The first five games of the Oregon Ducks’ 2026 season featured inconsistent performances in all three phases of the game. The one position group that garnered questions, even when the program was ranked No. 2 in the preseason, is the offensive line.
The “Law Firm” entered 2026 with uncertainty, with the unit losing three of its five starters to the NFL Draft in the offseason. Concerns surrounding the young core – and the staff leading them – continue to grow louder as the losses pile up.
Dan Lanning on the Offensive Line Struggles
Ducks fans wondered who the team would turn to in the starting lineup outside of the returning Rimington Trophy finalist, center Iapani Laloulu. Coach Dan Lanning said in his Oregon Media Day presser that the program would rotate six to eight players along the offensive line, which sparked debate.
Five games in, and Oregon fans still haven’t really gotten their answer on who the solidifed starting unit is. In both the Ducks’ losses to Oklahoma State and UCLA (and even in the three wins), different players have slipped up in pass protection on different plays.
“In moments, we looked really good against a USC team a week ago, and we're able to run the ball effectively at times,” Lanning said after the defeat to the Bruins. “I think there's a compilation of things that happen, you know, in this game. One, they had a good plan. Our plan wasn't as good. That's part of it.”
Lanning admitted that while the players have to perform better, it also falls on the coaching staff.
“I think we all knew that it wasn't going to be the same experience to the line that we had this past year, but we felt comfortable,” he added.
Quarterback Dylan Raiola finished with the worst single-game performance against UCLA using EPA per dropback since 2024, per CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli. The production from Oregon’s running backs has dropped since 2025, with leading backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. both averaging under five yards per carry.
Lanning explained after the loss that the pass game and run game complement each other.
“They have to be critical themselves too,” he said of his players. “They have to look at it and say, ‘Okay, where am I not good enough? Where can I improve?’ I think we have guys that are self-aware, and if they can attack that, then we can have a better product.”
Is Development Becoming a Concern?
Lanning and offensive line coach A’lique Terry saw Isaiah World, Alex Harkey and Emmanuel Pregnon all exit for the NFL in the offseason. All three players spent their final year at Oregon after transferring from other programs with experience.
That leaves Laloulu and Dave Iuli as the other members of the 2025 Joe Moore Award finalist offensive line remaining in Eugene. Laloulu’s expectation as a coveted NFL prospect continues, while Iuli has fallen in and out of the lineup.
So outside of Laloulu, who the Ducks recruited as a four-star in the 2023 class, Oregon hasn’t seen another homegrown recruit overly impress in the starting unit over the last two seasons.
Lanning responded to a question about the underclassmen not being ready for the magnitude of the moment after the UCLA loss.
“If you look at the history of us developing there, that position and what it's become over time, it's always gotten better towards the end of the season, and it's improved,” Lanning said. “We've always been one of the better teams in protecting the quarterback. It hasn't been good enough this year. And running the ball, we haven't been as effective this year. All those things tied together.”
As Lanning acknowledged, the Ducks still have seven regular season games to improve. Players like true freshmen Immanuel Iheanacho and Tommy Tofi, or sophomores Ziyare Addison and Douglas Utu, still have time to display improvements and build their confidence heading into the future.
But the upcoming schedule doesn’t get any easier. Future battles in the trenches still include the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who just narrowly lost to the defending champion Indiana Hoosiers, and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
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