The offseason is almost over.
And so is fall camp.
It seems like a distant memory since the Oregon Ducks have played an actual football game.
The Ducks have had two camps as well as welcoming in new players from the transfer portal.
But come Monday, all of that will be history as Year 2 of the Dan Lanning Era will officially get underway.
Thankfully for Oregon, this season opener with Portland State will be vastly different from last season’s.
The defending national champs won’t be the opponent and the Ducks will enjoy the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium and not the Georgia Dome.
But even in the midst of fall camp and the 2023 season coming up, the Ducks have to be the Ducks with the reveal of two huge Bo Nix billboards in New York and his hometown of Dallas.
It’s the marketing strategy reminiscent of Joey Harrington’s Time Square billboard.
“When it was brought to me, I said, “that sounds like an awesome opportunity for us to get recognition for our guys.”
“Obviously, Bo has done a phenomenal job and deserves recognition as well as his team,” said Oregon head coach Dan Lanning when asked about the new marketing billboards.
“For me more than anything, that sounds like an awesome opportunity for Oregon to be recognized at the national level.”
According to Nix, it just comes with the territory of being a Duck.
“My involvement was just playing at Oregon,” he said.
“It’s way out of my hands. It’s a lot bigger than me. It’s just a blessing to be in that position, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. It also speaks to the university and the football program.”
As for on-the-field priorities and fall camp, Lanning says things are coming along as expected, but the Ducks are ready to hit someone other than a green and yellow uniform.
“They’re excited for the 2023 season to begin,” said Lanning.
“It’s been a long time, going back to the very end of July to right now where you’re playing the same team every single day. There’s some challenges presented when you get to practice against something you haven’t seen every single day or play against something you haven’t seen. So there’s a lot we haven’t seen when we go out there for another opponent. But part of that but fun and that is preparing for that.”
Although the coaching staff hasn’t done a deep dive into preparations for the Vikings, Lanning has respect for the program which sits just two hours north in Portland.
“I have a lot of respect for their coach and their coaching staff” explained Lanning when asked about preparing for PSU.
“They’ve been there for a long time. They have some continuity there. There has been some moving parts, but they do a good job and then they do have some explosive players on their team.”
BO KNOWS NEW YORK CITY, AND NOW DALLAS
In the last two weeks days, massive marketing billboards of Oregon quarterback Bo Nix have been premiered in both New York City and Dallas, Texas.
The billboards are early campaigns to expose Nix to a national audience and promote his potential run as a Heisman Trophy candidate.
The billboards have generated a significant buzz through college football circles and have once again showcased the University of Oregon’s ability to remain on the cutting edge of marketing and promotion when it pertains to sports and its athletes.