Wild story on Dan Lanning displays why he landed at Oregon

College football coaches across the country put in incredibly long hours in order to put their teams in the best position to win. Even before they get in the business, simply breaking into the world of college football coaching is incredibly cutthroat. The story shared by R.J. Young on Twitter about Oregon’s newly anointed head coach, Dan Lanning, demonstrates that.

“Dan Lanning drove 13 hours to get a meeting with Pitt’s DC,” Young wrote. “He took a job as a GA at Pitt to break into CFB coaching. That was 2011. He was an assistant at Arizona State when he took another GA position at Bama on that vaunted 2015 staff. Oregon got a talented grinder.” For people out there that might not know, GA is an abbreviation for a grad assistant.

Basically, grad assistants have to take classes, put in long hours as coaches, and work for a very, very low wage. While there is plenty of glamour at the top for the head coaching salaries, grad assistants have a very difficult task of juggling school and coaching, while barely making enough money to live off of. It’s not a profession for the weak-willed.

Dan Lanning statement on becoming Oregon’s new head coach

After he was officially announced as Oregon’s new head coach, Lanning released an official statement via the Oregon Ducks Twitter account. He let it be known he intends to compete right away once he gets to Eugene.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected to lead one of the premier programs in the nation at the University of Oregon,” Lanning said. “I want to personally thank president (Michael) Schill, the Board of Trustees, Athletic Director Rob Mullen and Mr. and Mrs. Knight for their trust in me. I’m excited to roll up our sleeves and get to work with our players in the pursuit of championships. It is clear there is a vision and alignment within the entire Duck Nation. We are staged for success and look forward to building on the strong foundation that currently exists in Eugene. Our goal is to win championships and develop our players both on and off the field.”

The first matter of business is first for Lanning and the Bulldogs. The Georgia defensive coordinator will have to face the Michigan Wolverines in the College Football Playoff Semifinal. If they win, they’ll face the winner of the Alabama-Cincinnati matchup.

Georgia and Michigan will face off in the Capital One Orange Bowl. The game is officially a sell-out. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

On3’s Chandler Vessels also contributed to this report.