Dan Lanning discusses growth of Bradyn Swinson this spring

Oregon coach Dan Lanning is pleased with what he saw out of defensive end Bradyn Swinson this spring. Entering his first season as the Ducks coach, Lanning is tasked with replacing the production of standout defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux, a projected top five pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

That certainly won’t be easy, as Thibodeaux finished his college career with 126 tackles (35.5 for loss), 19 sacks and three forced fumbles. Lanning isn’t expecting any one player to fill that void, but based on what he observed this spring he is confident Swinson can take on a bigger role.

“Bradyn has an infectious personality,” the coach said in a recent interview after spring practice. “He wants to do right and that shows day in and day out with his approach. Certainly have seen him grow and I like where he’s coming away from spring feeling like he has more of a primary rush move. Coach (Tosh) Lupoi is an expert in that area. That’s something he does a really good job of and Bradyn has embraced that.”

Set to enter his third season in Eugene, Swinson was a contributor to the defense in each of his first two years. In 2021, he finished with 24 total tackles and three sacks across nine games. A former three-star recruit, he was listed as the No. 32 edge defender in the 2020 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average.

Lanning has shown a knack for both evaluating and developing defensive talent across his brief coaching career thus far. Most recently, he spent four seasons as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Georgia, routinely bringing in some of the nation’s top prospects. That culminated in a national championship for the Bulldogs this past season as they finished first in the country in scoring defense and top five in total defense.

The coach is now tasked with taking over an Oregon squad that finished this past season ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in total defense. The Ducks still managed to advance to the conference championship game, and were considered a College Football Playoff contender at one point. If Dan Lanning expects that success to continue under his watch, he’ll need guys like Bradyn Swinson to step up.

Oregon is set to host its annual spring game at 1 p.m. PST Saturday in Eugene.