This off-season feels different than previous years under Head Coach Dan Lanning. For the last three seasons, rematches have kept Lanning and the Ducks from a shot at their ultimate goal, and in the little media availability Lanning has had since Oregon’s loss to Indiana, it is clear Lanning is making some changes. Our Mr. FishDuck took a pause from his fun at Casino Captain Cooks to share with me how he is also noticing some subtle changes by our head coach to watch further in this off-season.
It is important to note, though, that Lanning is not making sweeping wholesale changes and nor does he need to; he has five losses in the last three seasons and only eight losses total. He wins the vast majority of his games.
Roster Movement
This has been the largest exodus in players from Oregon’s roster since 2023, the conclusion of Lanning’s first year as the head coach, which saw 31 players leave. In 2024 and 2025 Oregon lost 18 players in each year. This year Oregon has lost 30 players to the portal. The difference this year is that there are many more names in the portal who were significant contributors over the course of the season.
Terrance Green, Tionne Gray, Ashton Porter, Blake Purchase, Jayden Limar, Cooper Perry and Justius Lowe are just some of the more notable names who have entered the portal. Many of them were in line to become major contributors next year, but with the return of some of Oregon’s established stars, it is no surprise that many of these talented backups have opted for the portal.
But that is probably not the whole story, because under Lanning, Oregon has had many rotational players who could have hit the portal to start elsewhere but opted to stay with the team — in part because Oregon’s NIL structure has been about retaining talent. But this season Oregon has retained a number of stars who would probably be drafted.
Along the defensive line, A’Mari Washington, Bear Alexander, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Teitum Tuioti all return on the defensive line as draft-eligible veterans, and starting quarterback Dante Moore has opted to return when he was considered a surefire Top-5 draft pick.
On the surface it looks like a whole lot isn’t changing in so many starters returning, but the reality is that the mentality of how to maintain the roster has changed. NIL resources are probably being dumped onto these starters to keep them around for another year, and the Ducks don’t have the luxury to pay the second string a fair price, as many were expecting to move into starting roles next year.
A’Mari Washington was a dominant force in the middle of the defensive line and is set to return.
(Photo By: Scott Kelley)
This seniority is probably what is required to win, because all the teams that have won a national championship in the 2020s have had veteran-heavy rosters — more so after the COVID shirt rule that enabled all players to have an extra year of eligibility. 2025 is the last year of the COVID shirt, but veterans still reign supreme on winning rosters because experience and discipline are better than high-potential youth. This is an opportunity for Lanning to bring back the majority of his defense and offense, whereas at the beginning 2025, the Ducks had one of the lowest return rates in the country.
This roster is being built explicitly for a title run. Previous rosters were built to make a run at championships (both conferences and national) but they needed to do something else, too — to create a foundation for Lanning’s program and culture while also fulfilling the “win now” mandate all coaches have to live with today.
The 2026 roster just feels different in its construction. Losing backups hurts but there is also confidence in new stars rising from the past two years of recruiting that have resulted in star-heavy classes.
Schematic Changes Coming?
Oregon’s two new coordinator promotions have officially been announced in OC Drew Mehringer and DC Chris Hampton.
This signals that Lanning doesn’t really want to make complete changes to the way his team operates in terms of scheme. And he shouldn’t; Oregon has lost to only three teams in the last three years, and of those three teams, all have played or are playing in the national championship game.
Chris Hampton has been promoted to full defensive coordinator.
(Photo By: Gary Breedlove)
Beyond the promotions, there is another question. Who is going to fill the roles vacated by these promotions? Mehringer has been a quarterback coach before, so he could slide into former OC Will Stein’s role, but he could also keep coaching tight ends. As for Hampton, it is highly unlikely he changes his positional role away from defensive backs, as that’s the only position he’s coached. But that does mean Lanning will need to hire or promote someone to Tosh Lupoi’s former position of edge rushers or outside linebackers.
Does Lanning promote from within or does he hire from outside? It will be a major question in the coming weeks.
But when next season rolls around, watch to see what these new coordinators do differently from their predecessors, because the Ducks have been a solid Top 10 or even Top 5 team in the country, but they haven’t been elite when it really matters. There are problems on both offense and defense. The Ducks failed to adjust to aggressive defensive fronts this season and the offense struggled against Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin and Texas Tech — all of which boasted strong front sevens. The defense had its own problems over the past few years where strong passing attacks with great quarterbacks have picked apart the Oregon defense.
Change needs to happen and we are only starting to get a glimpse at Lanning’s next evolution as a head coach.
David Marsh
Portland, Oregon
Top Photo By: Scott Kelley
Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in financial technology in SLC, Utah.
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David Marsh is a high school social studies teacher in Portland, Oregon. As a teacher he is known for telling puns to his students who sometimes laugh out of sympathy, and being both eccentric about history and the Ducks.
David graduated from the University of Oregon in 2012 with Majors in: Medieval Studies, Religious Studies, and Geography. David began following Ducks Football after being in a car accident in 2012; finding football something new and exciting to learn about during this difficult time in his life. Now, he cannot see life without Oregon football.