Dan Lanning demurs on potentially leaving Oregon for the NFL

Dan Lanning has been a popular fellow in the last 24 hours — and really over the last two years. As the Oregon head coach has piloted the Ducks to great success in his first two seasons, the young head coach has been linked to a number of potential big-time openings.

That includes the Alabama job, which spurred Lanning to definitively state his intention to stay at Oregon. But joining “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday, Lanning was posed a different possibility by former NFL head coach Chuck Pagano: Could the NFL be in his coaching future?

Lanning, who said he “used to dream” about coaching in the NFL, is not looking to leave the college game any time soon, he said.

“But I love where I’m at. I think that’s really clear — this is where I want to be,” Lanning said.

Lanning, who hails from the Kansas City, Missouri, area, shared that he is a pretty big Kansas City Chiefs fan. And one who is happy to have Andy Reid at the helm of his favorite NFL franchise, both now and for the foreseeable future.

“Yeah, I used to dream of coaching in the NFL. I’m from Kansas City. Grew up a big Kansas City Chiefs fan. But I’ll tell you this: There’s nobody else in the nation that I’d want to coach the Chiefs other than Andy Reid,” Lanning said. “He’s gotta keep going. That guy solves problems. I’m cheering for Andy every week. Pat Mahomes, Travis Kelce, the Chiefs gotta keep winning.”

Lanning shared a video to make his intention to stay at Oregon clear

The Oregon coach is staying put, according to a video he tweeted on Wednesday.

“I want to be here in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me,” Lanning said in a voiceover in the video. “This place has everything that I could possibly ever want. This is a little bit of a problem in society today with people looking for what’s next and whether it’s an opportunity, and the reality is the grass is not always greener. In fact the grass is damned green in Eugene.”

pic.twitter.com/NKnRYbS4u9

— Dan Lanning (@CoachDanLanning) January 11, 2024

As Lanning’s video played, the following message scrolled across the screen for prospective recruits and transfers.

“If you’re scared your coach is leaving… Then come play for us… The Ducks aren’t going anywhere… And I’m not leaving…”

Lanning appeared to break the news that he was staying to his team in a team meeting.

“All right, who has goals and aspirations, raise your hand up,” Lanning said. “All right, everybody’s got goals and aspirations. You know how you get those? You be the best at where you’re at. That’s how you reach goals and aspirations. That’s how great things happen. It’s not about worrying about the next thing, it’s about worrying what’s right in front of you, six inches right in front of your face.

“I want to remind you guys what that means. You guys that just got here don’t know, but it means something to be an Oregon Duck. Everybody makes what, they all make commitments to things that they’re going to do. A lot of starters. The world doesn’t have a lot of finishers. We’re finishers.”