is before we get to our first game. That doesn't mean we'll announce it to the world," Lanning continued.

LANNING ON EVAN STEWART INJURY

"He's going to be down for a while," Lanning told Amaranthus. "I don't want to put a timeline on Evan. I don't know how long that'll be, but he's on the road recovery and he's done a lot for the Ducks. We love having him be a part of our team and hopefully at some point he can make an impact for us. But I don't know exactly what that looks like."

LANNING ON RECEIVERS STEPPING UP TO FILL STEWART'S VOID

"I feel great about the group of guys that we have there," Lanning told Amaranthus. "I think we have a lot of guys that can play winning football. Evan had a huge role for us. So somebody's going to get an opportunity. They're going to have an opportunity to step up and make some plays. But I think we have a group that can do that."

LANNING ON OHIO STATE COACH RYAN DAY

"Obviously what he's done with his program is unbelievable. He's done a great job developing, growing, and improving that team year in and year out," Lanning told Amaranthus. "They work really, really hard as a staff. But I think probably as impressive as anything is the stuff that he's done off the field, whether it's suicide awareness, his relationship with his family, being a good family man."

Lanning was quick to compliment Day on his on-field preparation and how he admires his commitment to mental health. Day is a strong advocate of mental health awareness after he lost his father to suicide at eight years old.

"You talk about experiencing adversity last year, some of the stuff that he had to go through throughout the season, and then the success that came with that, I think, is just impressive to see how he's able to handle that. There's a lot of pressure in college football, and he's experienced as much as anybody, but then he's able to finish that off with great success. He's done a really good job, and it's impressive to see," Lanning continued.

LANNING ON PENN STATE WHITE OUT

"I've never been there, so this will be my first opportunity to play there. I've heard it's an unbelievable environment. I know they've got a great fan base as well. Coach Franklin's done an unbelievable job there. Obviously they have a really talented team, so it's going to be a fun challenge for us for sure," Lanning said.

LANNING ON IF HE FEELS A BULLSEYE ON BACK BEING REIGNING BIG TEN CHAMPIONS

"I don't feel any pressure... I mean, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Ultimately there was some success - this team's different than last year's team. So I'm excited about the work. I'm excited about the new challenges, the new things that we've got to figure out that I don't know that we've got to figure out yet. That's the part that's exciting for me," Lanning said.

LANNING ON NEW BIG TEN RIVALRIES

"It's still growing. Like this year for us, I'm excited we get to go to some venues we haven't been to yet. And I think until we have some experience in this league, that's going to be fun to see year in and year out some of those places that we haven't seen," Lanning said.

"This conference is is as good as it gets in college football, right? I think the proof's in the pudding, you can see that. Three out of the last four national championship teams competing are from the Big Ten. I think that speaks volumes about this league. So yeah, I'm excited to see what new rivalries come, what new opportunities come," Lanning said.

LANNING ON BRYCE BOETTCHER

"Bryce is a great story. It could be a movie someday, a guy that walked on, was drafted in baseball, came here as a safety, now he's playing football as an all-conference player. I'm excited to see what he does this season. This will be his first year just doing all football, where he's done a lot of baseball in the past in the spring, so he's put on some great weight. He's going to have a bigger role, especially when it comes to his voice out there on the field," Lanning said.

LANNING ON KENYON SADIQ

"I think he'll be a great surprise for everybody else in college football. You know, he's a hidden gem. He's a freak when it comes to what he's able to do off the field. You're talking about a guy that can vertical jump over 41 inches, can run 23 miles per hour. He's a really special talent and big heart and a great teammate," Lanning said.

LANNING ON MATAYO UIAGALELEI

"Matayo kind of took college football by storm last year. He's done a great job this offseason. He's put on some great weight. He's gotten stronger. I think he has a really high belief in himself, and I know his teammates have a high belief in him, so it's great to see that," Lanning said.