Skip to main content
Join
Team Avatar
Oregon

Dan Lanning addresses relationship with Kirby Smart, how it's changed ahead of Week 1

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•08/30/22•

ChandlerVessels

On3 image
Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

As Dan Lanning prepares to enter his first season as a head coach at Oregon, he knows he owes a lot of credit to Kirby Smart. Lanning spent the past four years under Smart at Georgia, including the past three as the defensive coordinator.

In a strange twist of fate, the Ducks and Bulldogs are scheduled to meet in Week 1, meaning Lanning’s first game as a head coach will come against his former mentor. The now-Oregon coach addressed that fact in a Monday press conference while also stressing the impact Smart had on his career.

“I would not be sitting in this seat if it weren’t for Kirby Smart,” Lanning said. “I’m forever grateful for him and that entire coaching staff. I’ll definitely always lean on him.”

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

In his final year at Georgia in 2021, Dan Lanning helped Kirby Smart to deliver one of the best seasons in Bulldogs history. Georgia finished with the No. 1 scoring defense in the country and an undefeated regular season record before going on the win the national championship against Alabama.

Smart and Lanning have stayed in touch this offseason as the latter begins his head coaching journey. As they prepare to play against each other, however, communication has been a bit lacking between the two. But Lanning expects things to pick up once the game has passed.

“This is certainly unique,” he said. “We probably haven’t talked as much this summer or especially in the last couple of weeks as we will down the road. That being said, when you start playing games, you don’t spend a lot of time talking to anybody. But I’ll forever lean on coach Smart. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and the job he’s done. I think he’s one of the best in the business.”

Now having learned from Smart these past few seasons, Lanning will hope that one day the same can be said of him. Kickoff between No. 3 Georgia and No. 11 Oregon is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Atlanta.