Oregon, quite literally, took to their new habitat in the Big 10 like Ducks to water. Leaving tradition and loyalties at the door upon realigning from the PAC-12 meant they caused a fair amount of unrest within the fanbase. Well, Dan Lanning and Co. quelled any echoes of disdain straightaway. Winning the B1G in Year 1 goes a long way and so does being ranked the No.1 team in the country. However, their invincibility wore off in the most inopportune circumstances. An undefeated Oregon took the short trip to Pasadena after their first-round playoff bye, but Ohio State lay flowers on their proverbial coffins at the Rose Bowl.

Their 21-41 blowout loss was an allegory for the Buckeyes announcing “Welcome to the B1G.” From there on, a simmering uncertainty around Eugene has boiled over, and offensive coordinator Will Stein is fanning the flames of this uncertainty. Throughout the Dan Lanning era, Oregon has been knocking on the door but last season felt like the time they were finally going to burst through. Another season-ending somewhat prematurely, on a whimper, has fueled an underlying notion. Will Oregon forever remain bridesmaids, never the bride?

It’s not for a lack of trying. They’ve been competitive with the traditional bluebloods in terms of recruitment. Those Phil Knight-Nike dollars haven’t been in vain. Lanning consistently has a top-ranked recruiting class. That said, Will Stein didn’t come across as too confident during his spring presser post practice #2 in terms of the personnel he has at his disposal. Stein’s comments about his offense are a bit of a concern. What did he say?

Coach Stein was asked “what stands out” about his offense. In response, he stated: “I think it’s kind of the same thing. We added guys to our roster that had experience at other places, but not having experience in this offense and here at Oregon. It’s like a weird veteran team. Because there’s not a lot of production, but there are guys that have played a good amount of football. So it’s going to be a challenge to get guys ready to go by September, but I’m looking forward to it,” as reported by GoDucks on YouTube.

The nature of CFB means players are on a perpetually revolving carousel. Graduates and NFL prospects hop off, and freshmen hop on instead. Oregon’s 1-year stop-gap with Dillon Gabriel at QB was a success. He is now gone. Their top WRs Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden are gone too. Leaving the receiving Corp. may be void of some quality, and certainly void of experience. The Ducks’ faithful are well aware of this turnover in their roster. They’re also aware the picture 2026 looks great. But this next season may involve some growing pains. Even a possible downturn in their graph under Dan Lanning.

“You know, we have some kids at wide-out that have shown the ability to make plays here in Oregon. But might not have the numbers that a Tez or Traeson or Troy Franklin had, but I believe in them. I think they are really really good players,” said Stein.

The Ducks’ modus operandi under Will Stein and Dan Lanning has been utilizing their talent on the perimeter. With the QB situation unclear in itself, this accentuates the need for a potent receiving corp. Speaking of which, did Will Stein have an update on who’s trending toward being QB1 and succeeding Dillon Gabriel?

Will Stein confronted about who he and Dan Lanning see as Dillon Gabriel’s successor…

Eugene has seen more 5-star walk-through campus than downtown LA over recent years. Dan Lanning has been a force while recruiting, and his magnetism has been reciprocated. One such 5-star prospect is Dante Moore, who epitomizes the allure of playing for Lanning and Oregon. Moore started 5 games as a true freshman for UCLA. He was poised to be their QB1 in 2024 after he recorded only 53.5 percent of his passes for 1,610 yards as well as 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Yet, he transferred over to the Ducks despite Dillon Gabriel’s presence. Dante Moore has waited enough and is ready to get his time in the sun. But will he be presented the chance?

Will Stein was questioned about an update on the quarterback situation now that a couple of spring practices have played out. The others vying for a spot atop the depth chart are mainly Austin Novosad and Brock Thomas. Both have more seniority, but maybe not as much in terms of skill. Stein referred to the QB battle as “challenging at times, in a good way.”

He proceeded to say: “These guys have been professional from day one. They attacked us all season like champs… I think the sky’s the limit for that group. I do feel like we have guys in there that can win games for us. We’ll figure out over the next five, six months [who’s] going to be running out against Montana State.” Tight-lipped as ever, giving absolutely nothing away.

The consensus feeling remains that Dante Moore will indeed be Dan Lanning’s next signal caller. He hopes to build upon the foundation that Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel have set. Albeit his supporting cast may, in the assessment of his own OC, lack the requisite experience.

But the mighty Ducks have shown they’ve got more than one way to get points on the board. Building chemistry and getting reps into their QBs and WRs will be vital for Lanning and Stein over the remainder of spring. What do you think?