Dan Lanning Provides Rare Insight Into Oregon Coaching Camaraderie

“As far as my opportunity here, I'll tell you this, I've never been a part of a university, a college or a university that has relationships that we do beyond sports. You just mentioned that Dana Altman is a Hall of Fame coach, and to know that I get to have a relationship with him,” Lanning said.

“I was on the phone with Derek Radley yesterday, and you look at the job that he's done and how those guys are competing, and (Mark Wasikowski) and (Melyssa) Lombardi,” he continued. “I mean, we've got an unbelievable group of coaches here, and we're all in it for Oregon, and we all realize that we feed off of each other, and when we're all playing well, it's really a benefit to us.”

“And certainly, football is a revenue-generating sport. I think we all recognize that in the college landscape. But for us to have as many sports as we do, perform at the level they do, and then the relationships to extend beyond that. We had Dakorien (Moore) yesterday competing in track and field. And then he's out there competing in the scrimmage today.”

“So, I think all those things we’re really tying work really well together,” Lanning said. “You got some outstanding coaches, and all the sports here at the university, that make this thing really tick and people really pulling for each other.”

Coach Dana Altman’s Comments on Working Within a Budget

The men’s basketball team is coming off its worst season under Altman, finishing with a 12-20 record. Altman lost nearly his entire roster after the conclusion of the season and is having to start from scratch by going to the transfer portal for talent.

Altman met with the media at the beginning of April and addressed the struggles with roster departures. He said the team didn’t pull anyone’s scholarship.

“But we are working within a budget, and some guys were gonna lose their NIL, either totally or taking a reduction,” Altman said. “Big reduction.”

As Lanning pointed out, if more Oregon teams are performing well, it helps the other teams from a financial perspective. Given that the football generates as much revenue as it does, the team’s success is important beyond just its own locker room.

Connecting About Dual-Sport Athletes

Lanning’s comments about the communication between Ducks coaches are also interesting when considering the dual-sport athletes at Oregon.

He mentioned star receiver Dakorien Moore participating in the Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field. Lanning also spoke during his press conference about communicating with the track and field coaches during the week leading up to Moore’s Hayward debut about what his participation in practice should have looked like.

It’s not the first time the Ducks have had a dual-sport athlete, and it won’t be the last. Former Oregon linebacker and center fielder Bryce Boettcher is a notable example of a Duck who thrived playing multiple sports. Then there’s incoming tight end recruit Kendre Harrison, who committed to Oregon to play both football and basketball.

Lanning having a positive relationship with other coaches within the athletic department is key to managing athletes who want to compete in more than one sport. In the example of Harrison, Altman and Lanning had to be on the same page when it came to recruitment.

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