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QuickTake:
From Dante Moore and Dylan Raiola to a loaded defense and two new coordinators, the Ducks begin another championship chase with plenty already working in their favor.
The long wait is over: The Oregon Ducks football season officially kicks off Saturday, Sept. 5, against the Boise State Broncos.
It’s another year of expectations for the Ducks, with a large focus on the unknown: Can Oregon finally break through in January and advance to the national championship game?
But that’s nearly five months from now, and it’s impossible to predict the twists and turns that will unfold along the way.
There are, however, a few things we do know as the Ducks embark on the 2026 season.
And it begins with the quarterbacks.
1. This is as deep as the Ducks have ever been at quarterback.
Dante Moore needs no introduction. It’s his third season with the team, his second as a starter, and he joins the ranks of Marcus Mariota and Bo Nix as heralded stars who turned down early entry to the NFL Draft for one last shot at Oregon glory.
He threw for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2025 — and if he’s even just a fraction better, the Ducks could be in line for a season that stretches deep into January.
And if he’s not — or if injury arises — Dylan Raiola is a former five-star recruit with 4,819 career passing yards and 31 touchdowns at Nebraska.
While he might be Oregon’s quarterback of the future, for 2026, Raiola gives the Ducks a fail-safe unlike they’ve ever had before.
2. The offensive line has questions — and potential.
Oh, it’s easy to pick on the offensive line.
With stars coming back at all the skill positions, along with four players turning down the NFL to return on the defensive line, the guys in charge of paving the way for Oregon’s offense bring their share of questions.
The Ducks will have two new starting tackles. They’ll have a returning guard in Dave Iuli, who is coming back from injury. And they’ll be trying to become Oregon’s fourth consecutive Joe Moore Award finalist group.
It’ll be a challenge, but the return of senior center Iapani Laloulu gives Oregon a rock. And the additions of massive freshmen such as Tommy Tofi and Immanuel Iheanacho give the group a ceiling just as high as it’s ever been.
“Even if you go back to previous years, we started with offensive lines that we thought were the best going in, and then they changed over time,” head coach Dan Lanning said. “That’ll be the same with every position on our team. But we have some guys who are prepped and ready, and we feel like we’re going to put them in position to be successful.”
3. The defense should hit the ground running.
Teitum Tuioti, Matayo Uiagalelei, Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington are the NFL guys on the defensive line you already know are coming back.
But take it from Oregon quarterbacks coach Koa Ka’ai, who has watched his offense compete for the last four weeks against the entire unit.
“Probably all 11 guys on defense will get a chance to play in the NFL,” Ka’ai said.
It’s a group that’s experienced. It’s a group that’s disruptive. And it’s a group that, unlike past Oregon seasons with this level of expectations, could carry the Ducks.
“I think this is the best fall camp we’ve had as a defense as far as attacking the ball,” Lanning said.
Added new defensive coordinator Chris Hampton: “I think we’re in a good spot. I don’t think we’re a finished product yet.”
4. Speed is the game.
No, Devon Jackson can’t run 24 mph.
Oregon’s athletic inside linebacker can get close, but when it comes to the number put out in Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list earlier this month, it’s still just an aspirational goal.
“That kind of crazy, I ain’t gonna lie,” Jackson said of the floated 24 mph figure. “It would be nice though. Maybe one day.”
Jackson said he only topped out at 23.5 mph — still lightning-fast for a 242-pound linebacker playing in a self-described “do or die” season.
Jackson isn’t the only burner. Defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. is one of the fastest cornerbacks in college football. Even with a surgically repaired knee, Evan Stewart has reportedly been tearing up Oregon’s practice fields with his speed. Fellow receiver Dakorien Moore spent his spring running track and, while running back Jordon Davison is known for his power, his sidekick is the swift-running Dierre Hill Jr.
Oregon may not be running the Blur offense here in 2026. But it doesn’t mean it’s any less fast than it used to be.
5. The freshmen are coming.
We already mentioned Tofi and Iheanacho along Oregon’s offensive line, but the Ducks’ No. 3-ranked 2026 recruiting class is going to show up at other positions around the field as well.
Five-star receiver Jalen Lott has made quite the impression — even with the coaches from the other side of the ball.
“He has a ton of potential,” Hampton said of Lott. “He has a tremendous catch radius and can accelerate. He has really good hands, can start and stop, and has good burst. Going against all of our receivers in practice is a challenge. They make some plays against us, and you think, ‘I am glad they are on our team.’ They challenge us each and every day. Jalen has looked really good so far.”
Then there’s Gatlin Bair, another speedster at wide receiver who has the benefit of two extra years of age thanks to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission trip.
Also keep an eye on five-star defensive back Jett Washington and three-star defensive lineman Anthony “Tank” Jones, who at 300 pounds is appropriately nicknamed.
“Tank Jones has shown up a lot,” Oregon DL coach Tony Tuioti said. “Really excited about him and what he can do. Very similar to Aydin Breeland, where he’s got position flex where he can play outside, inside. He’s up to 300 pounds now. So, still growing into his body, but very athletic.”
6. There won’t be any scenes like this at Autzen.
Apparently it was a little too warm in Los Angeles on Saturday for the first game of USC’s “very anticipated” season, as described by the NBC broadcast, as Lincoln Riley and USC came out of the Coliseum tunnel to a stadium filled with empty seats.
Over the last 10 seasons — not including Saturday — USC has filled the Coliseum to 75.5% of its capacity for home openers.
Oregon? That number would be 94.2%.
Now, one can moan that Los Angeles has a much higher stadium capacity and that the total attendance figure is the total attendance figure.
But that’s not going to make it look any better on TV.
7. Talent won’t be the excuse.
The biggest difference between 2025 and 2026?
If you ask Lanning, it’s not the team’s overall talent. It’s the experience and drive.
“At the end, the guys are asking for more, right? I think that’s a great example of guys saying, ‘Man, we just went through an entire scrimmage. My body’s telling me no, right? But my mind is telling me yeah, right?’ You know the song, right?” Lanning said. “That’s what these guys are doing. They’re pushing for more, right? It’s the other way around, obviously in the song, but you get the idea.”
There’s accountability on this team. There’s direction. There’s know-how.
But that also puts the coaches in the position of making sure all of that is taken advantage of.
There are few excuses with this team.
“What’s the only thing that’s gonna hold us back? Us. Right? Us,” offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer said. “It isn’t ever going to be a talent issue for this group.”
8. The schedule is not easy.
The Ducks open with a playoff team from two years ago. They travel to USC for their first conference game, make four trips to the Central or Eastern time zones and have one of the most daunting Novembers in football, with Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Washington rounding out the schedule.
If Oregon does win the national championship this year, no one will be able to say the Ducks did so without playing anybody.
9. The pressure is on the coordinators.
The biggest additions to Oregon’s staff in the offseason were the ones Lanning decided not to make.
In replacing Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi as coordinators, Lanning remained in-house by promoting Mehringer and Hampton, two assistants who were deeply involved with their respective units in 2025 and bring with them continuity and familiarity with Oregon’s roster.
Lanning has an impressive hiring track record. But if 2026 doesn’t go according to plan, the two safe moves will immediately be placed under the microscope.
It’s been an important fall camp for both.
“They do a great job of learning through practice, right?” Lanning said. “We’ve had a ton of situations where they’re calling it like it’s a game throughout practice, and they’re learning from it. They’re making notes. They’re saying, ‘Hey, I could have done this better,’ or ‘I could have improved here.’ We talk through it as a staff, and we watch film together and evaluate it. And I think they really attack it.”
10. We’ll be there.
It’s Year 2 of Oregon football for us here at Lookout Eugene-Springfield – and Year 13 overall for this scribe.
We’ll be at the stadium Saturday, in Stillwater the next week and along for the ride throughout the entire season.
Where will it end? Nobody knows.
But I can’t wait to chronicle the ride as we add to what we know.
