Oregon’s biggest personnel puzzle before camp opens is right there in the trenches.
Dan Lanning and offensive line coach A’lique Terry have to sort out three open spots on the line before the 2026 season kicks off against Boise State. With Isaiah World, Alex Harkey and Emmanuel Pregnon all off to the NFL, the Ducks are trying to piece together the left tackle, left guard and right tackle jobs around returning center Iapani "Poncho" Laloulu and right guard Dave Iuli.
The key question isn’t just who starts. It’s who gets the most work early and gives Oregon the best shot to build chemistry fast. The Ducks have some linemen who can move around, but the ideal scenario is finding the best five and letting them settle in before the season starts to get real.
That matters because Oregon may not have the luxury of sorting it out on the fly for long. A road trip to USC is waiting in Big Ten play, and that kind of early test can expose any uncertainty up front.
Spring gave a few clues, though nothing close to a final answer. Freshman Tommy Tofi and redshirt freshman Douglas Utu both got chances in the spring game, and Oregon kept shuffling combinations throughout the exhibition.
Utu is one name to watch at left guard, where he could help stabilize the interior next to Laloulu and Iuli. Other guard options in the mix include Trent Ferguson, Kawika Rogers and Demetri Manning.
At tackle, the spring game featured Fox Crader, Zac Stacausky, Ziyare Addison and Michael Bennett, which at least offers a window into how the staff is sorting the depth chart. The bigger question now is whether Crader and Stacausky are the pair Oregon wants on the edges, with Crader protecting the blindside of quarterback Dante Moore.
There’s also the possibility that freshmen Tommy Tofi and Immanuel Iheanacho push their way into the rotation before long.
And while the offensive line is the clearest offseason headache, it’s not the only one on Lanning’s plate.
Oregon was hit hard by injuries in 2025, especially in the running back room during the College Football Playoff. That could shape how the Ducks handle workload in 2026 if the season stretches into another month. Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. may have shorter leashes to help keep them healthy, while Simeon Price and Da’Juan Riggs could see more carries in games that are less competitive.
The secondary brings its own set of decisions. Brandon Finney Jr. and Ify Obidegwu appear positioned to keep their cornerback jobs, but the safety spots are less settled. Aaron Flowers and Minnesota transfer Koi Perich are the names to watch there, and the nickel role still needs to be sorted out.
With talent spread all over the roster, Oregon now has to decide how to divide the reps and keep its younger players moving forward while the staff sorts out the lineup.
In Other News...
Dan Lanning And The Ducks Face Their First 2026 Big Test In Chicago
The Big Tens annual media days bring a familiar kind of preseason stagecraft, but for Oregon this week in Chicago it also marks the first real conference spotlight of 2026. Dan Lanning will meet the press at the Hilton Chicago alongside players Dante Moore, Jamari Johnson and Teitum Tuioti, with the Ducks represented across the event as the leagues coaches and players spend three days talking through the issues that tend to shape a season before it starts.
For Oregon, the setting matters because these sessions are where the bigger questions start to take form, from College Football Playoff expectations to conference scheduling and the broader direction of the sport. Lanning will get the main room, while Moore, Johnson and Tuioti handle their own podium turns, giving the Ducks a chance to frame their own message before the seasons pressure really arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Charlie Bird Had One Surprising Realization About The Oregon Duck
Charlie Birds time as BYUs mascot gave him plenty of chances to cross paths with other college football icons, but one of the most memorable came at an ESPN College Football Awards show. Bird said he ended up in a dance-off with the Oregon Duck, a performance that fit the mascots long-running reputation for being one of the sports most entertaining sideline acts.
The Duck has only added to that image lately, including a viral Autzen Stadium entrance in a Labubu costume that kept Oregon in the conversation well beyond game day. It also tracks with the broader way Dan Lanning talks about the program, which he has framed as innovative and built for the Big Ten spotlight, even if the people inside the costume still manage to surprise the folks sharing the stage with them. [Read more 🡒]