The Oregon Ducks had a season of new, and a season of learning in 2024. It was their first time playing in the Big Ten Conference, their first time winning a conference championship under Dan Lanning, and their first time experiencing an expanded College Football Playoff.
There were a lot of takeaways to be had from that season that ended with a 13-1 record. For veteran offensive lineman Dave Iuli, the most notable thing he learned was about his health, and his size. In brief, Iuli learned that to play at this new level in the Big Ten, he needs to trim down.
“Going against guys like A’Mauri Washington has really made me want to focus on my weight,” Iuli said on Saturday. “Being in Big Ten now, I could really see a lot of guys — going back and watching film, Ohio State, Penn State, all those guys — you can see the way they fire off the ball and everything. So having that advantage for me, I feel like I fire off the ball good, but if I just lose that weight, I feel like I’ll fire off better and more explosive.”
Iuli has been one of the biggest players on Oregon’s roster since he arrived in Eugene as a member of Lanning’s first recruiting class in 2022. After arriving at 315 pounds as a freshman, Iuli bulked up to 340 by his third year in the program. While that weight helped him push people around inside, the coaching staff as learned that his speed and get-off is just as important, and shedding a few pounds will help him achieve that.
“The head man wants me to lose a lot of weight, so I gotta drop some weight, and I know that’s something I really need to focus on this year,” Iuli said. “Talking about the everything else, about the physicality point and everything like that, I feel like those will come naturally for me. I just feel like, right now I really need a lock in this playbook and focus on my weight.”
Currently, Iuli is down to approximately 335 pounds, but his goal is to lose significantly more, aiming to weigh in at 320 by the start of the season. If he can achieve that goal, it would go a long way in his battle to earn a starting spot on the offensive line. Currently, Iuli is competing with Emmanuel Pregnon and Matthew Bedford for a starting guard spot, either on the left or right side. Iuli has also been taking snaps at center this spring to expand his skillset and offer Oregon a backup plan should Iapani Laloulu go down.
First comes the weight, though.
“I feel like, if I don’t get the weight right, I’m not gonna move a lot of people, and I for sure won’t be moving myself.”
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Football’s Dave Iuli focuses on weight loss ahead of 2025
The Oregon Ducks had a season of new, and a season of learning in 2024. It was their first time playing in the Big Ten Conference, their first time winning a conference championship under Dan Lanning, and their first time experiencing an expanded College Football Playoff.
There were a lot of takeaways to be had from that season that ended with a 13-1 record. For veteran offensive lineman Dave Iuli, the most notable thing he learned was about his health, and his size. In brief, Iuli learned that to play at this new level in the Big Ten, he needs to trim down.
“Going against guys like A’Mauri Washington has really made me want to focus on my weight,” Iuli said on Saturday. “Being in Big Ten now, I could really see a lot of guys — going back and watching film, Ohio State, Penn State, all those guys — you can see the way they fire off the ball and everything. So having that advantage for me, I feel like I fire off the ball good, but if I just lose that weight, I feel like I’ll fire off better and more explosive.”
Iuli has been one of the biggest players on Oregon’s roster since he arrived in Eugene as a member of Lanning’s first recruiting class in 2022. After arriving at 315 pounds as a freshman, Iuli bulked up to 340 by his third year in the program. While that weight helped him push people around inside, the coaching staff as learned that his speed and get-off is just as important, and shedding a few pounds will help him achieve that.
“The head man wants me to lose a lot of weight, so I gotta drop some weight, and I know that’s something I really need to focus on this year,” Iuli said. “Talking about the everything else, about the physicality point and everything like that, I feel like those will come naturally for me. I just feel like, right now I really need a lock in this playbook and focus on my weight.”
Currently, Iuli is down to approximately 335 pounds, but his goal is to lose significantly more, aiming to weigh in at 320 by the start of the season. If he can achieve that goal, it would go a long way in his battle to earn a starting spot on the offensive line. Currently, Iuli is competing with Emmanuel Pregnon and Matthew Bedford for a starting guard spot, either on the left or right side. Iuli has also been taking snaps at center this spring to expand his skillset and offer Oregon a backup plan should Iapani Laloulu go down.
First comes the weight, though.
“I feel like, if I don’t get the weight right, I’m not gonna move a lot of people, and I for sure won’t be moving myself.”
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Football’s Dave Iuli focuses on weight loss ahead of 2025
