The college football postseason is nearing. As the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans for their last regular-season home game, there’s no lack of outside noise in the college football landscape.
Rumors about who’s entering the transfer portal are already circulating despite the portal opening in January. ESPN’s College GameDay returning to Eugene also provides Oregon with a big recruiting opportunity.
Coach Dan Lanning discussed transfer portal distractions and adapting to it, as well as how he approaches recruiting ahead of the big weekend.
Nov 8, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Opening Statement:
“A good day of prep. Guys got some good work. There’s certainly some things that USC does that’s difficult on third down and red area, that we had to prepare for today, but some good progress so far this week.”
Handling Transfer Portal Conversations Internally and Staying Focused:
“You can’t spend too much time on it. You got to worry about the guys who want to be here. Ultimately, you always hope there’s a conversation. I’m certain we have good teams. So, what’s that mean? That means people are probably reaching out to our players. We’ve been able to retain great players here for a long time,” Lanning said.
“We’ve done a really good job of that, and I think that starts with guys being open and honest. There’s going to be communication, and sometimes it’s best for somebody to be somewhere else, but we’re trying to do something special here, and it means being focused on where you’re at right now. And the reality is, the portal opens in January. It doesn’t open now,” he continued.
Nov 8, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning looks on during the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
“You got time to evaluate those options for you, and each person has to evaluate those options for themselves. I love the team we have. Love the players. Everybody has a special role here for us. Even if you’re not necessarily out there on the field for us every single down, that’s part of it, right?”
“But it’s also part of what’s going on in college football. And the teams that manage that, the best to handle that, the best are going to be the teams that have been successful, and we’ve had a lot of success with how we’ve managed that here in the past. Hopefully, like I said, the one thing you want is you want the opportunity to have conversations with guys before that becomes something you’re not aware of.”
The Opportunity For Recruiting:
Oct 25, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning instructs players during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
“Recruiting is the lifeblood of our program, and for us here, it’s always been about quality over quantity, about what kind of players do we want to sign, the guys they’re going to fit our mold, and then always looking kind of big picture down the road. What’s that look like for your team?”
“What’s going to be available for your team postseason as you’re trying to develop that? But we have a staff that’s dedicated to that, evaluating that at all times and always number one for us, we’ll be able to be keeping the players that we have on our current rosters, as well as the additions that we can add in the future,” he said.
“But weekends like this, with the distractions, with all the pieces that are going on, can be huge weekends for you in recruiting. And we’ve been able to live off of moments like that here in the past, and certainly want to be able to take advantage of it this weekend.”
On His Philosophy of Quality Over Quantity:
“Everything now is different with value-based and what it costs to get somebody, too. And some of the best players have been in our program are guys that we got a tremendous value, and they were able to come here. And then when you make an impact at a tremendous value, you’re able to be taken care of as well. But that’s a factor in this.”
“But for us, it is. It’s culture fit. Its skill level. I think we’ve proven on both sides of the ball that we’ll adapt to our personnel, too, and their strengths and their skill sets. So, when you find a good football player that maybe doesn’t necessarily fit your scheme, be able to adapt your scheme to fit to those players is really important,” Lanning said.
“But we’re always kind of have our eye out for that guy that’s an extremely talented player, but an extremely hard worker, fits the right culture that we’re looking for, is going to be able to handle being in an environment like this. And that’s a continued process, that’s continued evaluation, that’s a lot of conversations.”
Marcus Mariota’s Impact On the Program:
Former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota coaches for the Green Team as the Oregon Ducks host their annual spring game at Autzen Stadium Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Eugene, Ore.
Football Oregon Football Spring Game / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
“Marcus is a guy that we’re just so proud of here, and to see the level that he’s been able to play at here and then to carry that on to the NFL. I walked up the field last week, and I saw his wife, Kiyomi, and Sabrina, and Hroniss. I mean, players that have played here in the past, they come back and they give so much,” Lanning said.
“And we just want him to know, we want him to be a part of what we’re doing. And to get the opportunity to honor a guy like Marcus, he’s very deserving. Obviously, had an unbelievable career here and then an unbelievable career in the NFL, but we’re glad that they want to be a part of what’s going on here at Oregon, and continue to have a sense of pride in the fact that they got to play here. So really proud of him and happy for him.”
Bryce Boettcher and Noah Whittington’s Impact Ahead of Senior Day:
“Forever grateful for those guys, for what they’ve contributed. And to think this could be this could be last time they get to play on this field, I probably haven’t hit it enough this week, for what those guys mean to us and the work that they’ve put in. I know that we talk about a player-led team, it’s really driven by those guys, right? And their focus and really the intensity that they bring in the standard that they hold our program to. So really grateful for every one of those guys.”
Offensive Lineman Emmanuel Pregnon’s Growth:
Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon, center, takes the field before the game against Oklahoma State at Autzen. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Emmanuel has done an unbelievable job for us, been a really good teammate. He brings a level of intensity every single day to practice. Obviously, can move bodies. I think he’s done really good in running and pass game for us this year.”
What Makes Defensive Lineman Bear Alexander Effective Alongside A’Mauri Washington:
“Ultimately, both the guys inside pretty, pretty versatile. They give us a lot of tools. They’re hard to block. I think one thing that they both possess is the quickness and twitch inside, but then the ability to anchor on runs is really important in our defense and how we do things. You got to be able to strike box. Those guys have shown that consistently. Bear certainly improved in that and in a big way and continues to be a better and better player each week.”
Oregon’s Physicality:
“I don’t think you can be a good football team and not be physical. And there’s just certain things that have to happen at practice, certain things you have to train for it to show up. You’re not going to become a good tackling team if you don’t tackle it practice,” Lanning said.
“You’re not going to be good at blocking if you don’t full tilt boogie when it comes to blocking and shedding blocks, like those things have to happen at practice for you to be able to do it. As far as answering questions, we’ll just let our play kind of speak for that. I think we’ve done a good job in that category.”
Balancing Physicality with Health:
Nov 14, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) catches a pass during the first half against Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Kerry Brown (14) at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
“You evaluate what kind of drill work you’re doing and how you’re doing that. Sometimes you can split things into like a half-line drill, do stuff more in the crossover drills, to where there can be a level of contact, but maybe not as many bodies on the ground. And then you adapt. You definitely, certainly, change some things to how you practice at times, especially getting later in the season,” he said.
“Uniquely, some of the injuries we’ve had this season have had zero contact, right? So, contacts part of football that happens, but sometimes the guys get hurt that’s not necessarily directly impacted by the physicality that’s required at practice,” Lanning continued.
“And I found that teams that practice not to get hurt are the teams that get hurt the most a lot of times. So, you have to practice to a certain level. Football can be a dangerous sport. There’s going to be injuries that exist at times. We have to be able to handle those as they come.”
MORE: How Bo Nix Boosted His NFL Future After Win vs. Chiefs
MORE: New Big Ten Power Rankings As Playoff Picture Comes Into View
MORE: Ticket Prices For Oregon vs. USC At Autzen Stadium Are Wild
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE!
On Players Being Bought Into the Verbiage:
“The word culture gets thrown around a lot in college football. I think whenever you know that your culture is really taking place and set, it’s when everybody has a unified message. And when you hear some of those continued messages throughout and really coming from your players more so than your coaches and people that preach that in your program, but our players share that vision. They’re pulling in the same direction, and certainly that’s great to see.”
The Challenges Makai Lemon Presents in the Slot:
Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) scores a touchdown against Northwestern Wildcats defensive back Josh Fussell (13) during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
“He’s a tough matchup. I’ve spoken on it already how good of a wideout he is, and the fact they move around certainly makes it a challenge. It’s hard. You’ve seen some teams try to match up to him, and that can be difficult in certain calls. Also, can be an indicator at times, right? If you always match up a certain way of what kind of defense you might be playing. So got to be aware of where he’s at at all times and be able to handle those adjustments.”
