Oregon’s next wave of recruiting pitch is already taking shape in concrete and steel.
The Ducks are in the middle of building a new practice facility beside the football team’s current home in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, and Dan Lanning says the finished product will give the program a major edge once it’s ready. During Oregon’s media day, the coach talked about how the project is already generating buzz inside the program, even with construction still underway.
“I think ultimately it gets everybody anxious and excited when it is done. Every day you drive up here, and you see it, you're like, ‘I can't wait to be using that thing.’
There's modifications this year, just like there was last year. We do have some temporary fields that we're able to use now out there.
They're not full fields," Lanning said.
For now, Oregon is making do with temporary spaces, but Lanning made clear that the long-term payoff is what matters most. He said the new building is expected to reshape the program and give the Ducks something no one else in the country can match.
“When that's all done, it's going to completely change the program from a standpoint of I think it'll be one of one. I don't think anybody in the nation will have anything quite compares to what we'll have there, and that certainly helps in recruiting," said Lanning. "That certainly helps in development, and that's the goal with that entire facility is to make the best options possible for our players.”
That recruiting angle matters even more in a sport where NIL has changed the landscape but hasn’t erased the importance of relationships, player development and facilities. Oregon is betting that the new indoor space will help on all of those fronts, giving prospects another reason to see Eugene as the place to be.
The Ducks’ track record under Lanning already gives that message some weight. Oregon has been sending players to the NFL Draft at a pace the program has never seen before, and the bar is expected to rise again in 2027. Among the names expected to be selected are quarterback Dante Moore, tight end Jamari Johnson, and defensive linemen A'Mauri Washington and Bear Alexander.
The new complex is built to impress on paper, but the numbers only tell part of the story. The facility will cover 170,000 square feet, making it the largest practice facility in the country for a college football team.
It will also connect with the weight room and recovery areas already in place, while outdoor fields sit next to the indoor building. Oregon is also adding a classroom as part of the project.
Construction was expected to be completed by 2027 when the project was announced, which means Lanning and his staff could be settled in by next fall camp. Until then, the Ducks will continue using the smaller outdoor practice fields available to them and working in Autzen or the Moshofsky Center as they prepare for the season opener against Boise State on Sept. 5.
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