Dan Lanning analyzes growth of Kyler Kasper

Kyler Kasper is a new man. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning revealed how he’s seen his second-year wide receiver grow.

“Kyler continues to improve. He continues to become more and more consistent,” Lanning said on Wednesday. “He certainly works really hard, and [I’m] looking forward to him continuing to make big strides moving forward.”

Kasper had plenty of room to improve. In his freshman season, Kasper appeared in just three games, recording one reception for four yards. The upside? Kasper was able to utilize his redshirt season due to his minimal playing time.

Despite his underwhelming numbers, Kasper undoubtedly has upside. Standing at 6-foot-5, Kasper reclassified in 2022 to join Oregon over the likes of Tennessee, Iowa and USC. Kasper exited high school as a four-star recruit and the No. 3 prospect from Arizona.

Lanning believes that extra season made a massive difference in Kasper’s game.

“Anytime you can get here and get work, it’s going to give you a chance to get better. Kyler is someone who certainly benefitted from that,” Lanning said.

The redshirt freshman reportedly caught a clutch pass in Oregon’s fall camp to keep the team’s offense alive against the Ducks’ defense.

“Today, he had a big catch in [the two-minute drill], right?” Lanning said. “It was kind of a tipped ball. Had a big catch in two minutes to keep the drive alive and give the offense a chance to go down and poke in a field goal to win.”

Will Stein might be the key for Kyler Kasper

Fans expect Kasper to catch even more balls with Will Stein taking the reins as offensive coordinator. The 33-year-old OC discussed his offensive philosophies back in spring.

“Offensively, our job is to get our best players the ball as many times as possible. It’s not — plays are highly overrated. It’s about the players and here at Oregon we have unbelievable players. Really excited to work with them,” Stein said. ”We really base out of a pro-style offense but with spread principles. RPOs, run action pass, play action pass. I like to think that we’re multiple in our personnel groupings and our formations, and we want to be an attacking offense that throws the ball down the field.”

Despite any comparisons to former Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham, Stein isn’t scared to stick to his style.

“I’m me, I’m Will Stein. I’ve been the same dude for a long time. Treat people the right way. Coach this game hard, aggressive, passionate, and just, I love being around these guys.”