DSC Inside Read: Oregon opens spring practice with familiar message: improvement starts now

 

Oregon returned to the practice field this week to open spring football, and while there are new titles on the coaching staff, the message from head coach Dan Lanning sounded familiar.

The Ducks are not interested in what they accomplished last season. They are focused on what still needs to improve.

“Good day one,” Lanning said after the opening practice. “You know, it's always hard to grade a day one. What you're really looking for is effort and execution because we're not in full pads yet. We're in spiders. But I saw guys running to the ball, moving with a purpose, doing a really good job today out there on the field, some good communication, and then a lot of stuff that we can improve.”

Spring practice always brings a combination of returning experience and new opportunities, but this year also includes a new structure on the coaching staff. Oregon promoted from within during the offseason, elevating Drew Mehringer to offensive coordinator and Chris Hampton to defensive coordinator.

Lanning said both decisions were rooted in years of observing their work inside the program.

“Anytime you're able to promote, it's because you get to see what guys do every single day,” Lanning said. “It's a body of work.”

For Mehringer, that body of work includes the development of Oregon’s tight end room over the past several seasons.

“When you're able to watch Drew and you're able to evaluate what did Terrance Ferguson, what did Pat Herbert, what did Kenyon Sadiq have done, what did Jamari Johnson have done in the program,” Lanning said. “You're able to say, OK, I have a lot of confidence in what this will look like moving forward with him in a leadership role.”

The same principle applied to Hampton on the defensive side.

“Our secondary has gotten better every single year that he's been here,” Lanning said. “Guys are playing at a high level.”

Hampton said the transition into the defensive coordinator role has not dramatically changed his day-to-day routine.

“No, it's not a whole lot,” Hampton said. “The biggest thing is just organizing the staff and organizing the unit meetings and the install calendar.”

What has not changed, Hampton said, is the focus on maximizing the players already in the building.

“Putting my stamp on it is really not about me,” Hampton said. “It's just about tapping into the players and putting the players in position and evaluating our talent and how can I utilize our talent and put guys in the right position to make plays.”

The Ducks return a veteran defensive front that includes players such as Matayo Uiagalelei, Teitum Tuioti and A’Mauri Washington, along with several younger linemen who have spent time developing behind them.

Hampton said that combination creates competition across the depth chart.

“A few younger guys that we recruited, like Tony Cumberland and Tank Jones, and those guys are getting better and better each and every day,” Hampton said.

The defensive staff has structured spring practices to accelerate that development by mixing veterans and younger players during team periods.

“How we practice is there is no starters,” Hampton said. “There's a green team. There's a yellow team. Everybody's divided up.”

That format means experienced players are often separated.

“There's not Matayo and Teitum on the same team,” Hampton said. “They're on different teams right now.”

The approach also puts younger players in challenging situations quickly.

“A freshman going against Poncho,” Hampton said. “We're going to find out if he's good quick.”

Linebacker is another position where opportunities have opened following the departure of Bryce Boettcher. Hampton said the program expects players already on the roster to grow into those roles.

“Bryce was a fantastic player,” Hampton said. “Bryce walked on the team and became Bryce Boettcher. So Gavin Nix has to become Gavin Nix. So does Dylan Williams. And Brayden Platt.”

Lanning echoed that sentiment when discussing the linebacker room and the competition that will unfold this spring.

“Jerry Mixon did that at a high level at times last year,” Lanning said. “I expect him to grow and get better.”

Lanning also mentioned several other linebackers who could emerge.

“A healthy Devin Jackson, Dylan Williams, Gavin Nix, Brayden Platt — there's a lot of guys in that room that can step up,” he said.

The defensive staff is also evaluating young edge players who could take on larger roles, including Nasir Wyatt and Elijah Rushing.

Hampton said the expectation is for those players to approach the season with a starting mindset.

“I’m not going out here to be a backup to Teitum and Matayo,” Hampton said. “I’m going out here to replace Teitum and Matayo.”

While the defense returns several experienced players, the offense is still evaluating how its pieces will come together.

Mehringer said the early portion of spring practice is about determining how the roster fits together.

“What are we going to be completely like in the fall?” Mehringer said. “I think it still remains to be seen.”

He pointed to last season as an example of how quickly an offense can evolve based on personnel.

“I don't think that anybody going into spring ball last year would have said that we would have been in as much two-back personnel as we were,” Mehringer said. “But our running back room ended up being a real positive for us.”

Injuries and player development often shape how the offense ultimately operates.

“You know, some guys got banged up,” Mehringer said. “So we played in a little bit more 12 personnel.”

Quarterback Dante Moore enters another season in the program and has taken on a larger leadership role within the offense.

“He's a great communicator, has a really good understanding of what we're trying to accomplish on the field,” Lanning said. “But now the game speeds up. It's a difference in a walkthrough and everything going full speed, so he's got to level up.”

Mehringer said Moore has already made a point of building connections with a broader group of receivers during practice.

“Dante made a point to me today,” Mehringer said. “He said there’s some of these guys that I have rapport with, but I want to focus on building rapport with some of the guys that I haven't had connections with yet.”

The Ducks return several experienced offensive players, including Evan Stewart, Jamari Johnson and Poncho Laloulu, while younger players such as Dierre Hill, Iverson Hooks, Andrew Olesh and Gatlin Bair continue developing within the offense.

Mehringer said versatility across the roster will play an important role in determining how those players are used.

“The more that you can do, the more value that you have,” Mehringer said.

That philosophy extends beyond skill positions. During practice this week, Mehringer pointed to an example of players working in different roles along the offensive line.

“We were working some walkthrough stuff and I looked over and Poncho's playing left tackle,” Mehringer said. “Is Poncho going to play tackle for us this year? More than likely not. But it gave someone else an opportunity to play center.”

Mehringer said those kinds of adjustments help develop depth across the roster.

“It’s just value,” he said.

While the first days of spring practice are largely about evaluation, Lanning said the lessons from last season still influence the program’s approach moving forward.

“We didn't finish the way we wanted to,” Lanning said. “There's a lot of lessons learned.”

At the same time, he emphasized that each season ultimately stands on its own.

“It's a new group now,” Lanning said. “It's a new team. Every year is individual. What we accomplished last year has nothing to do with what we're going to accomplish this year.”

That perspective will guide the Ducks throughout the spring as coaches evaluate the roster and players compete for roles.

And as the first practice demonstrated, the process has already begun.