The Oregon Ducks head into Big Ten media days with the kind of buzz programs spend years trying to build. The 2026 season is almost here, and the conversation around Dan Lanning’s team is already centered on one thing: whether this is the year Oregon finally breaks through and wins its first national championship.
That’s the backdrop as the Big Ten opens its three-day media event on July 28 and runs through July 30. For Oregon, it’s the first real chance to show how the program is thinking about the season and where the biggest pressure points sit.
The schedule alone makes the climb steep. Oregon’s strength of schedule ranks No. 26 nationally and No. 8 in ESPN’s Resume College Football Playoff Index. The Ducks will have to go on the road to face USC and Ohio State, while also welcoming a revamped Michigan team to Autzen Stadium.
Still, this roster feels far more settled than last year’s version. Oregon brings back key contributors, a veteran quarterback and a group of sophomores and juniors who already have postseason experience.
That doesn’t mean the questions are gone. It just means they’re sharper now.
At the top of the list is Dante Moore.
Moore is coming off a season in which he completed more than 70 percent of his passes and threw for over 3,565 yards. Those are the numbers of a quarterback who already looks the part. The next step is the one that separates very good from truly special: can he push into Heisman-level territory?
The flaws are clear, too. Moore threw 10 interceptions across 15 games and was sacked 17 times for a loss of 128 yards.
If he trims those mistakes, the Heisman talk won’t be a stretch. It’s already starting.
Oregon has even leaned into that spotlight. Over the summer, the program rolled out a global marketing push around Moore during the Tokyo Oregon Football Showcase, putting up giant green-and-yellow digital billboards in Tokyo’s Shinjuku and Shibuya districts. The slogan attached to the campaign was simple and catchy: "Yes, There's Moore!"
The Ducks also enter the season with a different look on the sideline. Offensive coordinator Will Stein left to become head coach at Kentucky, and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi departed for the head job at Cal. Oregon responded by promoting from within.
Drew Mehringer, who had been Oregon’s tight ends coach, is now the offensive coordinator. Chris Hampton, previously the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, takes over the defense.
That gives Oregon continuity, but it also hands two assistants a much bigger stage. There’s no easing into it when the expectation is a title run.
Mehringer’s job is especially tricky. He has to move from coaching one position group to running the whole offense - handling the play clock, sequencing, personnel decisions and the way defenses adjust in real time. He also has to build an attack that fits Moore and helps cut down on the interceptions and sacks that showed up last season.
Hampton faces a different kind of challenge. He’ll need to manage Oregon’s aggressive secondary while keeping the front seven’s physical edge intact. He’s already helped build the Ducks’ defensive back room, but calling the entire defense is a different level of responsibility.
Both coaches have called plays before. Doing it in Power Four football, against top-tier staffs, is another matter. How they handle that jump could shape Oregon’s season.
Then there’s Evan Stewart, who may be the most intriguing piece on the roster.
Stewart missed the entire 2025 season after tearing his patellar tendon in June 2025, but he chose to return to Eugene for one more run. That decision matters for Oregon’s passing game and for Stewart’s own NFL Draft outlook.
Before the injury, he was viewed as a possible early-round pick. The ceiling is obvious on film, and his seven-catch, 149-yard, one-touchdown game against Ohio State in 2024 is a reminder of what he can do when healthy.
The issue now is chemistry. Stewart spent 2025 rehabbing on the sideline, which means he and Moore haven’t had much live-game work together. Building that connection before Big Ten play ramps up will be a priority.
If Stewart gets back to his 2024 form, Oregon’s perimeter group could be one of the most dangerous in the country.
In Other News...
Oregon May Have A New Receiver Problem In The Best Way
Iverson Hooks arrives in Eugene with the kind of rsum that makes a transfer worth watching. After a strong season at UAB, the redshirt-senior put together 72 catches for 927 yards and seven touchdowns, production that helped him earn an 82.3 PFF grade and a spot near the top of the returning receiver conversation in the Big Ten.
For Oregon, the interesting part is not whether Hooks can play, but how quickly he fits into a room that already has plenty of options. He is entering his final season of eligibility and joins a group that includes Evan Stewart, Jeremiah McClellan and Dakorien Moore, which gives the Ducks a good problem to sort through as camp unfolds and roles start to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons New Indoor Facility Is Starting To Look Like Something Different
The new indoor training facility rising beside the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex is already starting to feel like more than just another addition to Oregons football footprint. At 170,000 square feet, the building known as 2.MO is taking shape with a curved timber roof, solar panels and a design that leans hard into the Ducks identity while also tying in sustainability features and a modern look for the programs next phase.
Just as important for the day-to-day life around Autzen Stadium, the project is reshaping the area around it with rerouted parkways, added parking and other site changes that will affect how players, staff and fans move through the complex. Inside, the plan is built around athlete use, with a rooftop lounge, a classroom off the field and other football-centric amenities, but the bigger question now is how quickly the rest of the structure comes together as the exterior keeps revealing more of what Oregon has in mind. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Is Suddenly Facing A Huge Decision With Elite Edge Target
Oregons recruiting board is about to get a major test with Darieon Prescott, one of the top edge rushers in the 2028 class, set to make his college choice on July 27. The four-star prospect has narrowed things to Oregon, Notre Dame and Texas A&M, and his announcement will come during a live ESPN commitment show, giving the Ducks a clear sense of where they stand in the chase for one of the cycles most coveted defenders.
For Oregon, the timing matters as much as the talent. Prescott has flashed the kind of disruptive production that makes him a priority target, and even getting to the final three says plenty about how seriously the Ducks are being considered. The only question now is whether Oregon can finish strong in a race that has stayed tight all the way to the end. [Read more 🡒]