Dan Lanning discusses being connected to Alabama opening, what it means for Oregon

Shortly after the football world was stunned by the retirement of longtime Alabama head coach Nick Saban on Wednesday, rumors regarding who would take over as the Crimson Tide head coach began to circulate.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning found himself at the forefront of that conversation, with many tabbing him as a frontrunner to become Alabama’s next head coach. But Lanning quickly shut that down, revealing to his team and the world on Thursday morning that he wasn’t going anywhere and that he’d be staying in Eugene.

Lanning joined the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ on Thursday and was asked about the Alabama situation, revealing what he believes having his name attached to the Crimson Tide job says about himself and the Ducks’ program.

“I think getting your name put in the conversation speaks to what we’re doing right here right now. But yeah, this decision’s been made for me since I took this job,” Lanning said. “I love what we have here, I love the support, the administration I have. I mean we’ve got the things built to where we can be that team and we just gotta continue to take steps in that direction to get where we want to be.”

Lanning has only been Oregon’s head coach, and a head coach at large in general, for just two seasons. But has been able to achieve great success in short order, boasting a 22-5 record at the helm highlighted by two bowl victories and top 15 finishes in the final College Football Playoff Rankings.

Despite his early success with the Ducks, there’s no question that the Alabama head coaching job is an attractive one for any coach in the country, as Lanning explained what makes his current situation with the Oregon program more attractive in his eyes.

“When I think of Oregon I think of innovation, and then we all know that college football is changing like crazy right now and we’re ahead of the curve. We’ve got a plan, we’ve got great support, if there’s something I need I can go ask for it,” Lanning explained. “And a lot of things that a lot of coaches are driven by, that’s not my motivation, it’s one thing. Can we win? Can we win at a high level, can we compete for championships, and that ability exists here. I think we have a program that can be the best in the nation as long as I keep thing thing on track.”

Whether it’s uniforms, facilities, or recruiting where the Ducks have solidified their quarterback position for the next few seasons, there’s no denying their innovation. And it will be interesting to see if Lanning can take the program to the championship heights he envisions as the Ducks transition to the Big Ten Conference ahead of the 2024 season.