The first practice of a fall camp is similar to the first day of school. It’s a time of feeling out the surroundings and not a lot is expected out of the students. A pop quiz isn’t going to be on the docket.
That’s pretty much how the first practice for the Oregon Ducks went Friday afternoon. Head coach Dan Lanning wanted to get the obvious out of the way quickly.
The Ducks are not ready to play a game yet.
No one is at this point of the season, but Oregon does have 28 days to get ready for Georgia. Right now, it’s about getting better and maintaining their conditioning.
“Our guys looked fast, but around Period 8, we looked slow,” Lanning said. “It’s about learning how to play fast consistently over time and we have to do a great job at that and in recovery. Speed is certainly a big asset for us.”
One of those guys that Lanning noticed was Texas A&M transfer Caleb Chapman. The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder from Clear Lake, Texas joined Oregon this summer and is still learning on the fly.
“He had a couple of good deep balls. I think he still needs to push his conditioning,” Lanning said. “But he had some explosive plays.”
Although Chapman did come to the transfer portal, and he’s not the only Duck on the roster to come to Eugene that way, Lanning says that his program will not rely on the portal for quick fixes.
“I think there’s a huge misconception about the portal,” he explained. Your answers come from developing your own roster, answers come from recruiting young guys and answers come from having intimate knowledge of the guys you’re going to pursue.”
Lanning said a couple of people on his staff knew some coaches from Texas A&M and got some good insight on what Chapman can bring. The former Aggie has been banged up the last couple of seasons, but he’s 100 percent healthy now.
From the sounds of it, an already talented receiver room just become a little more crowded, but also better for it.