Oregon Ducks, Dan Lanning Agree To Massive 6-Year Contract Extension: Top-5 College Salary

The buyout for Lanning's contract remains at $20 million that must be paid if he were to leave the program. However, Lanning has shut down any rumors of leaving Eugene.

“(Coaching in the NFL) used to be a goal of mine,” Lanning said in December 2024 on The Zach Gelb Show. “At this point, everybody can realize that I’m not going anywhere.”

“I love what we have here," Lanning continued. "I’ve got three young boys that love Eugene. We have a lot of unfinished business that we hope to handle, and I’m enjoying the ride. This will be the place that I’m coaching for a long, long time as long as I continue to do my job.”

Before the extension, Lanning was the 14th-highest paid coach in college football and the fourth-highest paid in the Big Ten.

Can Lanning build on his best season yet as a Duck? Oregon won the 2024 Big Ten Conference Championship in it's first season in the conference. The Ducks also achieved the first 13-0 start in program history, earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and a berth in the Rose Bowl. 

His performances bonuses from the 2024 football season totaled $850,000, for winning the Big Ten Championship, earning a berth in the College Football Playoff, winning 12 games, etc.

The 10 Highest-Paid College Football Coaches in 2024 (which Lanning will soon be added to for 2025)

1. Georgia, Kirby Smart - $13,282,580

2. Clemson, Dabo Swinney - $11,132,775

3. Texas, Steve Sarkisian - $10,600,000

4. USC, Lincoln Riley - $10,043,418

5. Ohio State, Ryan Day - $10,021,250

6. Florida State, Mike Norvell - $10,000,000

7. Alabama, Kalen DeBoer - $10,000,000

8. LSU, Brian Kelly - $9,975,000

9. Kentucky, Mark Stoops - $9,013,600

10. Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin - $9,000,000

Since taking over the Oregon program in 2022, Lanning's Ducks have been one of the best teams in college football, with a 35-6 record so far through his first three seasons. 

Lanning is in elite company, as his 35 wins are second-most among active head coaches since 2022 behind only Georgia's Kirby Smart (39).

Those 35 wins are the most by any Oregon head coach through his first 40 games.

It's an exciting time for Lanning's Ducks as the 2025 NFL Draft could be record-setting. There were eight Ducks drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, which set a new program record. 2025 NFL mock drafts list 10-11 Ducks selected, which would break that record.

"Now our goal is to see how high every one of those guys can get drafted. Unbelievable humans that are also great football players, that some NFL team is going to be really lucky to have," Lanning toldDuck Insider.