
Dan Lanning has the Oregon Ducks back in the championship hunt, and he's considered one of the best head coaches in college football.
It should be no surprise, then, to hear Lanning's name come up with several big-time head-coaching opportunities opening up. Oregon is a big-time program, too, but it's not often you get the opportunity to potentially coach at Florida, LSU or Penn State.
One would think those destinations could be appealing to a young coach like Lanning, 39, who is also known as an elite recruiter. Perhaps he could use his star power to absolutely clean up on the recruiting trail at an SEC school, and at Penn State, he'd have a chance to be in charge of a historic Big Ten brand that's even bigger than Oregon's.
With all that said, Oregon's head coach recently appeared on "The Rich Eisen Show" and said he has no intention of leaving the Ducks.
What's his interest level in leaving Eugene?
“It’s zero. Yeah, I’m not leaving Oregon,” Lanning said (h/t On3). “As long as I win, that’s what I always tell my kids. If your dad wins, we’ll be at Oregon. So I’ve got to win. That’s how it changes.”
Dan Lanning officially shuts down LSU, Florida, Penn St job openings talk via @RichEisenShow
— Zach Herzberg (@zherzberg3) October 30, 2025
Dan Lanning: “Zero. Yeah I’m not leaving Oregon.”
pic.twitter.com/KaS1iziQWr
It should be said that if Lanning does go somewhere else, he wouldn't be the first head coach to say one thing and do the other.
In 2006, Nick Saban, who was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins at the time, infamously said that he was not going to be Alabama's coach. Weeks later, he was announced as the next head coach of the Crimson Tide, and that worked out for both parties.
Steve Sarkisian was the head coach at Washington when USC fired Lane Kiffin in 2013. At the time, he said he wanted to be a lifer at Washington, but he ended up leaving just days after the season finale and before the bowl game for his "dream job" at USC.
Speaking of Kiffin, he infamously left Tennessee high and dry for USC while one of his assistants, Ed Orgeron, was recruiting Tennessee players to jump ship for the Trojans.
That's just how things roll in college football, so Lanning wouldn't be the first head coach to say one thing and then do another.
For now, though, the Ducks have to be grateful to have Lanning. He's in his fourth season in Eugene and boasts a 42-7 overall record. At the time of this writing, he has Oregon at 7-1 and ranked No. 6 in the nation.
More must-reads:
 +
							+
								Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
 
								 
								 
								