Oregon approves contract extension that elevates Dan Lanning's salary to $7 million in 2023

Dan Lanning had a very successful first season as a head coach with the Oregon Ducks. Now, heading into year two, he just earned a big-time nod from the school in the form of a significant pay raise.

James Crepea of The Oregonian shared news of a new contract extension for Lanning this morning. After paying him $4.6 million last year, his new deal will reportedly increase by over 60% when he reaches a payment of $7 million in 2024.

Huge pay increase for Dan Lanning in new contract extension. From $4.6M last year and $4.7M this year to $7M this year in new contract, with increases of $200k per year through 2028.

— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) July 27, 2023

Dan Lanning's buyout increases to $20 million and lasts the duration of his contract, through Jan. 2029. His new deal is 100% guaranteed. https://t.co/kWj54EOwD6

— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) July 27, 2023

As Crepea pointed out, Lanning’s buyout also took a jump up while the contract became fully guaranteed as well.

On the field, Lanning led Oregon to a 10-3 record in 2022. The Duck’s offense finished Top-10 in the nation with an average of 38.8 points per game while their defense finished respectably enough at 75th in the country.

They won eight straight games to reach as high as No. 6 in the nation by the start of November. However, after losing two of their final three in the regular season against a trio of opponents that were all in the Top-25, Oregon settled for a win in the Holiday Bowl over North Carolina as the finale for their season.

Lanning has been putting in work off the field as well. All three of his recruiting classes thus far (2022, 2023, and 2024) have finished or are within the Top-15 nationally. That includes this year’s freshman class which is ranked eighth in the country and best in the Pac-12 with 30 commitments.

That recruiting success extends to the transfer portal as well based on the players that he and his staff have been able to bring to Oregon early on.

The returns on Lanning in Eugene have been very positive thus far. Oregon is now betting on those wins on and off the field as a trend for his coaching career with this deal which should keep him with the Ducks for quite some time.

Report: Oregon to hold Thursday meeting amid reports of Colorado leaving Pac-12

The University of Oregon Executive, Audit and Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees will hold an “ad hoc meeting” on Thursday, the school announced. The meeting is scheduled to take place via Zoom and will begin at 10 a.m. PT.

It’s unclear at this point what will be discussed at the meeting.

However, one potential reason that Oregon may have scheduled the meeting is to discuss its future in the Pac-12. Reports emerged on Wednesday that Colorado is prepared to leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12 by next season.

With USC and UCLA also set to leave the conference after this season, there are serious concerns about whether the Pac-12 can stay afloat.

The league has yet to reach an agreement on a new TV deal. Its current contract set to expire in July of 2024. That was reportedly a big reason why Colorado is expected to make the move. It will receive $31.7 million from the Big 12’s new media rights deal with ESPN and FOX.

Oregon has been a perennial contender in the college football landscape for the better part of the past two decades. The program has two appearances in the national championship and seven New Year’s Six Bowl appearances. That would make them a prime candidate to follow Colorado to the Big 12. They could also potentially join the Trojans and Bruins in the Big Ten.

Up to this point, there has been little news on what the Ducks’ plans are. With this meeting set to take place on Thursday, though? That could soon change.