Report: Oregon, Dan Lanning agree to six-year contract extension

The Oregon Ducks and Dan Lanning have reportedly restructured his contract with the school. This comes a season after Lanning led the Ducks to an unbeaten regular season, a Big Ten Championship, and a trip to the College Football Playoff.

Per Ross Dellenger, the new contract for Lanning is an amended six-year contract that will increase his pay by $2 million annually. He now makes an average of $11 million annually, which is top five among nationally known contracts. On Friday, the amended contract is going to need to receive board approval.

Notably, the buyout for Lanning won’t change in this contract. It remains $20 million that must be paid if he were to leave the program.

Lanning came to Oregon in 2022 as a first-time head coach. He had previously been the defensive coordinator at Georgia. On top of that, he also spent time at Memphis, Alabama, and Arizona State, among other stops. Since then, Lanning has quickly established himself as one of the best coaches in all of college football. The Ducks are 35-6 over three seasons, improving their record each season. That includes three AP Top 25 finishes and two AP Top 10 finishes.

There has been significant interest from other schools and even the NFL in Lanning. Following the 2023 season, he was rumored to be in the mix to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, before ultimately remaining with the Ducks. Then, following the 2024 season, it was even rumored that he could be interested in the NFL. Those rumors were loud enough that he felt the need to address them, explaining it used to be his goal.

“You know, it used to be a goal of mine, it certainly did,” Lanning said. “But I think at this point, everybody can realize that I’m not going anywhere. So I love what we have here. I’ve got three young boys that love Eugene. We have a lot of unfinished business that we hope to handle, and I’m enjoying the ride. So this will be the place that I’m coaching at for a long. Long time as long as I continue to do my job.”

For now, the focus for Lanning gets to remain on Oregon and getting the Ducks back to the College Football Playoff in 2025. It should be an interesting season, too, with several key positions turning over, including quarterback, where the Ducks are going to have their third starting quarterback in as many seasons.

At only 38 years old, Lanning is already seen as one of the best head coaches in all of college football. Oregon is now putting their faith in him to get the program to a consistent championship caliber.