The 2025 college football season is going to be a big one for the Oregon Ducks. After joining the Big Ten last year, the Ducks wasted no time and ended up winning the conference championship against Penn State (45-37). However, now the pressure’s doubled as the 17 fired-up Big Ten programs, including Ohio State, to whom they lost the Rose Bowl game last season (21-41), are out to take the Ducks down. But there’s one constant for the Ducks, who have been with them since 2022.

And according to Oregon OC Will Stein, Dan Lanning’s leadership has been the driving force behind the Duck’s recent success. Lanning joined the program in 2022, and since then, he’s delivered double-digit wins in every season. In 2023, Lanning’s squad lost the Pac-12 championship game to Washington (31-34). But the loss didn’t hurt them for long, as they made a comeback as the conference champions (13-1, 9-0 Big Ten) in 2024. The fans will expect the same from the HC in the upcoming fall as well. Stein recently shed light on the same during his recent appearance on George Wrighster’s College Football Podcast.

“The role of his assistant is to make sure the head coach has what he wants on Saturday,” Stein said. “So, it all stems from Dan and his vision of what he wants his offense to look like. Then pair it with what I feel like, you know, we’re really good at and my expertise in a specific scheme or formation or grouping, and then it bleeds into our assistance and we all work together on this.” Oregon’s offense was phenomenal last year, and most of the credit goes to Stein, who laid it out. However, it would be interesting to see how the formation is going to be without their former star QB, Dillon Gabriel.

Stein took over Oregon’s offense in 2023, but he’s already made a huge impact in a short time. The unit he created led the FBS in scoring (39.5 PPG), also came second in yards per play (7.1).

Stein also talked about how Lanning’s defensive mindset sharpens the team’s offense. “Dan is as innovative as an offensive coach as he is a defensive coach,” Stein said. “He brings me stuff throughout the week and says, ‘Hey, I want this in, or hey, have you seen this play or this scheme?’ He has no ego. He loves it when his ideas come to come to light just like anybody does.  He’s innovative. He’s easy to work for, and he really, I think, puts the plan in place on how he wants to play football,” he added. It’s very rare to see that kind of humility and flexibility from a head coach towards his team. But it’s not just about his nature; the kind of work he has done along with Stein for the Ducks is commendable.

Lanning and Stein are one of the main reasons why Oregon has been so consistent over the last two years. But ultimately, it’s the players who’ll be entering the field, and for that, you need a great quarterback. But, is Dante Moore ready to take the responsibility?

Dante Moore leads the talk of Dan Lanning’s starting QB

Oregon will have to start fresh in the upcoming season as their star QB, Dillon Gabriel, played an important role in Oregon’s championship victory last season. However, he has now moved to the NFL. The 6-foot, 200-pounder racked up 3,857 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. Moore was also part of the program last season but didn’t get to play much, rather studied the game sitting behind Gabriel. Standing at 6 feet 3 inches and weighing around 210 pounds, Moore must’ve taken a lot of insights from Gabriel to maintain the program’s consistency in the future.

However, for coach Lanning, there are other options as well to shape the successor of his famed QB1. But, Stein, who has himself remained a quarterback for Louisville, shared his expectations for the 2025 QB room. “I think it really boils down to just having command of the offense, being able to call a play into their ear, and for them to call it right in the huddle,” Stein said during his appearance in George Wrighster’s College Football Podcast. “For them to get to the line of scrimmage with enough time to potentially change the protection, change the run scheme. Being able to read the defense and then go to the correct place with the ball. And I know that’s all cliche. That was all coach talk, but it’s really that simple.” However, it’s Moore, whose name has constantly been mentioned across social media and all other networks. Now it’s just a matter of time to see who gets to lead the team.

It’s going to be tough for the upcoming QB to fill Gabriel’s shoes, who was just phenomenal for the Ducks. However, having Lanning and Stein by their, will prove beneficial for the entire offense. And fans can expect better Saturday games and another championship title in the upcoming fall.