Dan Lanning talks about crossing paths with Deion, Shedeur Sanders

Dan Lanning and his Oregon team will play host to the biggest ticket in college football at the moment when Colorado visits Eugene this weekend. And headlining the show for Colorado are head coach Deion Sanders and his son and starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Ahead of the matchup, Lanning was asked if he knew or had met either of the Sanders prior to Saturday. He had, but only briefly.

“I don’t know them well. I know of him, obviously, like everyone knows of him. We actually, when I was at Georgia, we — I got to be around Shedeur a few times and he was recruited by us so, very familiar with them but don’t know them personally,” Lanning said.

Lanning, who was a defensive assistant at Georgia before becoming the Oregon head coach, has been thoroughly impressed by the play of Shedeur Sanders so far this year.

“I think he’s just absolutely grown as a player. He’s the guy that makes it tick for them on offense. He’s operating at a really high level. Like I said before, Sean Lewis has done a phenomenal job with that offense, he creates a lot of issues and he has him playing at a really high level as well,” Lanning said.

Lanning doesn’t regret any previous statements about Colorado heading into the weekend

Lanning did not hold back when giving his take on Colorado at the Duck’s media day this summer. He was asked about the Buffaloes’ move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 Conference slated for 2024, and clearly showed he didn’t care too much about the change.

“Not a big reaction,” Lanning said in July. “I’m trying to remember what they won to affect this conference and I don’t remember. Do you remember them winning anything? I don’t remember them winning anything.”

Lanning’s comments were harsh, but not too inaccurate, as Colorado only boasts two winning seasons in their 12 years in the Pac-12. But things have changed in Boulder with Sanders revamping the team’s roster and changing their culture, putting a newfound spotlight on the program in the midst of their 3-0 start to the season.

Oregon and Colorado square off this weekend, and early in the season it’s clear the Buffaloes will use comments from opponents as bulletin board material and motivation for their games. And with that in mind, Lanning was asked if he regrets his previous comments regarding Colorado’s program.

“No. I don’t regret anything that I’ve said for this program,” Lanning said. “At the end of the day, obviously I wasn’t talking about Deion’s team, I’m talking about the past and the future for our team.”