Oregon Spring Practice – Syndication Server

Tez Johnson and other Duck receivers adjusting to lefty QB

The ball comes out a bit differently from a lefty QB, but Tez Johnson says Oregon’s WRs are adjusting quickly.

You would think catching a football would be the exact same thing whether is was coming out of the right hand or the left hand, but those who watch baseball know the ball spins differently for a southpaw than it does for a traditional right-hander.

The same goes for a football and the Oregon Duck receivers are adjusting to the differences as the lefty Dillon Gabriel doesn’t spin it as Bo Nix did.

“The rotation is different, but it’s all pretty much just the same. When he (Gabriel) throws it, you just have to go up there and grab it,” Oregon senior receiver Tez Johnson said. “He throws a pretty good ball, though. You just have to know that on the right side, it’s going to drift away from us, and on the other side it’s going to drift towards us.”

It’s quite the adjustment, but this is why you have a month and a half of spring practices and fall camp later this year before the actual season begins. From the sounds of it, Gabriel’s passes are hitting their marks.

“It just takes a day or two, just a couple throws to be like ‘Oh okay,'” Johnson said. “More right-hand dominant than the left because the right-handed quarterbacks are gonna hit more on the left hand than the right.”

The Ducks won’t care which hand Gabriel’s passes hit, as long as they stick is all that matters.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Spring Ball Takeaways: New Ducks arrive in Eugene following break

Our major takeaways from the first day of Oregon Ducks’ practice after spring break.

The Oregon Ducks kicked off their second stint of spring football practices on Tuesday afternoon, this time with one fewer position coach and a handful of new players on the roster.

Media members were able to watch as players rolled through from the locker room to the practice field and take attendance of players and make note of the new players. During that time, we were able to note that cornerback Jahlil Florence is still not practicing after undergoing offseason surgery, and cornerback Rodrick Pleasant is also not practicing as he focuses on track and field.

We were also unable to see guys like WR Ryan Pellum, TE A.J. Pugliano, and linebacker Bryce Boettcher, who is with the baseball team currently.

One of the most notable things that we wanted to see at practice was who was going to work with the running backs now that Carlos Locklyn has left Eugene to take a job with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Normally, the RBs work directly in front of media members during special teams drills, but on Tuesday, the team placed them on the far end of the field, about 100 yards away from us.

We were able to identify special teams coordinator Joe Lorig working with the kick returners, but other than that, the other two members of the staff with that group are unable to be identified at this point.

We will talk to head coach Dan Lanning later this morning and try to get more information on the situation.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Dan Lanning stresses effort and technique ahead of Ducks’ second practice

Oregon coach Dan Lanning is looking forward to seeing the steady improvement his team take practice to practice.

No team, not even the Oregon Ducks, will be a finished product on Day 1. They might not have been a finished product last year for the Civil War. It’s a constant state on improvement and that’s what Dan Lanning is ultimately looking for as the 2024 Spring Camp begun Thursday/

“I think effort and technique … and then are you making the same mistakes you made Day 1, right? We’ve got to eliminate those as we go forward but it’s just about constant improvement, constant growth,” he said. “You can’t eat an elephant in one bite, right? It takes one day at a time, a little bit better each day.”

Oregon will need to see that constant growth perhaps a little more quickly in 2024 as the Ducks head into the Big Ten Conference with heavyweights such as Michigan and Ohio State waiting for them on the schedule.

The Ducks have a whole host of newcomers on the 2024 roster, so improvement, growth, attention to detail, and developing team chemistry will be more important than in most seasons.

They do have the talent and the depth to accomplish what most think they are capable of accomplishing, but it won’t come together in a day or a practice. It’ll take a series of practices and games for this group of ducks to become the Ducks and watching that journey will be almost as fun as the games themselves.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Spring Ball Takeaways: Ducks get in some final work before Saturday’s spring game

A few notable players missing, while a pair of important defenders returned to the field for the Ducks on Tuesday.

For the final time before the annual spring game on Saturday, media members were able to watch as the Oregon Ducks practiced and put some last touches on the scheme in a lead up to Saturday.

We largely saw what we’ve seen all spring, with a few notable players absent, and a few notable players returning to the field after missing practices in the past weeks.

The Ducks once again went through stretches, special teams work, and a midline tackling drill that pitted linebackers against running backs, and defensive backs against receivers.

Here are some of the most notable takeaways that we got on Tuesday:

Spring Ball Takeaways: Ducks show offensive looks in 7th spring practice

The Ducks went through the “fast ball” drill on Thursday, giving us the first glimpses of offensive play this spring.

We are now officially at the midway point of spring football for the Oregon Ducks. There are a total of 15 practices, 14 of which come before the annual spring game on April 29th, and the final coming in the days after the scrimmage.

With seven practices now in the books, a lot of consistency is starting to show itself for the Ducks. We’ve seen consistency in the players who are on the field, the rotations that are utilized in drills, and the guys who are stepping up and being vocal at practice.

Once again on Thursday, we got to see the first 15-20 minutes of practice. For the first time this spring, we got to see the fast ball drill, where the team lines up in 11-on-11 and the offense works to drive up the field. Here are some major takeaways from the session.

Spring Ball Takeaways: New trio of scholarship players absent for Ducks’ 6th spring practice

There were a few notable absences among scholarship players for the Ducks at Tuesday’s practice.

After a busy weekend with a lot of eyeballs watching, the Oregon Ducks got to work in a less crowded environment on Tuesday morning, but that doesn’t mean that the intensity was turned down at all.

For the sixth practice of spring ball, we got to see Oregon players who were more in a rhythm, really taking advantage of the practices early this spring to get better in the long run.

Once again, media members got to watch the first 15-20 minutes, taking in stretching, special team drills, and some individual work. Later, we will have the chance to talk to head coach Dan Lanning, as well as WR coach Junior Adams, RB Bucky Irving, S Steve Stephens, and DL Treven Ma’ae.

Here are some of the biggest notes from practice.

Evan Williams talks brotherly influence, leadership, and fitting in as a Duck

Evan Williams has big shoes to fill as Bennett Williams’ younger brother. He’s excited to take on that challenge with the Ducks.

Over the past few seasons in Eugene, safety Bennett Williams rose prominently as one of the notable fan favorites for the Oregon Ducks. His hard-hitting style was appreciated, and the charismatic comfortability shown in front of a camera during media availabilities was always endearing.

Duck fans might have struck gold twice. A season after Williams graduated and left Eugene, another Williams brother has come to Oregon to take his place. Evan Williams, a senior safety, transferred to the Ducks from Fresno State earlier this offseason, and he’s working to get himself acclimated to the area and entrenched in the program.

We got a chance to talk to Williams for the first time on Saturday afternoon following the Ducks’ fifth spring practice of the year. I can happily report that, like his brother, Evan is similarly charismatic and personable.

He discussed what his decision process was like coming to Oregon, how Bennett helped him along the way, and what it’s been like taking over as a veteran leader on the team, despite being one of the new guys.

Here are some of the best quotes from his interview:

Spring Ball Takeaways: Energy, eyeballs ramped up for fifth practice of spring season

There were a lot of spectators and some real energy at Oregon’s practice on Saturday. Here are some of our biggest takeaways.

The spring football season continues for the Oregon Ducks on Saturday morning in Eugene, and there seemed to be some increased energy in the air.

Not only did the Ducks score a big-time commitment from 4-star safety Aaron Flowers on Friday afternoon, boosting their 2024 recruiting class up the rankings, but the players had yet another day in full pads, ramping up the intensity.

Once again, we saw a good amount of stretching, special teams drills, and individual work from Oregon in the first 15-20 minutes of practice. There was an additional 50-75 spectators in attendance as well, with a lot of recruiting visits taking place, and still some coaches in town after the coaching clinic this week.

Here are some of my biggest takeaways from the Saturday morning session.

Photos: Oregon Ducks ramp up intensity at fourth spring practice

With a couple of dozen high school coaches looking on as the Oregon Ducks coaching clinic gets ready to start later in the day, Dan Lanning and his team got down to business on Thursday morning during their fourth spring practice of the year.

We got to see some new quarterback drills and the first good look at offensive line rotations under new OL coach A’lique Terry. Lanning stressed consistent growth over the next several weeks of spring practice, and it looks like they’re getting that with the energy level brought forth by players on Thursday.

Here are some of the best pictures that we got from the day.

Notable quotes from defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi after Ducks’ practice

“We didn’t play well enough,” Tosh Lupoi said of Oregon’s 2022 defense. “We can continue to climb to improve and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

The Dan Lanning era for the Oregon Ducks has brought many great things to the program. However, one of the few downsides of his tenure in Eugene is the fact that he rarely makes his coordinators available to the media. Under Mario Cristobal, we were able to talk to both offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead and defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter each and every week, but under Lanning, that has changed.

The last time that we got to talk to DC Tosh Lupoi was back in August during fall camp. So on Thursday, when he was made available to the media following the Ducks’ fourth practice of the year, there were a lot of questions to ask, and a lot of things to talk about.

Between the frustrating 2022 season defensively, the new players coming in, the new coaches on the staff, and many other things, Lupoi was a busy man answering questions. Here are some of the most notable quotes from him on Thursday.