Dan Lanning and the Ducks are coming off an impressive season last year. Although they couldn’t secure the national championship, they successfully defeated a traditional conference rival, Penn State, to claim the Big Ten title. Despite being dominated by the Buckeyes in the playoff, Lanning’s team demonstrated consistency. That also means a promising future. However, the question remains: does their depth match the early expectations?
With the significant departures of key offensive players, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel and running back Jordan James, the Ducks will have a different look this fall, whether that’s for better or worse. While recent transfers appear to be an upgrade, there are still areas that are far from being a guaranteed recipe for success.
The third-year coordinator, Will Stein, expressed strong optimism about the Ducks’ quarterback and running back rooms as they approached spring practice. He believed the Ducks’ ultimate offensive strength lies in their ability to dominate the running game. After the spring game concluded, observations were mixed. True freshman running back Duerre Hill caught attention with his elite speed during practices, which Noah Whittington described as his superpower. Whittington also praised the dynamic pairing of Hill and another freshman running back, Jordon Davison, calling them a “destructively beautiful” combination of thunder and lightning.
However, it’s important to note that most of these hopes and predictions are based on the potential they possess rather than the results they have demonstrated so far. Focusing on what we got on the plate, insider Spencer McLaughlin said, “I thought the running game had some nice moments. I didn’t think it was anything spectacular. I thought the offensive line played better than I expected them to. I expected them to give the mixing and matching that always goes on in a spring game format. But also just shout out to Dan Lanning and the staff, not just for having the spring game, but making the format simple.”
However, in a room full of untested talents, the Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes deserves a special shout-out. There is no one but him who convinced McLaughlin as a future leader of the position group. “Coming into the spring game, I expected Makhi Hughes, who we didn’t see a ton from, and I think he looked fine. I didn’t still expect him to be a thousand-plus yard rusher this year,” the insider quickly checked his hopes. ”They worked in a lot of other guys, like Dierre Hill saw a good amount of run.”
Makhi is likely the most underrated player the Ducks have ever encountered in the transfer portal. He anticipated being a ready-to-go starter at running back for the Ducks. He’s someone who prefers to put his head down, stay quiet, and focus on his work. However, regarding the spring season, McLaughlin did not observe any standout qualities that would inspire hope.
“I thought Hughes looked solid. But definitely didn’t wow me with anything. Didn’t have a huge opportunity to necessarily. Only getting a handful of touches. I think that’s really the biggest takeaway with the running backs here. But yeah, going into the game, I expected Hughes, no Whittington, to be the starters,” the Ducks insider spoke sense.
With a mediocre leader in the house, the Ducks still need some firepower in the backup. Is the returning co-lead, Noah Whittington, on the call? Well, yes. “I still think that’s the case,” Spencer hinted at some unfinished portal hunt, ‘‘I wonder if a third guy gets involved, whether it’s Jaden Lamar or if he’s more of a special team’s player as he was last year.”
No matter at what cost, Lanning needs to make sure the RB room leakage won’t cripple his quarterback room. After all, it has a massive $341K gamble to settle the score with.
Dan Lanning put Dante Moore through a big test
Lanning and his team bet a dime on Dante Moore, the QB1, in 2025. The Oregon head coach slept on the QB hunt in the portal. While rival teams closely monitored the top-tier quarterbacks entering the portal, Lanning maintained confidence in his veteran QB, Dante Moore, following Gabriel’s costly move to the NFL. They have deployed him twice and poured in a massive $341k even before he could contribute to a single game. The motive? Simple. It would create a huge moral and financial burden on his shoulders to pay back.
He couldn’t do it last year, as Gabriel was on a mission. So, Moore, in his third year, is bound to make some strides under the center. According to On3’s J.D. PicKell, “Oregon knows quarterbacks. Dan Lanning knows quarterbacks based on his track record, and they love Dante Moore.” There have also been talks about Moore garnering some early Heisman hype. If the hype translates into reality, the Oregon offense can be a real force against the rivals.
The sophomore QB racked up a total of 1659 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions in his two years at Eugene. But with his standout skill, he is screaming more. The kid is just an inch away from a perfect opportunity to hit a banger. Lanning ensures that room for him.
“They’ve recruited him twice and then paid him to sit out a year. You know how much you’ve got to be in on a quarterback to pay them — I have to believe a pretty good sum of money — to watch somebody else play quarterback while you’re paying the starting quarterback as well on Dillon Gabriel?” PicKell continued, “You’ve got to like Dante Moore.” Even if you don’t like it, watch him out for his graph taking a drastic turn, given the RB room falls into sync.
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