Greg McElroy believes Dan Lanning isn't revealing his starter for a reason

The transfer of former Auburn QB Bo Nix at times appeared to close up the quarterback conversation at Oregon this season. However, Dan Lanning has yet to name a starter for the Ducks ahead of next weekend’s opener. While Ty Thompson and Jay Butterfield are more than capable players, ESPN’s Greg McElroy is beginning to wonder if this is more about philosophy rather than there being an actual competition.

McElroy shared his reasoning in an episode of ‘Always College Football’. He said that, as a defensive mind, Lanning understands the benefit of game planning for one quarterback. Playing it safe with the announcement is something McElroy says is something Lanning is taking right out of his Nick Saban playbook.

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“It’s not that dissimilar to what we’ve heard from other guys from that Nick Saban tree. They want to keep things close to the vest. He probably doesn’t feel like there’s any benefit to making the starting quarterback known,” said McElroy. “Offensive guys understand the positives that come with announcing who your starting quarterback is going to be. As a defensive guy, Dan Lanning looks at it and says, ‘If I’m a defensive coordinator and I know what the skill set is of the starting quarterback we’re playing against, I can better put together a defensive plan that could neutralize what advantages that quarterback may have.'”

Nix has the most experience during the course of his college career. He has thrown over 1,000 passes for over 7,200 yards and 39 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Thompson and Butterfield combine for 18 attempts over three seasons in college football. That alone should have Nix in the lead in Eugene.

Even so, Lanning has stuck to his guns. There are plenty of benefits to naming a starter already. As a defensive coordinator at heart, though, Greg McElroy says Lanning doesn’t see things that way. He only sees what he’d do if he were game planning for the Ducks in week one.

“That’s the difference between a defensive minded head coach and an offensive minded head coach,” McElroy said. “The defensive guy is like, ‘No, I’m not telling you anything because if (you) know his skill set, (you) can take away what he does well.'”

Many will have a hard time believing Nix isn’t the player who will be under center for Oregon against Georgia. Greg McElroy expects that to eventually be the case himself. In the end, though, Lanning is going to continue to play it close to the vest. He knows how the Bulldogs prepare having just left Athens last season. He’ll keep that decision in house as long as he has to before he risks giving Kirby Smart’s defense the advantage they’re looking for.