Dan Lanning has an important task on his hands this season. Oregon is transitioning from having the most experienced starting quarterback in college football for the past two seasons to a third-year player coming off a redshirt year. Dillon Gabriel provided a smooth transition for the Ducks following Bo Nix. Both were Heisman Trophy finalists and also entered their final college seasons with more game experience than any other quarterback in the country. But this year, they have two players who redshirted last season, Dante Moore and Austin Novosad. Their quest to be Lanning’s number QB1 is already underway.

Last Saturday, the Ducks had their spring scrimmage as they continue their preparation for their spring game on April 26. Lanning had a few things to note about the QB competition. He will be hoping to make the best of these chances as he looks to fine-tune their identity ahead of the new season. He’s coming back after a great 2024 record of 13-1, and his time with the Ducks has been marked by annual progress, and he made it clear that he expects more of the same in the coming season.

Lanning appeared on the Bussin’ With The Boys in an April 15 episode and was asked how he continues to instill the culture at the program while dealing with the rising power of the NIL deals. “It’s all part of the deal, and I think we’re just really open and talk to our players about it,” Lanning said.

The head coach then explained how he keeps things in line at Oregon. “Ultimately, to be a successful you better love football, right? You better be infatuated with the process. You can be unbelievably taken care of in college and now in the pros if you attack that every single day. But everybody comes here with talent, right? What are those separating factors? What makes you better than the guy next to you?” Lanning pointed out.

That’s the No. 1 requirement, flat out. He then alluded to Geno Auriemma winning his 12th National Championship in women’s basketball, and how he sets his standards. “What’s going to happen, [is] that standard in practice has to be here (top), because you’re going to fall down a little bit at the level of competition when the pressure is so high.” As Moore could soon turn out to be the starting QB and thereby a key influence on the team, the HC also made it a point to highlight what matters first.

Moore is doing everything he can to stand out and make a strong impression on Coach Lanning. Ahead of spring ball, he dedicated significant time working with the program’s head strength and conditioning coach, Wilson Love. During a recent media session, Moore shared that he’s been hitting new physical benchmarks and pushing himself to new levels.

“Coach Love did a really good job with me. I’m blessed to have him as my strength coach. I really used it more just to get faster, cut down my body fat. I did really good with that. I PR’d my fastest speed this spring. So I’ve been doing really well. Really, it was physically getting my body cut down, but mentally, watching a lot of film, lots of NFL quarterbacks,” Moore said. So he is putting in the extra effort apart from just training, and perhaps that may tilt the scales in his favor.

Moore came into college with the size, arm talent, and football IQ to be an immediate starter at the next level. But he quickly learned during his freshman season that those tools alone weren’t enough to excel. In nine games at UCLA, he threw for 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions while being sacked 16 times. Now, two years later, he enters a quarterback competition with Austin Novosad in Eugene, fully aware that he’ll need to elevate his game to reach the level he’s capable of.

During the conversation on Bussin’ with the Boys, Lanning added, “So, if you practice here all the time (low), you’re never going to reach that standard,” he said. “You’re never going to reach that level that you want to be at on game day,” the HC declared. According to Lanning, you can’t risk it all and take it easy, thinking that you’ll be able to deliver on Saturdays.

Lanning claims that the Ducks are taking that mindset seriously. “Our guys have bought into that process. They’ve bought into wearing full pads at practice, to thud and to tackling, and to being physical. You have to be in love with football to be a part of that.” 

Nothing else should take precedence, which is seemingly the case with former Tennessee QB, Nico Iamaleava.

All of this is especially in light of the wild ride of events that are unfolding at Knoxville, courtesy of Iamleava. They are two guys in the same position, but one is looking at the position while keeping NIL as a priority.

How is Dan Lanning’s move going to affect Iamaleava’s career?

Iamaleava’s camp reached out to Dan Lanning to discuss a possible move before spring practice began. However, not only did Lanning turn down the chance, but he also chose to call Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel and inform him about the situation.

Josh Pate also gave Lanning a pat on the back. “If Lanning did what they say he did… Good for Dan Lanning. Because I can tell you that’s not the only program that Nico’s folks had engaged behind the scenes.”

Reports say that USC and Notre Dame have backed out of the offer. With Oregon clearly starting the fire, making them an immediate red flag for Iamaleava’s team, the QB might not find a program better than Tennessee. Sports Illustrated predicts that UCLA, Tulane, and North Carolina can be probable destinations.

It’s safe to say that Lanning did what was needed, which was a tough call to make on his part. The Sporting News wrote that Heupel now has an easier job of looking for other QBs to replace him, instead of shelling out more money to keep Iamaleava sated. Clearly, one very big reason why Lanning would not want to have him at Oregon is that he might not resonate with his ‘football first’ motto at all. That has shown results in all of the HC’s years at Oregon, and he may not have seen that in the former Tennessee QB.