Before taking the Oregon job, Dan Lanning had overseen an outstanding Georgia defense that had it's fair share of upperclassmen, but also had some really talented young players in the two deep as well.
Oregon is through about the halfway point of their spring practices, which have served as the staff's first opportunity to evaluate guys in person with their pads on. As far as who is going to see the field, Lanning shared that - much like their philospohy at Georgia - how long players have been on campus won't be factor in the decision for playing time with a nice little quote.
Asked about the depth of the Ducks defensive line and if they will rotate guys or stick with four or so, Lanning shared, "If you're good enough, you're old enough."
"It doesn't matter. We're going to find a way to use good players. So if we have enough good players that can play and contribute, then they will play. If we don't, then we'll play the ones that are."
"That's at every position, not just the defensive line."
Lanning also touched on their defensive focus on creating havoc and their "havoc rate," after losing a premier edge rusher to graduation and some other key defensive pieces.
"We grade that at all levels. A PBU is a havoc play. An interception is a havoc play, just like a sack or a TFL or a forced fumble, those are all havoc plays.
"The key for me is figuring out how we can do that with our linebackers? How can we do it with our outside linebackers? How can we do that with our DBs?"
Hear more from Lanning in the clip.