After a tough Indiana loss, Dan Lanning wasted no time in reshaping Oregon’s 2026 outlook. After losing more than 30 players to the portal, he added 14 more. Dylan Raiola from Nebraska was highly anticipated among the recent additions, but unfortunately, he didn’t have as much impact on the team as everyone might have hoped.

Despite significant portal losses, Dan Lanning and his team are working with a quality-over-quantity approach. The Ducks’ history backs his approach, as he turned portal additions into key performers like Dante Moore and many others. Now, among his recent portal additions, Safety Koi Perich tops the list of On3’s Power Ranking of the top five portal additions.

Dylan Raiola seemed like a perfect fit to hold the first position, as he took Nebraska to their first bowl game since 2016 in the 2024 season. Despite being a freshman, he led the Huskers to two 7-6 seasons. Dante Moore’s return to college could be the reason behind this snub.

On top of that, his broken right fibula, suffered in the 2025 season while playing against USC, forced him to sit out the rest of the season, further adding to the concern. But after developing under Dante Moore and new offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, he might be an enormous asset for Oregon in the 2027 season.

However, even Koi Perich’s hype makes sense. After losing Dillon Thieneman to the NFL draft and Kingston Lopa and Solomon Davis to the portal, Dan Lanning needs a solid boost in his secondary.

Perich comes in with two years of experience at Minnesota, as he posted 128 total tackles (67 solo), one sack, two forced fumbles, four pass breakups, and six interceptions. With that, he was Minnesota’s primary return man on special teams, too, tallying 40 punt returns for 306 yards with 35 kickoffs for 814 yards during two seasons.

Now, with these two defensive tackles, DeAntre Robinson takes up the third spot, coming in from UNC. He recorded 38 total tackles, half a sack, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble in the 2025 season. With two years of eligibility left, he can immediately add depth to Oregon’s defensive line as Terrance Green, Tionee Gray, and Jericho Johnson moved to other teams from the portal.

Offensive tackle Michael Bennett from Yale earns the fourth spot. He played in all 12 games last season, with 839 snaps, and only allowed two sacks and two quarterback hits, along with five hurries that led to just nine pressures. His presence is a great boost for Oregon’s offense. After initially pursuing Jordan Seaton, Bennett takes the place of Isaiah World, Emmanuel Pregon, and Alex Harkey.

Then comes in the last piece, tight end Markus Dixon, who came in from Clemson. With Kenyon Sadiq heading to the NFL and Zach Grace and Vander Ploog entering the transfer portal, Oregon’s offense will benefit from Dixon joining the team. With these critical additions, Oregon also faces a strict schedule.

Dan Lanning’s challenging stretch of schedule

The Oregon Ducks just got their 2026 Big Ten schedule, which brings a tough test. November begins with a road trip to Ohio State, likely a top-10 showdown, followed by a home game against Michigan. The Ducks then travel across the country to face Michigan State before closing the stretch of home games against rival Washington without a late-season bye week.

Dan Lanning’s team also faces a tough stretch of away games. Their Week 4 game against USC is complicated, followed by their lone bye in Week 5. The major challenge comes in Week 2 at Oklahoma State. That might be a considerable strain on the team. Now, the game might seem easy, but Chip Kelly’s offense might put instant pressure on Dan Lanning’s team.

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The USC game brings in the real test; even Big Ten Network host Dave Revsine highlighted the same.

“For their schedule, I look to that Sept. 26 game against USC,” Herron said. “Because it’s going to be a game where not only is Dante Moore on the field, but you’re going to have Jayden Maiava out there as well, two of the most productive quarterbacks in the country from last season.”

The only relaxing time comes in late October with a home game against Northwestern. So, it’s pretty clear this year’s slate is very demanding and filled with ranked opponents. Now, let’s wait and see how Dan Lanning and his team face this challenging schedule.