Dan Lanning addresses comparison of Justin Flowe to Georgia star following weight loss

Oregon linebacker Justin Flowe‘s collegiate career has been derailed by injuries so far, but he is in line for a major breakout campaign in 2022. He has lost weight, as he is listed at 220 pounds on Oregon’s online roster. With Flowe at a leaner weight entering the year, he has drawn some comparisons to former Georgia Bulldogs star Nakobe Dean.

Lanning obviously knows plenty about Dean, as he was his defensive coordinator at Georgia. Dean turned into a dominant force on the Bulldogs defense, and he was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Flowe’s comparisons to Dean might be lofty ones, but the physical traits and potential are undoubtedly there. Lanning is excited about the potential of Flowe entering Oregon’s season.

“Yeah I think he was what, 217 whenever he played there? So there’s certainly target height, weights for certain guys,” Lanning said. “That being said, like I feel really confident that Justin Flowe is putting himself in a position to be able to play football at a high level.”

Lanning had previous experience with Flowe prior to coming to Oregon

As Flowe has drawn comparisons to Dean, he interestingly was also recruited by Georgia while Lanning is there. So prior to coming to Eugene this season, Lanning had a sense of familiarity with his star linebacker.

Due to a plethora of injuries throughout his first two seasons of college football, Flowe has yet to reach his true potential at Oregon. He has totaled 15 tackles with one tackle for loss and one forced fumble thus far in his collegiate career, though his talent remains undeniable.

Now, as Flowe returns to full health and enters the 2022 season, Lanning hopes that he is able to stay on the field and show Oregon and the nation that he’s truly one of the top linebackers in the country.

“Justin was other guy that I actually recruited while I was at Georgia. Obviously he’s a dynamic athlete. He’s a really talented player, a specimen,” Lanning said of Flowe at Pac-12 Media Days. “I think at this point he’s played five quarters. I think Justin will tell you there’s high expectations and he hasn’t been able to execute the level he wants to yet because of injury.

“I have great belief in Justin as well as all of our linebackers on our roster. We have a great group there. That’s something I have good experience with. I’m excited to see him continue to develop. I’m glad that he’s healthy and ready to go perform.”