This argument depends on what players were left after the purge. It could be that that 40 or 50% were the ones that drove the direction of the program. That’s something that somebody can look into. I’m not interested enough to do that.
It's a very relevant question.
As mentioned above, we cannot count the guys who graduated. Penei Sewell was never going to play for Dan Lanning, and I don't count him as part of a "roster flip".
In Lanning's first year, he led Oregon to a 10-3 record and a #15 ranking. He did that with three groups of players:
1. Guys on the roster that Mario recruited
2. 11 transfers - by far, the most impactful were Bo Nix, Bucky Irving (#1 rusher) and Noah Whittington (#2 rusher), but only 1 of the top 10 tacklers on defense was a transfer (he was #8 in total tackles for Oregon)
3. 17 high school enrollees (the 18th signee was an Aussie punter), most of whom did not contribute much production to the 2022 team
So, again, ignoring graduation, 17 guys went into the Portal, 11 guys joined from the Portal, and 18 new recruits enrolled. I give Dan Lanning FULL CREDIT for Bo Nix, Bucky Irving, and Noah Whittington. I'll even give him Christian Gonzalez on defense (#8 tackler).
Here are the other 7 transfers that Lanning brought in for his first year:
--Caleb Chapman (WR - Texas A&M) - 1 catch
--Adam Barry (P - Temple) - 10 punts, 39.7 yard average
--Casey Rogers (DL - Nebraska) - 9 tackles, 9 assists
--Chase Cota (WR - UCLA) - 23 catches
--Jordon Riley (DL - Nebraska) - 4 tackles, 8 assists
--Andrew Boyle (K - Washington State) - Camden Lewis was the kicker in 2022
--Taki Taimani (DL - Washington) - 3 tackles, 4 assists
Notable freshmen:
--Jahlil Florence (CB) - 5 tackles, 2 assists, 1 INT
--Jordan James (RB) - 32 carries for 133 yards, 4 TDs
--Khamari Terrell (CB) - 2 tackles, 2 assists
That's it. I'm not being selective. I listed EVERY Portal-in player, and I looked at EVERY signee who had stats such as rushes, catches, tackles, or INTs. That's it.
Again, full credit for Nix, Irving, Whittington, and Gonzalez. Other than that, very pedestrian stats from all of the guys that Lanning brought in from the signing class and the Portal class (just limited to Lanning's first year and the players' first year).
It is an unavoidable conclusion. The vast majority of the offensive and defensive production in Lanning's first year was due to the players that Mario left him. And, ****, I'll give extra credit for landing the #1 QB and the #1 RB in the Portal. FULL CREDIT AND EXTRA CREDIT. But those are just 2 starters out of 22 total guys on offense and defense.
Come on. Let's not call this a "roster flip" and put a crown on Lanning's head. He did a great job in his first year with Mario's players, outside of QB and RB. And beyond that, Lanning has maintained a very good recruiting record and now has all of his own guys on the roster.
But to insinuate that he had to purge the roster or bring in a flotilla of his own players is just...wrong.
Bo Nix and Bucky Irving were home runs, though. Kudos.