EUGENE - Oregon is not pretending last January’s Peach Bowl collapse never happened.
Dante Moore made that clear Monday, and the Ducks’ quarterback didn’t sound interested in rehashing the past. He’s already moved on from the 56-22 loss to Indiana that ended Oregon’s national title chase.
“That day is in my past,” Moore said during Monday’s media day in the Club at Autzen. “I watched the film, learned from my mistakes.
Got to move on now. I don’t take it as a loss.
I take it as a lesson.”
That’s the tension hanging over Oregon as fall camp opens Wednesday: forget the sting, keep the lesson. The Ducks are heading into one of the most anticipated seasons in program history, bringing back 14 starters from a team that finished two wins short of the school’s first national championship.
They also have Moore back instead of watching him head to the 2026 NFL Draft, and they return eight defensive starters. Put that together, and expectations around Eugene have climbed to a level Oregon hasn’t really seen under Dan Lanning.
Lanning has already built a powerhouse, posting a 48-8 record with two playoff berths over his first four seasons. But even with all that success, this group stands apart in a few key ways.
The Ducks did lose several starters, including seven players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Still, Lanning said the talent level in the room is right there with last season’s team. The bigger change, he said, is the experience that comes with all those returning players.
That experience has helped shape a team that feels more player-driven, with a core of vocal leaders setting the tone. Center Iapani Laloulu, tight end Jamari Johnson and defensive ends Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei are among the players expected to keep the group steady through the highs and lows.
“Certainly, our players have taken a big role this summer,” Lanning said. “I expect them to continue to take a big role through fall camp and throughout the season.”
That leadership has already mattered during spring work and offseason workouts, and now it will be tested when the pace picks up this week.
For Lanning, camp won’t be measured by hype. It’ll be measured by growth, consistency and whether the Ducks are actually learning from the mistakes that cost them last season.
“For us, it’s improvement, right?” he said.
“Were guys stepping up? Are guys making the same mistakes twice?
Again, do they understand the concepts that we’re trying to institute? Do our coaches really get comfortable in the roles that they’re wearing?”
Oregon is also leaning into a Harada Board as part of its approach. The Harada Method is a Japanese system built around reaching meaningful goals through disciplined daily practice, and Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani famously used it while growing up in Japan.
Lanning said the Ducks are using that framework to stay focused on the process.
“I think that’s something that we’re really focused on: OK, what do we want to accomplish?” Lanning said. “And what can we do today to get there?”
During a recent retreat, a leadership group created a board for the team, while some players made individual boards of their own. If everything breaks right, Oregon could end the year with the biggest prize in the sport.
But the players know that chasing that kind of finish means using last season’s disappointment the right way. Not as a weight. As fuel.
“You’ve got to look at it as motivation, but you can’t be too hung up on it,” safety Aaron Flowers said. “It’s still a game in the past.”
The Indiana loss made one thing painfully clear: even with Oregon among the final four teams deep into the season, there was still another level to reach. That realization has stuck with this group.
“We kind of look at it as a way to learn,” Tuioti said. “The game didn’t end the way we wanted.
As a defense, we take it, and we continue to grow from it. That’s something that excites us now.”
In Other News...
Dan Lanning Is Building Oregons Next Recruiting Advantage
Oregons push to stay ahead off the field is taking shape in a big way, with the football program expanding its facilities to roughly 500,000 square feet from a current building footprint of about 150,000. For Dan Lanning, the project is about more than adding room. It is part of the Ducks effort to keep upgrading the player experience and the day-to-day operation around a program that has long sold itself as forward-thinking in college football.
Construction is still underway, so Oregon has been juggling practice time at Autzen Stadium, the Moshofsky Center and outdoor fields in the meantime. Even with the temporary setup, the broader message is clear: the Ducks are trying to turn infrastructure into a recruiting edge, and Lanning wants the program to remain one of the sports standard-bearers for innovation. [Read more 🡒]
Dana Altman Just Gave Oregons Frontcourt A Big Boost
Oregons frontcourt got another jolt this week when Arkansas transfer Malique Ewin joined the roster after the NCAA granted an additional season of eligibility to the 2022 recruiting class. Its the latest sign that Dana Altman is not just patching holes inside, but reshaping the Ducks entire interior rotation with a mix of experience and size.
Ewin brings a well-traveled rsum that includes stops at Ole Miss, JUCO, Florida State and Arkansas, and his college path has been marked by steady growth along the way. With Sean Stewart already back and several other forwards and centers added, Oregon suddenly has the look of a team that expects its frontcourt to be a strength rather than a question. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Young Secondary Could Become A Real Strength Fast
With fall camp approaching, Oregons secondary is drawing more attention than it usually would for a group this young. The Ducks are bringing back All-American cornerback Brandon Finney Jr., while freshman Jett Washington and transfer Koi Perich give Dan Lanning a mix of proven talent, raw upside and flexibility that could make the back end of the defense a fast-moving project once practices begin.
Lanning has been encouraged by what he has seen from that group, pointing to their physical tools and the way they approach getting better. Washington and Perich are in position to push for immediate roles in the secondary, with Washington also a candidate to help on special teams and Perich offering versatility from his previous experience. If the development comes quickly, Oregon may not have to wait long for this unit to become a real strength. [Read more 🡒]