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Urban Meyer Makes His Opinion On Dan Lanning Extremely Clear

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 11:51 AM ET

The Ohio State-Oregon rivalry is primed to be one of the best new rivalries in the Big Ten for a long time. So what does former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer think of Oregon's young head coach Dan Lanning?

On Tuesday’s episode of The Triple Option podcast, Meyer spoke glowingly of the 39-year-old head coach. Meyer boldly asserted that Lanning is a top two or three head coach in the country right now.

The three-time national champion praised Lanning for his enthusiasm and believes that he's built a program that "ain't going away."

“The big gold trophy, that’s it. I went to visit him last year, went to Spring practice, talked to the team, talked to the staff. Watched him behind the scenes. I think he’s certainly one of the Top 2-3 coaches in country right now,” Meyer said. “I love his enthusiasm. And here’s what’s really neat, he loves Oregon. He loves that place. His family loves it. He’s got a niche out there, he’s got Nike, it’s a beautiful school, he’s got great facilities. This one ain’t going away.”

Dan Lanning is a top 3 college football coach ️ pic.twitter.com/9o0O5dNKOU
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) July 9, 2025

Lanning has achieved a lot in a very short time for the Ducks. After going 10-3 in his first year at the helm, he went 12-2 in 2023 and took Oregon to the Fiesta Bowl in their final year with the Pac-12 Conference.

But his debut in the Big Ten - which some predicted would be rough - his team started off 13-0, winning the conference title en route to their first appearance in the College Football Playoff since 2014.

Ohio State may have split their two games with Oregon in 2024, but the Buckeyes won the one that mattered in the College Football Playoff.

The regular season meeting between the two Big Ten powerhouses came down to the wire, with only a few plays deciding the outcome at Autzen Stadium in Oregon.

The Rose Bowl Game meeting between the teams was decided within a few minutes of kickoff. Ohio State burst out the gate with 34 unanswered points and the game was effectively over by the midpoint of the second quarter.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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