Dan Lanning shares what he has learned in a year of Oregon recruiting

In his first year as the coach at Oregon, Dan Lanning managed to sign a top-10 recruiting class, so suffice it to say he’s got things firing on all cylinders when it comes to Oregon recruiting.

And yet the now second-year head coach still sees room for improvement. Even after national signing day he was still making pitches.

“And I’ll say this, Oregon is an opportunity that a lot of people want to be a part of,” Lanning said. “They see the innovation. They see what exists here and makes this place so great, and that’s what excites me. I feel like we can go anywhere in the nation and go get the best players when people see this for the right thing.”

In the latest Oregon recruiting class the Ducks signed one five-star prospect and 17 four-star prospects, a class good enough to rank No. 8 nationally.

Five-star receiver Jurrion Dickey headlined the class, checking in as the No. 28 overall player in the class and the second-highest-rated receiver.

And yet if you listen to Lanning, it sounds like the continued pitch is for recruits outside of the traditional Oregon recruiting footprint to give the Ducks a chance. For other five-stars to consider Oregon like Dickey did.

“Yeah, absolutely, I think you learn lessons every year,” Lanning said. “It takes the right person to come here and be an Oregon Duck. This is a prideful program that provides a lot of opportunity and resources for people to be great, but sometimes you have to step out on a limb to make that happen. It’s not always going to be the closest, most convenient option, but a lot of times it’s going to be the best option.”

Greg McElroy grades the Dan Lanning hire a ‘B’ in Year 1, not taking into account Oregon recruiting

With National Signing Day in the rearview and college football programs into the phase of winter workouts, it is truly the offseason. Thus, it’s the optimal time to give some grades for coaches for the 2022 season, and that’s exactly what ESPN’s Greg McElroy did on the “Always College Football” podcast.

When taking stock of Lanning and his first season at Oregon, McElroy considered a few things in awarding a B. The beatdown the Ducks took in the opener against Georgia and their late-season falter came up, but so did the fact that Oregon won 10 games. And McElroy readily acknowledged that the middle span of the season was A worthy.

“So, I think that not only does Dan Lanning get an A for how his team played in the middle of the year — if it was only the middle of the year, he’d get an A,” McElroy said. “But if you take into account how he started and how he finished, it’s difficult to kind of wrap your head around. Still, 10 wins in your first season, very, very solid. Have him as a B.”

If Oregon recruiting stays strong, Lanning should get a chance to improve the on-field results.