<a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/oregon-ducks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oregon</a> finished its season on a high note, defeating <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/north-carolina-tar-heels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Carolina</a> in the Holiday Bowl and putting a nice cap on Year One of <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/coach/dan-lanning-134322/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dan Lanning</a>. Considering the opening blowout against Georgia, the Ducks were able to respond well and put together a 10-win season.



ESPN analyst <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/greg-mcelroy-46902/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greg McElroy</a> believes Oregon is heading in the right direction under Lanning. Quarterback <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/bo-nix-11186/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bo Nix</a> was a nice surprise throughout most of the year, having them in College Football Playoff conversations for a short while. With him returning, there’s reason to believe in what’s happening in Eugene.



“I think it’s time to be very optimistic about what Dan Lanning has got going,” McElroy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa2tIzDCSb4&list=PL87LlAF-2PIwv61zy0g20RQH4oZY8QLM4&index=9&ab_channel=ESPNCollegeFootball" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>. “They withstood what was a disappointing Week 1 game, got hot. Bo Nix got a little banged up, didn’t great down the stretch, did okay.”



Stacking talent is how any program is going to have continued success. Lanning knows firsthand, being the defensive coordinator for <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/georgia-bulldogs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Georgia</a> and helping head coach <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/coach/kirby-smart-134971/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kirby Smart</a> put together some monster recruiting classes.



Lanning is trying to replicate the feat out west with Oregon and got off to a solid start with the 2023 cycle. McElroy also points out landing national recruits could have been difficult for the Ducks with the future of the Pac-12 hanging in the balance.



“Lanning goes out, lands the No. 8 recruiting class in the country,” McElroy said. “Clearly, things are going in the right direction if you’re Oregon. Especially knowing some of the uncertainty that surrounds Oregon. ‘Are they going to be in the Pac-12? Are they leaving?’ To go out and land a top eight class, got to feel good how Dan Lanning attacked it on the recruiting trail.”



Of course, McElroy is using ESPN’s recruiting rankings for Oregon’s class number. According to the On3 Consensus, the Ducks finished with the <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/oregon-ducks/football/2023/commits/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">No. 9 ranked class</a>. So, still inside the top 10 and highest in the Pac-12. Not shabby for a first-year head coach in Lanning.



Some talent has been brought in through the <a href="https://www.on3.com/transfer-portal/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NCAA transfer portal</a> as well. Lanning still has deep ties in the SEC and has cashed in on some high-level players wanting to head to the Pacific Northwest. Alongside the freshmen, a huge transfer talent influx will be heading into the program.



Oregon will have the opportunity to accumulate early-season momentum, mainly due to Georgia not being on the schedule. A road game against <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/texas-tech-red-raiders/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Texas Tech</a> will be the main nonconference showdown, where Lanning will be looking to showcase what the Ducks could look like in Year Two.

Oregon Ducks Football

Oregon

ESPN analyst says Oregon headed in the right direction under Dan Lanning

Big Ten Conference

Organization Logo

Teams

Fan Sites

Forums

Shows

team-link

College Football News

College Football Player Rankings

College Football Rankings

College Football Playoff

College Basketball News

Women's Sports

College

NIL News

NIL Valuation

NIL Deals

NIL Deal Tracker

Sports Business

Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal

Transfer Portal Rankings

Transfer Portal Team Rankings

Transfer Portal

NCAA Transfer Portal Home

Football Recruiting

Basketball Recruiting

Database

Team Rankings

Player Rankings

Industry Comparison

Commitments

Recruiting Prediction Machine

Recruiting

High School News

Schools

High School Search

Rankings

High School Rankings

Scores

High School Scores

High School

NFL Draft

NFL Draft News

Draft By Stars

College Draft History

College Draft Totals

NBA Draft

NBA Draft News

Draft

NASCAR

Culture

Sports Betting

About

On3 App

Advertise

Press

Contact

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

News

Roster

Schedule

Oregon Draft History

[site-name] Draft History

Transfers

FB Recruiting

BB Recruiting

Fan Site

Team Store

team image

Oregon Ducks

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

ESPN analyst says Oregon headed in the right direction under Dan Lanning

2026 All-America Team

5-Star Countdown

Duke, Darian Mensah

NCAA files motion

Bill Belichick