Dan Lanning gives take on state of Oregon throughout offseason

Dan Lanning’s first offseason as head coach of the Oregon Ducks hasn’t been quite as difficult a transition as some may think, but his team’s attitudes and abilities on the practice field this summer has given him the confidence needed to start the 2022 season off with guns blazing – and according to Lanning, that’s the way it should be.

“[Oregon] is a top-10 program and I knew that before I ever got here, but this was a special place but reflecting on this summer, you get a little bit of time off and I’ve just absolutely fallen in love with this place,” Lanning said. “… Our players have been working their tails off this summer. That’s one thing about being a college football player.

“In today’s day and age, you don’t get a lot of time [off], and you have to work really, really hard and our players realize that it’s hard work, and I’m grateful for them for what they put in. The sweat and the budget that’s required to be successful in college football, and the margin of error is so small one thing we talked to our team about yesterday, you know, it’s really an excerpt from the book, the energy bus, we talked about e plus p equals O. So events, plus your perception of those events, equal outcomes, and I think our players have really operated with that growth mindset this offseason.”

Lanning said his team has done a wonderful job of handling any adversity thrown at them throughout the spring a summer. With fall training camp underway now as well, the Ducks’ ability to control themselves in the face of that same adversity will predicate the outcome Oregon’s season during year one of the Lanning era.

With under one month until Oregon kicks off their 2022 campaign, Lanning’s faith in his team’s abilities on the field should breed credence – enough so for his team to double down and take the Pac-12 crown back for themselves, effectively winning the conference championship in three of the past four seasons.

“They’ve done a great job of you know, controlling the controllables focusing on the things that they can control, and then more importantly, controlling how they perceive those events and how that relates to outcomes,” Lanning said. “But with that being said, we’re about to crank it up. I think every one of us is really excited to get there. Get out there on the football field, get to work. I know our players are juiced, they have a lot of energy and they’re ready to go. Get out there firsthand and play some ball.”

Lanning’s Oregon debut will os set for Sept. 3 in Atlanta when he faces off against his former team in the Georgia Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET when the Ducks and Bulldogs face off in Mercedes Benz Stadium.