Oregon's Lanning on Big Ten move: ‘Made the best decision for Oregon’

A day after Oregon accepted its invitation to play in the Big 10 starting in fall 2024 and leave the Pac-12, football coach Dan Lanning had his chance to weigh in on how the decision would affect the Ducks now.

His answer? Not in the slightest.

“Obviously, it’s not our focus right now,” he said. “We have an entire season to play, this is about 2023 season. It’s what we want to attack.”

In the long-term, Lanning said he and his players were excited about the opportunities that await them in the Big Ten, including growing Oregon's national presence in a conference that stretches from coast to coast.

“When you come here, you’re looking for an opportunity to compete against the best,” Lanning said. “It’s no secret that there are great teams and great competition in that league. It’s a league that means more than just football, academically it brings a certain prestige. Also, the fact that it hits every part of the United States is big for us, because we are a team that is a national brand, and we should be seen across the nation.”

Ultimately, the decision brings peace of mind to coaches, players and recruits who were unsure what Oregon’s place at the table would look like with the Pac-12’s monthslong struggle to secure a TV rights deal.

Like USC and UCLA, who will play with Oregon and Washington in the Big Ten next season, the Ducks’ football program finally has some stability and knows what the next few years will look like.

“I was confident from the beginning that our administration and our staff here would make the best decision for Oregon,” Lanning said. “That’s what we did, we made the best decision for Oregon. We have a really clear direction right now. It’s not what-ifs, it’s not the 'where are,' it’s really clear where we are going to be in the future and how we’re set up for the long term.”

Lanning also addressed scheduling, repeating UO athletic director Rob Mullens stance that the Ducks still intend to schedule games with Oregon State each season.

The second-year coach confirmed Oregon would be willing to a home-and-home, if it can be managed.

“Oregon State is a great example of a game that we would love to keep,” Lanning said. “We want to get that opportunity to continue to play against them. It means a lot to the people in this state, that’s something we want. But it’s also a little out of our control now, we have to see how the chips fall.”

As of Saturday, Oregon State, Washington State, California and Stanford are the only teams left in the Pac-12 now that Arizona, Arizona State and Utah are set to leave for the Big 12. Colorado announced its plan to leave the Pac-12 for the Big-12 last month.

Now four days into fall camp, the Ducks are slowly moving closer and closer to opening day against Portland State on Sept. 2 with scrimmages set to intensify and pads coming on.

Still, Oregon is far off from making key personnel decisions or deciding who is and isn’t going to play in less than a month.

“We just need to continue to grow and get better,” Lanning said. “We’re not picking units yet, we’re not quite to that point. We’re still trying to evaluate where guys fit, and we want to play as many guys as we possibly can. We’re trying to figure out who is above the line and who is below the line, and if they’re below the line, can we get them above the line?”

With the beginning of fall camp comes the first look at a new football roster, revealing who is wearing which number for the upcoming season.

There were some normal changes. Noah Whittington went from No. 22 to No. 6. Jeffrey Bassa will go from double-digit No. 33 to No. 2.

Then there's Oregon’s five-star, highly sought receiver, Jurrion Dickey. Look all the way to the bottom of the roster and you’ll find Dickey wearing No. 99.

You read that right. A wide receiver will wear No. 99.

“That’s the number he wanted,” wide receivers coach Junior Adams said. “He wanted 99, so he got 99. If you know Jurrion, that’s Jurrion. I’ve never had a 99 in 20 years, it’s a first.”

Though Dickey was injured during his senior season at Menlo-Atherton in the Bay Area, he finished his prep career with 140 receptions, 2,537 receiving yards, and 42 total touchdowns, and was ranked one of the top receiver recruits in the country.

Dickey joins a crowded room that has some veteran Ducks in Troy Franklin and Kris Hutson, as well as transfer newcomers Traeshon Holden, Gary Bryant Jr., and Tez Johnson.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, women's basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter @AlecDietz.