Dan Lanning cites biggest area of concern for Sam Taimani

Dan Lanning killed two birds with one stone in landing former Washington defensive tackle Sam “Taki” Taimani out of the transfer portal. While Taimani made Oregon stronger along the defensive line, he also hinders the rival Pac-12 program’s unit.

As the former Huskies defensive tackle familiarizes himself with the Ducks, Lanning spoke about the progress of the defensive tackle.

“I love the power that he plays with,” started Lanning. “Taki would tell you, just like I would tell you, he needs to continue to work on his conditioning, because we want him to be a guy that can play all downs and really push. He does a great job striking and separating from blocks. But look for that to continue to improve. I think he can definitely be an anchor for us on the inside, and create some value.”

Evidently, Lanning recognizes Taimani can be a force for Oregon along the defensive line. That’s exactly why he wants him to work on his conditioning, so the defensive lineman is on the field as often as possible.

Moreover, in his three full seasons with the Huskies, Taimani had 71 total tackles, including 28 solo tackles, with two passes defended and two tackles for loss. His best year was last season, when he had 43 total tackles.

The defensive lineman was a four-star recruit out of high school and ranked as the No. 26 defensive tackle from the class of 2018, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Continuing, Lanning evaluated how he’ll utilize the depth and rotate along the Oregon defensive line.

“If you’re good enough, you’re old enough,” stated Lanning. “Doesn’t matter, right? We’re going to figure out a way to use good players. So we have enough good players that can play and contribute, they’ll play. If we don’t, then we’ll play the ones that are. That’s every position, not just defensive line.”

While Sam Taimani is coming to Oregon with a bunch of untapped potential, Dan Lanning isn’t just going to hand him the keys to the car. It’s obvious the Ducks coach is going to make every player on his team earn their spot, especially along the defensive line.