Dan Lanning, Dillon Gabriel back Oregon's NIL operation: 'You either got it or you don't'

INDIANAPOLIS – When Dan Lanning saw a video of Kirby Smart calling out the Oregon NIL war chest and Phil Knight last week, he was not thrilled to hear the comments.

“It was more like a moderate chuckle,” Lanning said, saying a “hah” as he described it. “It was like that.”

Thursday at Big Ten Media Days was dominated by the Ducks. Viewed as a league favorite, their Oct. 12 matchup with Ohio State has already been circled and is shaping up to land in the primetime slot. Lanning was given every opportunity to take a shot back at Smart, repeatedly choosing not to go after his mentor’s barbs.

He did let loose a little Thursday on the “Pat McAfee Show.”

“I think it’s impressive that guys like Kirby have been signing the No. 1 class in the nation without any NIL money this entire time,” Lanning said.

Oregon is an NIL destination

Oregon has been an NIL destination since the summer of 2021. Nike co-founder and Ducks booster Phil Knight is the co-founder of the Division Street NIL collective. Some of his top former lieutenants from Nike now run the operation, headlined by CEO Rosemary St. Clair, who was a VP/GM of Nike Women.

One of On3’s top 20 most ambitious NIL collectives last June, part of Division Street’s success has been strong communication with Lanning.

The collective has made multiple unprecedented moves to create NIL opportunities, too.

Oregon partnered with Division Street to release the “University of Oregon” Air Max 1 in March. The collective has previously dropped exclusive Air Jordan 8s, a Dunk Low and an Air Force 1 Low. Division Street has even established its own apparel line, Ducks of a Feather.

Dan Lanning’s not worried about folks giving credit to Knight, either.

“I don’t really don’t care what people think,” he said. “I just want to win; I know the reality of what our situation is here. There’s not a top-10 program in the nation that’s not funded and in a good position to compete, or they wouldn’t be a top-10 program.”

Dillon Gabriel: ‘You either got it or you don’t’

Lanning’s quarterback Dillon Gabriel remains unfazed about the NIL resources Oregon can access. The UCF and Oklahoma transfer admitted Wednesday he’s yet to meet Knight but referred to him as “Uncle Phil.”

The quarterback has used his own NIL platform to do good. He presented his high school football team in Mililani, Hawaii, with new home and away jerseys. And thanks to the help of the event’s sponsors, athletes will receive a variety of football equipment.

Gabriel has been viewed as a leader in the NIL Era. And he has no problem backing up Lanning and Oregon.

“With the NIL side of things, I think people are a little more – I wouldn’t say jealous – it’s not like resources where everyone’s got a training room, a weight room, a locker room, things they can show off like uniforms. It’s a little different with NIL,” Gabriel said. “You either got it or you don’t.

“It’s just a new day and age of college football. You’re either catching up or you are taking advantage of it. Hopefully, you’re not on the wrong end of this.”

Oregon embracing NIL opportunities

Oregon currently has the No. 5 class in the 2025 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, led by five-star commitments from receivers Dakorien Moore and Dallas Wilson.

“When somebody doesn’t win in recruiting, it’s easy to throw out an excuse that doesn’t really fit their narrative,” Lanning said. “And I think it’s easy to say the low-hanging fruit is, ‘Well it didn’t work out for us, they must have beat me because of this.‘”

The Ducks won in the transfer portal, not only landing Gabriel but also future starting quarterback Dante Moore. They also added former five-star receiver Evan Stewart and picked up eight defensive players who can contribute immediately.

That doesn’t happen without providing attractive NIL opportunities.

“Any team that’s operating at a high level right now has great opportunities, right?” Lanning said. “And that’s something that you’d be silly not to embrace what exists there with our affiliation with the programs around our university what makes us so special that exists.”