Oregon breathes sigh of relief with HC Dan Lanning remaining

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon breathes sigh of relief with head coach Dan Lanning remaining

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 1/11/24

Dan Lanning isn't going anywhere.

Oregon's head coach was quickly named a top candidate for Alabama's head coaching job, which opened up on Wednesday with Nick Saban's surprising retirement.

However, Lanning shut down the thought of him leaving Oregon with a social media post on Thursday morning.

pic.twitter.com/NKnRYbS4u9
— Dan Lanning (@CoachDanLanning) January 11, 2024

He's 22-5 in two seasons in Eugene. As big of a job as Alabama is, Lanning had few reasons to leave Oregon.

The Ducks landed one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal, Dillon Gabriel, which should allow the program to not miss a beat with Bo Nix headed to the NFL. Armed with Nike CEO Phil Knight's NIL money, Oregon is positioned to be a force in this era of college football.

A move to the Big Ten in 2024 looms, and Oregon is one of the early favorites to win the conference, along with Ohio State and defending national champion Michigan. The Ducks play both during the regular season, hosting the Buckeyes and traveling to Ann Arbor to play the Wolverines.

In addition to landing Gabriel in the transfer portal, Oregon also has 2024's No. 6 recruiting class which includes 21 four-star prospects, the most for any program this recruiting cycle. On early signing day in December, the Ducks flipped commitments from a pair of wide receivers, Ohio State recruit Jeremiah McClellan and USC recruit Ryan Pellum, to bolster their class.

Oregon is a program on the rise with the resources necessary to challenge for national championships in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

For Lanning, the decision to remain in Eugene seemed to be an easy one. Why join the Tide when he can beat them?

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