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Earlier this week, the Oregon Ducks announced they will have honorary coaches present for the annual spring game set for April 23 at Autzen Stadium.
In a release, Oregon announced De’Anthony Thomas and Haloti Ngata will be the coordinators for the Yellow Team, while LaMichael James and Arik Armstead will be the coordinators for the Green Team.
It’s a fun wrinkle to the spring game I don’t recall seeing before, but it also highlights the importance of the day for the Ducks, which is something Dan Lanning has stressed since arriving in Eugene.
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That Saturday, which has been dubbed “Duck Day” by Lanning, is meant to be a showcase for the school, and it will be a perfect way to show the numerous recruits that will be in town for Oregon’s exhibition game just what the are in for if they commit to the Ducks.
So far we know a few highly rated recruits who will be in town for the game, headlined by five-star running back Richard Young and five-star defensive lineman Jayden Wayne. As the weeks go on, more will certainly hop on board. It’s all part of Lanning’s plan to attack recruiting in the 2023 and 2024 classes.
“One of the biggest things that we can do as a fan base and as a staff is to focus on getting guys here on the 23rd for our spring game,” Lanning said on national signing day in February. “April 23, 1 p.m., we need to pack the crowd and make Autzen the experience we know it can be. That’s one of the big pieces moving forward, and then just getting these guys on the phone, on-campus, on zooms, and that’s where we’ll attack moving forward.”
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By bringing in former Oregon legends to participate in the game and join in on the fun, Lanning is ensuring that these recruits — and players on the roster who may not be certain about their future in Eugene — see a little bit about what it means to be a Duck, and witness how important a place it was for some of the best players in Oregon history.
Who knows if it will work, or if the recruits on campus for the spring game will even take notice of the Oregon legends they’re standing alongside. What matters is that Lanning is trying, though, and bringing in new ideas and innovations to try and up the Ducks’ recruiting efforts to land some of the top talents in Eugene. At the end of the day, that’s what is most important of all.
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