Dan Lanning looking at chances to ‘enhance’ Oregon roster in transfer portal

Round two of transfer portal movement has commenced in college football following the spring transfer window opening up on Tuesday. Giving players 15 days to enter their name into the portal to test the waters and re-open their recruitment ahead of a hallmark 2024 college football season.

In recent history the Oregon Ducks have excelled in the transfer portal, and with spring practice still moving along in Eugene, head coach Dan Lanning was asked how he plans on taking advantage of the spring transfer window amid a second cycle of roster movement across the country.

“Right now I feel really good about our team, but on the same note, if there’s something that can enhance our team, make us better with the right character fit, with the right pieces, then that’s something we have to keep our eyes open to,” Lanning said.

Roster additions typically headline player movement in college football. But head coaches like Lanning know that what may be far more important than adding talent and filling positional needs is retaining your best players and keeping them out of the transfer portal in today’s market.

“Retention’s really big, right?” Lanning asked. “It’s about retaining the right guys, the guys that are out there trying to get better, trying to improve, give our team an opportunity to win.”

Oregon’s recent success in the transfer portal has been highlighted by taking care of business at the most important position in football. Acquiring two-year starting quarterback Bo Nix from Auburn followed by Dillion Gabriel this offseason from Oklahoma along with sophomore Dante Moore from UCLA in what could represent at half-decade of security under center for the Ducks. As Lanning spoke about their secret recipe to transfer portal success.

“It’s ever-changing, it’s continuing to roll and I think it’s about being on your toes. But I think our staff’s done a good job of that and I think our players have done a good job of realizing what exists here in Oregon,” Lanning said.

“But we’ve had a lot of success in the portal, it’s something we’ll continue to use to enhance our program. We’ve also had a lot of success developing guys in our roster that have come here as freshmen. So we’re going to continue to look at that and assess that and adapt as the landscape continues to change.”

Given what Oregon has gained and lost this offseason through the transfer portal, the Ducks rank No. 5 in On3’s 2024 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings with an Index Score of 37. And it will surely be interesting to see how that score moves following another transfer portal cycle across college football.