What Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Said About Jamari Johnson, Roger Saleapaga

Opening Statement:

“Some real positives through fall camp. Really competitive practice today. Finish out with some red area offense. Got the upper hand today in that and goal line, some explosive play showing up. Haven’t seen a lot of those so far through fall camp. Saw some today, which is a real positive. Defense doing a great job attacking the ball. We can hop into it.”

What He Sees From The Tight End Room:

“Really pleased with the progress. So obviously, Roger (Saleapaga) was a guy that could help us last year, and then was injured, but he's come really well back from that injury, and Jamari (Johnson) is a guy that has experience other places, and we recruited a high school really high on him as a player, and he's done really well so far in fall camp. And then several other guys there that are really coming along. So, I like that group.”

How Important The Addition Of Jamari Johnson Is:

“It was more about just adding a player that we thought added value. And Jamari certainly adds value. He's got length, his big body catches the ball really well. I think there's a pickup that he has to continue to figure out what are we doing in the offense? And as he picks that up, he takes great steps forward, but his size, athleticism is unique for that position.”

What He Learned From The Documentary Process That Led Him To Agree To It Again:

“I think we have unbelievable fans. There's players that we're trying to attract to this program. I think it gives them an inside glimpse at the day-to-day operation, what we do here, what it looks like. So, I think it's just a great way to share what's working football about with other people. And then there's some great players and great people on our team, right? That their story needs to be shared and it gives an opportunity to share those stories.”

What Went Into Adding Weight For Blake Purchase And Ashton Porter:

“First thing I'd say is don't put too much stock in what we print is for your weights. Because that's where you guys, not necessarily for us, but both those guys. Well, I remember we used to say Tez Johnson weighed a lot more than he did. I think you guys at some point figured that out so, we print what we want we want. It's not necessarily the truth,” Lanning said.

“Surprise, okay, but Ashton, what has he done? Man, that guy's worked his tail off and done an unbelievable job of working extremely hard to become a guy that can make an impact for us, knowing his job, his assignment, I think he would tell you that early on his career, took him a while to learn what he had to be able to do here, his body's gotten stronger. He's become a dynamic player that can play at multiple positions for us, same thing with Blake,” Lanning continued.

“Blake came in with great athleticism, but his strength has really improved. His understanding of the of the system has really improved, and he's put himself in position where he's gonna have a role for us, and a big role at that.”

How The Defensive Line Has Improved In The First Two Weeks:

“I think we've seen some moments where it's really positive. Like I said today, it probably felt like it was an offensive win, which I know you guys all write about a ton of stories about. But ultimately, there's been some really good and some really bad," Lanning said.

"What you want in fall camp is competition. There's been some really good competition. What’s important isn't for these guys not to read the press clippings and really focus on, what do they have to do to improve? And we've done a better job with GAP control. We've done a better job with movement. So, there's been some real positive there where we're creating havoc for the quarterback, which is a real positive with those guys.”

What Theran Johnson Brings To The Secondary:

“Intelligence. I think he's a really instinctual player. He's sticky at the top, right at the top of routes. You know, he's going to be engaged, but, you know, made an outstanding play today in practice where he was able to get out and go make a play on the ball, which that's what you want. You want guys with ball skills got to go back and look at the film and see if he's in the proper position. But production matters. And he's, again, an intelligent player that's able to be tight and coverage.”

When He Starts To Build Consistency Within Depth Chart:

“Probably after our second scrimmage, you still have plenty of time before our first game, so we'll have a scrimmage this weekend. We'll have a scrimmage that next week. As we go into that second scrimmage, there'll be some pieces of the puzzle we want in certain spots, but there's still a lot of competition to be had. And start still a lot of guys we evaluate where they're at from a winning football standpoint.”

What Dillon Thieneman Needs To Do To Become An Early NFL Draft Pick:

“December, January and the NFL Draft are so far from my mind today. We got to get better, right? And Dillon’s got to continue to get better. He’s a special athlete, special talent, absolutely. But none of us are thinking about the NFL Draft right now, himself included.”

How The Quarterbacks Are Progressing:

“Some of our explosive days weren't necessarily shots down the field. Some of those explosive today were explosive runs. And that's credit to the O-line, and the backs doing a great job, but taking advantage of opportunities," Lanning said.

"Every defense has a strength, every defense has a weakness, same with offense, right? And when you really can become a separator is when things are equal. When they have a good call, you have a good call, and it's a one-on-one matchup. Who's going to go win that matchup? So, all those things add up, timing, get in a rhythm. They all matter when it comes to explosive plays.”

What He’s Seen From Ify Obidegwu In Terms Of Development:

“More than anything, understanding, knowing what he's going to do, how he needs to be able to execute on the field, what his job is. But, he has really special traits. He can be a special player for us.”

How The Daylen Austin Ruling Impacts The Secondary:

“We just we have a plan in place.”