Oregon should have a mostly clean bill of health when it opens the season against Boise State on Sept. 5, even if Dan Lanning hasn’t been offering much in the way of updates.
The Ducks’ coach has kept practices closed during fall camp, and that usually means injury news is hard to come by. Still, based on what’s been said over the past five weeks, Oregon appears likely to be in decent shape for the 12:30 p.m. kickoff at Autzen Stadium.
One wrinkle this season: the Big Ten has changed how availability reports work. Teams no longer have to submit unavailable players two hours before kickoff for nonconference games, so there won’t be one this week against the Broncos. For conference matchups, the league will require four updates each week, starting three days out and continuing daily, with the final report coming two hours before kickoff on game day.
Here’s what has been learned about the Ducks’ injury situation so far.
Junior wide receiver Dillon Gresham does not appear close to returning, if he returns at all. He suffered a season-ending neck injury in August 2025, and while he remains on the roster, Lanning has cast doubt on whether he’ll be able to contribute again.
"There's not really a clear indication that Dillon's going to be able to help us here in the future," Lanning said Aug. 6.
"He'll be a part of our team. But from a medical standpoint, I don't know if that's clear that he'd be able to."
There is better news on the offensive line. Fifth-year right guard Dave Iuli, who started all 15 games in 2025, missed spring ball because of a torn triceps and was limited early in fall camp.
But Lanning said Monday that Iuli has "been able to practice for us all week. I feel comfortable that he could play."
Inside linebacker Brayden Platt was also noted as a player to watch. Lanning said after the first week of fall camp that the junior would miss time with an undisclosed injury, and he did not provide a timetable for his return.
In Other News...
Autzen Is Facing A Threat Oregon Fans Never Wanted
Autzen Stadium has long been one of the more accessible places in major college football, where generations of Oregon fans could realistically make a game part of their fall routine. That feeling is getting harder to preserve. Home ticket prices have climbed sharply in recent years, with many games now opening above $100 and the biggest matchups climbing toward the kind of figure that used to sound unthinkable for a seat in Eugene.
For Ducks fans, the concern is bigger than a single expensive Saturday. The worry is that the people who helped build Autzens atmosphere, the longtime loyal crowd that made the place feel different, could slowly get pushed out by rising costs. Oregons success has made home dates more desirable, but it has also made them less reachable for the average fan, and that tradeoff is becoming impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Deep Backfield Could Become A Real Problem For Opponents
Oregons running back room is starting to look like one of the cleaner advantages on the roster as the Ducks turn toward the 2026 season. Sophomores Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison sit at the center of it, but they are hardly alone, with Da'Jaun Riggs, Simeon Price, Tradarian Ball and Brandon Smith all part of a group that gives the staff real options. For a program that has spent plenty of time building around speed and depth, this is the kind of position battle that can sharpen everyone involved before the games even begin.
Dan Lanning has already underscored how much depth and competition matter, especially after the challenges Oregon dealt with last season, and quarterback Dante Moore has echoed that same message from the offensive side. The bigger question now is not whether the Ducks have enough bodies at running back, but how much of that talent can translate into a problem for opponents when the rotation tightens and roles start to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Dante Moore Is Already Giving New Oregon Teammates Real Confidence
Even before the 2026 season gets rolling, Dante Moore is already becoming the kind of quarterback Oregon teammates trust quickly. Coming off a strong 2025 season, Moore has drawn praise for the accuracy and leadership that show up in the little things, the sort of qualities that matter most in a locker room full of new faces trying to settle in. Among them is transfer tight end Andrew Olesh, who arrived from Penn State and is working to build timing with Moore as he tries to carve out a role in Oregons offense.
Olesh enters a tight end group with an opening after the departure of the Ducks top player at the position, and that makes this early chemistry even more important. He is viewed as a potential contributor, but in a new setting, with a new quarterback, nothing is handed out. For Oregon, the encouraging part is that Moore seems to be giving teammates a real sense of stability already, which can go a long way for a pass catcher trying to find his place in the offense. [Read more 🡒]