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8 major questions for Dan Lanning and the Ducks to answer this off-season

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December 3, 2022 7:27 am PT

With the way that the 2022 regular season ended for the Oregon Ducks, there are going to be a lot of questions facing the team over the next few months. Of course, regardless of the outcome, there would be questions to answer, but with a pair of losses to your biggest rivals and a blown opportunity to play for the Pac-12 Championship game, it was a rough way to go out.

At the top of the list of things to answer for Dan Lanning and the Ducks is who is going to be the new offensive coordinator now that Kenny Dillingham left to take the head coaching job at Arizona State. Beyond that, who will the quarterback be in 2023? What will the coaching staff look like? Which players will still be around from the 2022 roster?

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Like I said, there’s a lot to get into. Let’s dive into some of the biggest questions that Lanning and the Ducks have to answer over the next few months.

Who plays QB in 2023?

John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

As I mentioned above, this is potentially the biggest question that Oregon will have to answer this offseason, and really, it’s not a question that Lanning has much control over. The real determination is whether or not Bo Nix decides to return to Eugene for another year or not.

Depending on who you ask, you’ll likely get different answers. There are several media members who think that he is going to come back, and several who project he will head to the NFL draft. I personally have been told that Nix is yet to make a decision, and a lot will be determined by his draft status, which is still up in the air. CBS Sports projecting him as a first-round pick earlier this week doesn’t bode well for the camp that wants Nix back in Eugene, but we will see. Who Oregon hires as the next OC also plays a part in this.

If the answer to this question is not Nix, then it will be interesting to see where Oregon goes from there. Is 5-star Dante Moore good enough to start as a true freshman? Does Ty Thompson stick around for another year in Eugene? Do the Ducks bring in another transfer portal QB to contend for the job?

All of those things are possible, for certain. This is the biggest question mark for Oregon in my eyes this offseason, though, and will have huge ramifications for their success level in 2023.

What does the new offense look like?

The answer to this question will obviously go hand-in-hand with who the offensive coordinator will be, so it’s hard to completely answer until we know that information. However, it stands to reason that whoever Lanning hires to be his OC is coming to Eugene with the understanding that things won’t be drastically changed.

Obviously, things worked in Eugene this year. The Ducks ended the year ranked No. 8 in scoring offense, No. 14 in rushing offense, No. 16 in passing offense, and No. 4 in total offense in the nation. It would be a shock to see whomever the new play-caller is come to the Ducks and try to implement a new scheme that looked much different than the HUNH system that worked under Kenny Dillingham. What wrinkles they bring, though, will be fun to see.

Is the NFL exodus abundant?

(AP Photo/Young Kwak)

There are currently a handful of players on Oregon’s 2022 roster who I feel confident about going on to the NFL Draft this year and taking their game to the next level. There are several more who could potentially choose to end their collegiate careers early and head on to the next level as well.

Veterans like Jordon Riley, DJ Johnson, Alex Forsyth, TJ Bass, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Ryan Walk, Chase Cota, and Bennett Williams will all be gone because of eligibility reasons. You can add players like Christian Gonzalez, Noah Sewell, and Brandon Dorlus to the list of players who will likely test their draft stock as well. Will that list grow, though?

We already touched on the decision from Bo Nix. What about Jamal Hill, or Casey Rogers? What about Taki Taimani, or Steve Stephens IV? There are a lot of core players on this roster who could decide not to stick around for one more year in Eugene. If they choose to move on, the Ducks could struggle to replace them.

Is the transfer portal a net-positive or net-negative?

A lot of players are going to choose to enter the transfer portal and leave Eugene this season. A lot of players are also going to land with the Ducks out of the portal as well. That’s just the nature of the game in today’s version of college football. We’ve already seen it start, with guys like Byron Cardwell, Dont’e Thronton, Jay Butterfield, and Bradyn Swinson announcing that they will enter the portal. What I’m curious to see, though, is whether the Ducks are able to get better through the portal, or if they will get slightly worse.

Like I said, talented players are going to leave Oregon this off-season. For unending reasons, several players were unable to get the playing time that they desired with the Ducks and feel they would be better suited elsewhere in the nation. More power to them, I hope they find the role that they’re looking for. What’s important for the Ducks is that they are able to bring in more talent via the portal than they lost.

It’s going to be impossible to evaluate that this offseason, but we can get a good sense of where Lanning and the Ducks are at based on the players they get out of the portal. I’m excited to see who wants to come play at Oregon.

What’s going to change on defense?

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Lanning has been regarded as one of the best defensive minds in all of college football. He helped lead the Georgia Bulldogs to a national championship in 2021 as the defensive coordinator for one of the best units in college history.

Tosh Lupoi is a multi-time national championship-winning defensive coordinator with the Alabama Crimson Tide, and he’s coached defense at the NFL level.

The talent that Oregon has on the defensive side of the ball, whether it’s Noah Sewell, or Christian Gonzalez, or Brandon Dorlus, is all elite and expected to be seen on Sundays in years. to come.

So why were the Ducks bad on defense in 2022?

I’m not sure I have the answer, but it’s a question that Lanning needs to figure out quickly. Oregon’s offense was among the best in the nation this season, but the defense left a lot to be desired and was often the reason for defeat (see: The Washington game).

Does Lanning need more of his own players to make the defense operate at a higher level? Is a change needed in play calling or scheme? I’m not sure, but it will be interesting to see what changes over the next few months.

Can Lanning put the cherry on top of the 2023 recruiting class?

At the moment, the Ducks have the No. 12 ranked recruiting class in the 2023 cycle.

How much better can it get?

Headlined by guys like 5-star QB Dante Moore, 5-star WR Jurrion Dickey, and 4-star CB Caleb Presley, it’s clear that Oregon has a lot of talent coming to Eugene next season, assuming that the Ducks can sign all of the players who are currently committed. I will be very interested to see over the next couple of months if any other big names are going to be added.

Oregon is said to be in the running to land 5-star OT Kadyn Proctor and 5-star DL David Hicks. Can they get one of those two to flip to the Ducks? What about TE Duce Robinson, or 4-star OL Spencer Fano? How about standout JUCO OT Keyshawn Blackstock?

There are still a lot of big fish on the board in the 2023 recruiting class, and the Ducks might be able to land one. If Lanning does so, it will be the cherry on top of an already impressive class.

What type of overhaul does the special teams see?

We dove into how poor Oregon’s defense was a bit earlier, but now it’s time to look at the special teams. It makes zero sense that they were as bad in 2022 as they were.

Under the previous coaching staff, Oregon’s special teams certainly weren’t good. However, Lanning brought in Joe Lorig from Penn State to overhaul the unit, and a lot was made all off-season about how hard they were working to improve things and turn that into a strength. After the 2022 season, here’s where Oregon ranked nationally in some key statistics:

Net punting: 116
Kick-off Return Defense: 116
Kick-off Return: 109
Punt Return: 96
Punt Return Defense: 116

Obviously, that all has to drastically improve. I’m not sure whether they will make any changes on the special teams coaching staff, but you can bet that new punters and kick-off specialists will be coming to Eugene though the transfer portal. That much is certain.

Does Lanning bring in an advisor?

Dan Lanning had a solid run of aggressive decision making go his way. However, when it started going against him, it went against him in an aggressive fashion.

A lot of fans think that having a veteran presence on the coaching staff in Lanning’s ear offering some advice down the stretch might have been a big help.

That’s not to say that Lanning needs training wheels or anything, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get an experienced coach in the building that can offer some wisdom when times get tough. That’s why a lot of fans and boosters are keen on the idea of bringing in former Florida Gators coach Dan Mullen as the offensive coordinator. We see young coaches surround themselves with experienced assistants and analysts all the time. I’m curious to see if Lanning chooses to do that this off-season.

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