Dan Lanning reveals Dakoda Fields was a no-call, no-show

Apparently the Transfer Portal has brought "quiet quitting" to college football.

In his Wednesday press availability Dan Lanning expressed both surprise and resignation in the way cornerback Dakoda Fields chose to leave the Oregon football team.

"He didn't come to work today. We haven't talked to Dakoda. I guess that's the way it goes nowadays," Lanning said.

A four-star recruit in the class of 2024 from Compton, California, Fields suffered a knee injury as a true freshman and did not play last season, limited to three games this year behind a stellar group of cornerbacks that have vaulted the Ducks to the nation's No. 1 pass defense.

They've been so good that true freshman Brandon Finney has been named a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award after limiting opponents to three catches in 18 targets, a pass rating of 16.4.

To put that in perspective, Dante Moore's passer rating is third in the country at 171.7. Finney has broken up more passes (4) than he has allowed completions. He hasn't allowed a touchdown while returning an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter in the 30-20 loss to Indiana.

While it's frustrating to work your way back from an injury and every player wants a chance to play, the situation begs the question Nick Saban used to ask when players came to him frustrated about playing time, "Who do you think you're better than?"

Fields definitely has talent, and he'll resurface somewhere and earn a starting job. But the proper way to leave a program is to go to the coach and explain your reasons for leaving and thank him for the opportunity.

If the situation is as Lanning described, this was a poor choice for an exit strategy. Even so, Duck fans wish the young man well and good luck in his new opportunity.

At Oregon under secondary coach Chris Hampton, the standard of competition is incredibly high. In 2025 he brought in Finney, Na'eem Offord, Trey McNutt and Dorian Brew, plus Jadon Canaday, Theran Johnson and Dillon Thieneman from the transfer portal. Together they're allowing opponents 125 passing yards a game.

Seeing the field in that group demands a standard. It's a tough environment to compete for playing time. Sometimes a reset just makes sense.