Coach - 

It’s getting close! The official start of college football is just days away and I know I can feel the excitement building especially in the new playoff era.

Dan Lanning has been doing an outstanding job leading the Ducks, an now in his fourth season, he’s ready to guide the Ducks into the playoffs. If they take care of business as expected, it should be a fun run to watch for the Ducks.

Coach Lanning is one of college football’s brightest young coaches and top defensive minds, and we’ve written about him often, so today we will focus on the Ducks Special Team.  

Before we get into teams, here is the season outlook.

Season Preview Capsule

Oregon has been a consistent college football powerhouse without quite reaching the pinnacle. While the Ducks have racked up wins, conference titles, and marquee bowl victories, the elusive College Football Playoff championship continues to evade them.

The expanded playoff format offers the opportunity for Oregon. Their recent history is filled with teams that would have comfortably qualified in a 12-team field. 

Of course, the transition to the Big Ten presents a challenge. Can they navigate a gauntlet of tough opponents while maintaining their high level of play? And even if they make the playoff, can they overcome the final hurdle? These are the critical questions facing the program as it enters a new era.

Oregon Strengths

Offense

• Efficient, high-powered passing attack
• Talented quarterback options (Dillon Gabriel, Dante Moore)
• Strong offensive line with NFL potential (Josh Conerly, Ajani Cornelius)
• Deep running back committee (Jordan James, Noah Whittingham, Jay Harris)
• Solid receiving corps with upside (Evan Stewart, Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, Terrance Ferguson)

Defense

• Top-ranked Pac-12 scoring defense in 2022
• Improved defensive line with high-end transfers (Derrick Harmon, Jamaree Caldwell)
• Solid linebacking corps with strong run defense (Jeffrey Bassa, Jestin Jacobs)
• Talented secondary bolstered by transfers (Jabbar Muhammad, Kam Alexander, Brandon Johnson, Kobe Savage)

Clinic: Special Teams Philosophy & Drills

The theme of the year seems to be the idea of conference realignment and playoff expansion and Oregon looks to reap the benefits on both ends of it. 

Having not been to the playoffs in a few years despite consistent success has been disappointing. The offense and defense have performed increasingly well at different points throughout the previous few seasons and an increase in special teams production could be what the Ducks are missing heading into a hefty Big 10 slate featuring Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Washington.

Video: Simplicity

Elite performance because of focused repetition is something most special teams guru’s think about often. There’s always a happy medium between scheming for an opponent and completely overhauling what you are doing. 

Even if you are keeping the same techniques you don’t want to install something brand new every week. So where is the sweet spot? Do you have a few base schemes? Do you scheme for each opponent? 

It is more or less for you to decide but finding that medium between similar reps and letting the athletes master their responsibility and adapting what you are doing to defeat the opposing scheme. 

There are a lot of variables that come into play but Coach Lorig is here to share his thoughts.

Video: Specialty Circuit Explained

We continually harp the idea of circuits within the special teams space because they are effective. The reality of the situation is about 25 plays a game are devoted to special teams (roughly 17% of the snaps). That's a good chunk. Nevertheless you are afforded maybe a maximum if you are lucky 20 minutes a day to work on teams. 

Taking advantage of planning, communication and making this time as efficient as possible is what will allow this phase of the game to make a difference for your team. It also could be what makes a difference for the Ducks this season as they join the Big 10.

-Coach Grabowski, Coach Kauffman and the CoachesClinic Team

P.S. We have had some outstanding presentations from the Ducks staff. Be sure to add them to your library

Other Clinics from the Oregon Staff:

Simulated Pressures: Schemes, Planning and Technique - Dan Lanning

Reliefs, RPOs, and Attackers - Will Stein

3 & 4-Man Spacing Concepts - Will Stein

A Pressure Plan - Brian Michalowski

Working with each other vs. Against each other - A`lique Terry

Thoughts From a First Time College DC - Dante Bartee

Rethinking Defense: From Structure to Communication - Dante Bartee

Split Field Man Match Quarters Defense - Dante Bartee

Cover 3 (1 High Zone) Match Principles vs. 3x1 Formations - Dante Bartee

Cover 3 (1 High Zone) Match Principles vs. 2x2 Formations - Dante Bartee

Oregon Defensive Bundle

Oregon Offensive Bundle