Autzen Zoo
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Elevating Oregon football with a new tradition

ByDale Bliss|
Oregon coach Dan Lanning has been very intentional about inviting alumni back into the program and connecting current players and recruits with the Pro Ducks. Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Ore.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning has been very intentional about inviting alumni back into the program and connecting current players and recruits with the Pro Ducks. Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kayvon Thibodeaux was back in Eugene this weekend and while he was here, he shared some techniques and pro-level pass rush moves with Matayo Uiagalelei.

The two first-round draft picks, past and future, hit Autzen Stadium for some drill work. UIagalelei, an accomplished pocket-destroyer in his own right, took some tips on leverage and advanced moves, working off pads, improving their hand-fighting.

Uiagalelei led the Big Ten in sacks during the regular season with 10.5 as a sophomore. Entering his junior year, he's taking aim at the Oregon single-season record, 13, set by Ernest Jones in 1993, tied by Nick Reed in 2008.

Thibodeaux's visit underscores a change Dan Lanning made when he took over the program. He's made a conscious, consistent effort to involve alumni. At his first spring game in 2022, the honorary coaches were De’Anthony Thomas, LaMichael James, Arik Armstead and Haloti Ngata.

Meeting the media afterward Lanning said, “But having those guys back – so special and important to us. Those guys are, obviously, phenomenal Duck football players, but they’re better human beings. Just getting to spend time around them – they’re great representatives of what it means to be an Oregon Duck.”

All the current guys want to make it to the league. It's a powerful moment when they get to meet players they grew up watching, players who succeeded at a high level. Even more amazing when they get to dig down and develop new skills and techniques, work one-on-one.

As Lanning continues to send players to the League, that legacy builds on itself. It establishes Oregon as a play you go to get developed.

He's sent 10, eight and six draft picks to the NFL in his first three seasons. This year the Ducks could have as many as four first-round draft picks, after Derrick Harmon and Josh Conerly signed lucrative first-round deals this year.

It makes the pride in the uniform a real and tangible thing, inviting young players the opportunity to ask themselves, what does it mean to be great?

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