'He looks as good as he's looked since being here': Oregon HC Dan Lanning raves about key playmaker coming off major injury
The Oregon Ducks are already down Evan Stewart entering this 2025 season, so any additional injury or loss will stifle the key growth of quarterback Dante Moore even more. Ducks head coach Dan Lanning is hoping one former star addition from the transfer portal will get back to his old self, though. Lanning needs Gary […]
The Oregon Ducks are already down Evan Stewart entering this 2025 season, so any additional injury or loss will stifle the key growth of quarterback Dante Moore even more. Ducks head coach Dan Lanning is hoping one former star addition from the transfer portal will get back to his old self, though. Lanning needs Gary Bryant Jr. to be at his best to lead a young receiving room.
The former USC receiver left the Trojans after 2022's injury-shortened campaign, then joined the Ducks immediately after. He racked up 30 catches for 442 yards and four scores in 14 games, but showed promise of becoming a key rotational or starting option. A hip injury kept him out of all but five games in 2024, where he caught two passes for 12 yards.
Bryant addressed his injury status and his recover process this week, and Lanning was previously happy to expand on where the sixth-year senior stands entering 2025.
"It was a lower body injury to my abductor and my abductor muscle. I didn't know it was going to be a severe injury like that. I was trying to fight back to get back for the season, but it was like kind of bothering me all year. So I was just doing whatever I could do to help this team, practice-wise, or even if it was in games, just giving somebody a breather. "
The timeline that he previously laid out hasn't changed, even if his own expectations for right now is limited.
In April, Bryant had said his focus is one step at a time. But the timetable and process seemed right.
"My main concern is just being healthy, being available for this team from spring ball to the end of season. And then obviously just working on my craft, you know, route running, deep speed, long speed. So that's been the main thing I've been focusing on."
Lanning has continued to support Bryant despite the fact it's been four seasons since he was last truly an impact option for the Trojans. His best-career season came as a redshirt freshman back then.
"Gary (Bryant Jr.) looks as good as he's looked since I've been here. And you know, Gary has always been a really talented player that we felt like could help us, right? And it's just a matter of his availability and being and being healthy. He's done a great job of attacking rehab this off season, even even throughout last year, he's been a leader."
If he's healthy, Bryant should play plenty alongside freshman Dakorien Moore and fellow upper-classmen Kyler Kasper and Malik Benson. If not, then Justius Lowe and Jeremiah McClellan will need to step up.
