EXCLUSIVE: Dan Lanning Reveals Best Nick Saban Advice For Oregon Ducks Football Success

“I actually visited with Coach (Saban) just the other day,” Lanning told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus. “More than anything, I bounce a lot of thoughts off of him and see if he has any insight because this guy has a ton of experience. He’s the best coach to ever do it. I think he has an unbelievable ability to look at things from a backseat approach, big picture view, see how it affects the program, and then stand his guns on certain things that he thinks are non-negotiable.”

Lanning’s relationship with Saban goes began more than a decade ago and the two regularly keep in contact. Saban hired Lanning as an Alabama Crimson Tide graduate assistant in 2015 and they went on to win the National Championship. Lanning hoisted the trophy in the air after a season of learning about Saban’s philosophies and gaining valuable experience that helped shape him into the coach he is today in Eugene, Oregon. 

Lanning has maintained his inquisitive nature and desire to grow, unafraid to reach out to Saban for a different perspective. The saying goes - if you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. Lanning consistently surrounds himself with people who can push him to be a better leader. 

“I think (Saban) has done a good job, for me at least, detailing, 'Hey, what are your non-negotiables?’ Oregon football looks like this, dot, dot, dot. What's it look like? And me figuring out, OK, I have to be Dan. I can't be Nick (Saban). I can't be Kirby (Smart) or Mike Norvell,” Lanning continued. 

Saban’s advice?

“Be you and then figure out what your non-negotiables are and then be ready to adapt,” Lanning said. “And he was always great at adapting to how the game might change, great at adapting to your ability to recruit what that might look like, great at adapting to how you coach your players. I think he just always did a phenomenal job of that.”

The video interview is below on YouTube.

Lanning’s “non-negotiables” have led him to an incredible start in three seasons as Oregon head coach. His 35 wins are the most wins by any Oregon head coach through his first three seasons. In 2024 on the field, the Ducks won the Big Ten Title in their first season in the conference. Off the field, Lanning won the prestigious Stallings Award for humanitarianism, the only coach-selected honor in a recognition of peers.

The 39-year-old has taken a page out of Saban’s book by adapting to the ever-changing Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) and transfer portal landscape. Lanning landed a top-5 recruiting class and transfer portal class in 2025. 

Lanning has also doubled down on his commitment to Oregon.

When Saban retired from Alabama, Lanning was among the names mentioned as a potential replacement. As Ducks fans tracked flight logs to Tuscaloosa, Lanning halted the rumor with a simple and firm statement. 

“The grass is not always greener,” Lanning said in 2022. “The grass is damn green in Eugene. I want to be here in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me.”

Lanning has proven that statement true, as he steps into his own path. His goal is to become the winningest coach in Oregon football history. Former Oregon coach Mike Belotti has 116 wins and Lanning's record is 35-6 since being hired in 2021, so only 81 wins to go. 

Saban often talks about his respect for Lanning. After the young coach was hired to coach linebackers at Memphis in 2016, Saban tried to hire him back at Alabama but ultimately Georgia coach Kirby Smart beat him to it, hiring Lanning in 2018. 

Lanning’s coaching roots run deep with talent, as one of the many branches on Saban's and Smart’s coaching trees. However, it would be a mistake to lump Lanning as a carbon copy. In Eugene, the charismatic Lanning is proving he and the Oregon program are “mighty different.”

A perfect example is a first impression that won’t be soon forgotten. A giant, inflatable, Oregon Duck floated in Indianapolis' White River to accompany Lanning and the Ducks at their first-ever Big Ten Media Days. 

"We're mighty different when it comes to the jerseys you might see us wear, or the facilities that we get to be in," Lanning said. "And we're innovative, and we've always been on the cutting edge of everything we do. We've certainly positioned ourselves to be on the cutting edge and we're grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Big Ten."

Saban won seven national titles as a head coach, the most in college football history. He coached four Heisman Trophy winners at Alabama: Mark Ingram II (2009), Derrick Henry (2015), DeVonta Smith (2020), and Bryce Young (2021). Saban's career record as a college head coach is 292–71–1. In 2025, Saban will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach.

… Not a bad mentor for Lanning to learn from. 

Now, Saban is an analyst on ESPN’s College GameDay. His no-nonsense opinions make for must-see TV. How is he enjoying “retirement”?

“I think he's enjoying it, and that he still gets a great taste of football (as TV analyst) but maybe he doesn't have to deal with some of the day-to-day that exists.”

Saban is continuing to rake in the accomplishments, winning a Sports Emmy for “Outstanding Personality/Emerging On-Air Talent.” It’s Saban’s first Sports Emmy Award and only ESPN’s second win in the category. 

Saban as a college football analyst is certainly a victory for sports fans. While Lanning blazing his own trail in Eugene, is a huge win for Ducks fans.