Multiple reports confirm Oregon to hire Dan Lanning as next head coach

It appears the rumors surrounding Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning making the move to Eugene are true.

On Saturday, FOX analyst and writer for The Athletic Bruce Feldman confirmed the speculation, originally reported by Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday, that Lanning will be the next head coach at Oregon.

According to John Canzano of The Oregonian, the Oregon players have now been informed of the move as well. Additionally, On3’s Matt Zenitz confirmed the report as well.

Details of the agreement and the timeline for the move are currently unknown.

Georgia’s defense was historically good this year under Lanning; they are the only team in the country currently holding opponents under 10 points per game. According to a story from Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports, a veteran coach referred to Lanning’s suffocating defense as a “defensive version of the run-pass option.” Not only is the scheme innovative, Georgia has immense talent, a lot of it recruited by Lanning. The Bulldogs currently have well over a dozen potential NFL Draft picks on their defensive roster.

The Bulldogs’ success earned them their second College Football Playoff berth, and they will play Michigan on Dec. 31 in the Orange Bowl with a chance to advance to the national championship. They are trying to win their first national title since 1980.

Lanning has been Georgia’s defensive coordinator since 2019 after a year as the outside linebackers coach. The Missouri native also brings national championship experience with him to Oregon, as he served as a graduate assistant at Alabama in 2015. That year, the Crimson Tide defeated Clemson 45-40 in the national title game. From Tuscaloosa, Lanning went to Memphis for two years before landing at Georgia.

Lanning will replace Mario Cristobal, who departed for the same position at his alma mater, Miami. He is now the Ducks’ sixth head coach since the turn of the century. No school has had more than seven.

Oregon’s only remaining game this season is the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma on Dec. 29. The game will now feature two first-time head coaches, as the Sooners recently hired former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables to replace an outgoing Lincoln Riley.