‘We chase and attack those challenges’: Dan Lanning excited with Oregon football’s Big Ten move

It looks like the Oregon Ducks football team is fully embracing the challenge posed by the Big Ten with plenty of enthusiasm. As the Oregon Ducks get set for their first year in their new conference, Dan Lanning, the head coach of the Oregon football team, conveyed plenty of palpable anticipation for the upcoming season.

During Big Ten Media Days, Lanning displayed plenty of interest in what being a member of the Big Ten will mean for the Oregon Ducks football program. 

"This season is a very exciting one for our team," Lanning stated. "Our players have been working their tails off this summer."

If that doesn’t set the tone for the new era of Oregon Ducks football, I don’t know what will. 

Oregon football: Dan Lanning makes it clear he’s thrilled about being in the Big Ten during Big Ten Media Days 2024

But, along with showcasing his excitement about being in the Big Ten, Lanning did also make it clear that the Ducks will be facing some new, intriguing challenges as they move into the new conference. 

"Entering this conference, there's some new challenges that are presented," Lanning explained. “Going through the summer scouting reports, you realize that some of these teams that we are going to get to play, and it's really exciting.”

But, with regards to those challenges, the head coach of the Ducks doesn’t seem all that intimidated. He acknowledged the reality of what the Big Ten will have in store for the Oregon football team, but he also made it clear that he’s looking forward to everything that’s up ahead.

And that includes the challenges in front of him and the Oregon football team.

“I'll tell you here at Oregon, we chase and attack those challenges," Lanning said.

That’s a pretty bold statement, but it’s exactly the sort of bold statement that Oregon football fans should want from the head coach of the Ducks. Lanning seems fully committed to helping this program develop and take on rigorous challenges. So far, it seems to be working. Given that the Ducks are 22-5 through two seasons under Lanning’s leadership, everything seems to be working out up to this point.

And some of that might have to do with the way Oregon seems to be taking a holistic approach to developing its players.

Oregon football offseason preparation is more than just physical training

During his time speaking at the 2024 Big Ten Media Days, Lanning noted an intriguing part of the Oregon football team’s offseason: reading a couple of leadership-focused books. 

“This off-season we spent some time studying a couple of books that hopefully will give us an edge,” Lanning explained. “We studied 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu. We also studied the book 'Hidden Potential' by Adam Grant."

I, for one, am all on board with a complete and thorough approach to developing a team. Taking a strategic approach to helping the Oregon football team improve in a holistic manner is a good thing and multifaceted strategies for team building are also good things.

This is great to see. It’s great to see that the Ducks are investing in themselves as an organization. It’s also great to see that they’re giving back and serving those around them, which is something else that Lanning highlighted.

"Our guys do a lot of projects and community service, working with kids sports, making 230 beds with Sleep in Heavenly Peace for kids that don't have beds, traveling the world, really making an impact," Lanning said.

Shoutout to the Oregon Ducks for giving back all while developing themselves. This program really seems to be in a great spot with Lanning leading things.

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