Dan Lanning staying at Oregon amid Alabama speculation
Fans of programs with top-notch coaches have to be resting a little bit uneasily right now following Nick Saban‘s sudden retirement, with one of the biggest jobs in sports coming available. Oregon fans can breathe a sigh of relief on the Dan Lanning front.
The Oregon coach is staying put, according to a video he tweeted on Wednesday.
“I want to be here in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me,” Lanning said in a voiceover in the video. “This place has everything that I could possibly ever want. This is a little bit of a problem in society today with people looking for what’s next and whether it’s an opportunity, and the reality is the grass is not always greener. In fact the grass is damned green in Eugene.”
As Lanning’s video played, the following message scrolled across the screen for prospective recruits and transfers.
“If you’re scared your coach is leaving… Then come play for us… The Ducks aren’t going anywhere… And I’m not leaving…”
Lanning appeared to break the news that he was staying to his team in a team meeting.
“All right, who has goals and aspirations, raise your hand up,” Lanning said. “All right, everybody’s got goals and aspirations. You know how you get those? You be the best at where you’re at. That’s how you reach goals and aspirations. That’s how great things happen. It’s not about worrying about the next thing, it’s about worrying what’s right in front of you, six inches right in front of your face.
“I want to remind you guys what that means. You guys that just got here don’t know, but it means something to be an Oregon Duck. Everybody makes what, they all make commitments to things that they’re going to do. A lot of starters. The world doesn’t have a lot of finishers. We’re finishers.”
Lanning was “probably at the top of the list” for Alabama, according to ESPN personality Paul Finebaum, who has plenty of connections to the Alabama program. But he’ll be staying put, keeping the Ducks in contention for the long haul as college football gets set to transition to a 12-team playoff.
The former Alabama graduate assistant has become one of the hottest names in coaching after taking over the Oregon job and having some immediate success.
Dan Lanning first really built his reputation while working at Georgia from 2018-2021. As he built his profile with the Bulldogs and coach Kirby Smart, Lanning quickly became a target for other high-profile gigs himself. He ultimately landed the Oregon job in 2022, taking over a Pac-12 power.
Lanning managed to 10 win games and the Holiday Bowl in his first season in charge. The Ducks were even better this fall.
In fact, Oregon nearly competed for a College Football Playoff berth, only upset by the fact that the Ducks couldn’t get past the Washington Huskies, the eventual national runners-up. Still, Oregon managed to win 12 games and the Fiesta Bowl, a tremendous season.
And there are no signs of Oregon slowing down under Lanning.
The way that he has attacked both the transfer portal and the recruiting trail has the Ducks set to remain near the top for the foreseeable future. The program landed a pair of top-notch quarterback transfers in Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore this offseason.
Those two should help guide the program into the post-Bo Nix era. And the fact that Dan Lanning will be there to oversee it could make all the difference for the Ducks.
Lanning is 22-5 in two seasons at Oregon, including a 13-5 mark in Pac-12 play.