Meeting the media after the first of Oregon's 15 spring practices, Dan Lanning said, " I haven't been around a lot of day ones that weren't great, but our guys did a good job. They're playing with great energy and enthusiasm, some early mistakes, but we've also had a lot of time to prep for practice one."
Two things stood out about the Ducks first day, which was closed to reporters and the public but featured a 14-minute talk from the head coach, the first time he's answered questions since the loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
1. The Ducks are committed to playing actual football at the Spring Game
Lanning said, "I think it's the best way for us to get better. We're absolutely gonna have a spring game and play football. Just mentioned new faces, I think that's a great opportunity to create; Autzen is one of those places where we have a spring game, it's a game day environment. Creating that environment for those players, the competition that exists in that, and just our fans and what they bring to that, I think, is a huge piece. So for me, it's the right way to cap off a spring. And as long as I'm here, we'll be doing spring games."
This was great news for Duck fans. The Oregon tradition of the food drive, the Salute to the Troops, and the first look at the new squad has averaged about 40,000 fans every season since it was started in the Chip Kelly era, with another strong audience on conference network television. As Lanning said, young players get a feel for the gameday atmosphere at Autzen, while fans get a taste of football and get to know newcomers from the portal and the risers on the depth chart.
It's heartening to hear the coach double down on playing actual football to cap off spring practice, as several programs around the country have wussed out on this subject: Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas, Ole Miss, Washington and USC are all going to some sort of "fanfest" experience out of injury and tampering concerns.
They're passing off junk sport extravaganzas like tug of wars and combine drills as a first look at the football team. It's embarrassing. Hearing Lanning honor a tradition and choosing competition over fear and anxiety reflects the bold, forward-looking identity of the program at a school that strives to be like Steve Prefontaine: Run from the front and run to win.
2. Dillon Thieneman has already emerged as a leader and pacesetter on defense.
Lanning said, "He's a dynamic player on film, and when you meet his family, unbelievable family, a guy that is infatuated with football, right? And infatuated with the extra work. You know, there's probably not a day that goes by that Dillon's not in the weight room, getting bonus work, doing extra rehab, getting extra film, his intelligence, all those things are really picking up.
Establishing some standards for the DB group and how they're going to operate. I think he's done a great job of that, and I know he's not satisfied. So I love having players here that aren't satisfied, they're looking to get better and improve. I think he saw what Oregon could bring him, and I know he's going to bring a lot to Oregon."
Thieneman came to the Ducks from Purdue in the transfer portal, where he racked up 210 tackles in two seasons, and was a freshman All-American in 2023 when he snatched six interceptions as a free safety. He has NFL work habits.
In sports, it's always a powerful asset when the best player on your team is the hardest worker on your team, and that's what the Ducks appear to have in the 6-foot-0, 207-pound transfer from Westfield, Ind. It's critical this season because Chris Hampton will have an extremely young but prodigiously talented group in the secondary loaded with four- and five-star athletes who haven't played much. Thieneman sets the tone and the standard of preparation. He'll direct traffic and clean up mistakes.
Last year, the Ducks ranked 25th in the country in passing defense. They looked absolutely mediocre and exploitable in the Rose Bowl after giving up 38 points to Penn State in the Big Ten Championship. They gave up an appalling 1023 yards of offense in those two games, 79 points, far short of a championship level, a shocking fallback.
In Thieneman, Bryce Boettcher, and Matayo Uiagalelei, the Ducks have leaders at every level of the defense. This could be a unit that has teeth, with a real chance to upgrade if that core of leadership can elevate the recognition and assignment discipline of their fast, gifted young teammates.