Dan Lanning opens up at Big Ten Media Day

On Thursday, the Big Ten was finally introduced to Dan Lanning in his first media day in the conference. Previously, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, and a handful of other coaches got the opportunity to talk.

For Lanning, he starts off by talking about the end of his tenure at Georgia as the defensive coordinator.

Opening Remarks

“It’s certainly great to be back here in Indianapolis, the last time I was in this stadium I got to enjoy a nation championship with… Georgia. It’s refreshing to be here, two and a half years from that moment, it’s been so rewarding to be a part of our program at Oregon.”

“I’ve been so impressed in these Big Ten meetings early as a newcomer, not only with his (Tony Petitti’s) vision of the conference, but his ability to listen and work with our coaches. Extremely impressed with the coaches I get to sit alongside, every one of us is very competitive. But I’ll say what’s impressive about that room is how much these guys care about people and how much they care about the game. Their leadership certainly shows up in this conference and it’s something we’re grateful to be a part of.”

Lanning then briefly talks about his family, and having a solid summer before paying homage to his former player, Khyree Jackson.

“Also this summer, we experienced great sorrow. Losing a player that means so much to us, and finished his career here in Oregon. Losing Khyree in a car accident this summer…it hurt. It’s one of those things you wake up as a coach and you hope to never see. I’m feeling for him and his family, I want to give a special thank you to the Minnesota Vikings in the way they’ve taken care of Khyree and his family. He’s a guy I always tell myself we have to be grateful for the time we got to spend with Khyree.”

On being in the Big Ten:

“This season is a very exciting one for our team, our players have been working their tails off this summer. Entering this new conference there’s some new challenges that are presented…here at Oregon we chase and attack those challenges. We’re excited about the traditions that exist here in the Big Ten, we’re excited about some of the venues we’re going to get the opportunity to play in, but we know that none of that really matters until you start with game one.

On Growth off the Field:

“I’m also really proud of the growth our team has had off the field, and the impact they’ve made on their community. Our guys do a lot of projects and community service, we’re working with kid’s sports, making 230 beds with Sleep and Heavenly Peace for kids that don’t have beds…These guys are so much more than football players.

On the three players at Media Day:

“I’m excited today to have three phenomenal players that are here to represent us, and all three have worked extremely hard, and are certainly deserving.”

“I’ll start with Dillon Gabriel… I got the opportunity to recruit him a little bit when I was at Georgia before. I know wearing the No. 8 and representing the number that Marcus wore here at Oregon means a lot to him. What’s maybe impressed me the most with Dillon is his ability to connect with people, not just in our program.”

“Also excited to have one of our greats, one of our best players Terrance Ferguson here. I have to give a little shoutout to Terrance, he was just engaged… The job he has done this offseason, the work that he’s put in, the leadership role that he provides for that tight end room, for our offense, and our team has been amazing. Those of you that haven’t got the opportunity to be around Terrance, one of the things that I really love about him is when we go out to the practice field and his foot steps inside that white line, he’s running. “

“On the defensive side of the ball, we’re able to bring Jeff Bassa, one of our linebackers that has experience with these media days. This guy has grown and grown every year that I’ve been here, into this leadership role now to the point where we have a coach on the field. If we would have to have Jeff call the defense, he could tell you why he’s calling it and what he’s doing. He’s the kind of guy that can run the drills if a coach isn’t present, he’s a true leader, he wants to attack his game, he doesn’t want you to tell him all the things he’s great at, and he wants to be coached. (and) Then he coaches the guys around him, he demand excellence, and I think you’ll see that well represented today.

On what the Big Ten should know about Oregon:

“That we’re mighty different, mighty different in a lot of ways. We’re mighty different when it comes to the jerseys you might see us wear, or the facilities that we get to be in, and we’re innovative. We’ve always been on the cutting edge of everything we do, we certainly position ourself to be in the cutting edge, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Big Ten. Excited about this opportunity in front of us, and excited to see what this team does, it’s a brand new team. These guys have completely bought in, excited to see them perform. I know they’re anxious to get on the field, but there’s a lot of work between now and then before we do that.

On the Advantages of being in the Big Ten:

“There’s several things, one, just having a clear vision of our future. Obviously this is the premier league in college football, and getting to be a part of that, getting to be a part of some of those storied traditions, play some of the teams that are in our future. We’ve always been a team that has recruit nationally, but it’s certainly made our footprints stronger here in the midwest. Whether it’s states in this area we haven’t tapped into as much, this gives us the opportunity to recruit those states, and give people an opportunity.