Dan Lanning shoots down links to Texas A&M job; 'There is zero chance I would be coaching somewhere else'

For the past 36 hours, or so, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning’s name has been heavily linked with the Texas A&M opening following the school’s decision to part ways with Jimbo Fisher.

While speaking with reporters on Monday, Lanning steadfastly shot down those links and reiterated that he intended to stay in Eugene.

“We talk about outside noise a lot in our program, I guess the reality here is No. 1, my name and our program would never be a topic of conversation for another school if we didn’t have something here that everybody else wanted,” Lanning said. “The reason we have something here that everybody else wants, that’s because of what our players, our coaches, the support that exist here at Oregon have created. I think I’ve been really, really clear here since Day 1, everything I want exists right here. I’m not going anywhere. There’s zero chance that I would be coaching somewhere else. I’ve got unfinished business here; there’s a lot that I want to accomplish here at Oregon. My No. 1 priority is being elite here at Oregon and we have the resources, the tools — anybody that can’t understand why you would want to be here at this place does not understand exactly what exists here.

“Like what I’ve said before, with a 13-year-old, a 12-year-old and a 10-year-old, to be able to raise your family in a community like this, to be able to compete for championships and have the ability to get the resources you need. A lot of coaches hang onto these moments and they don’t do anything or don’t say anything, No. 1 because they don’t want egg on their face when they decide to do something else, No. 2 because they’re concerned about things that I’m not concerned about, like getting a better contract. I’m taken care of extremely well here at Oregon. I have the resources I need here at Oregon to be really, really successful. I’m not motivated by that. I’m motivated by winning. I’m motivated by being elite here. Our players deserve my complete focus. Our fans deserve the best product on the field. It’s outside noise; it didn’t before, it doesn’t matter now. I’ll continue to say it until I’m blue in the face, I’m going to be here at Oregon. That hasn’t changed. That won’t change.”

In July, Lanning signed a contract extension that runs through Jan. 31, 2029, and made him the Pac-12’s second-highest-paid head coach at the time. He is owed $38 million over the next five years and his contract features a $20 million buyout.

“In coaching, you dream to be at a place where you can both raise your family and win at a high level,” Lanning said in a press release on July 27. “Oregon has more than exceeded those expectations for my wife, Sauphia, and our three boys, and this will ensure our boys can all graduate from the same school as we continue to grow roots in the community. I am thrilled to be a part of a program that has a shared vision for how to stay on the cutting edge and achieve great success moving forward, and I am grateful to Phil and Penny Knight, Rob Mullens, and President Scholz for their faith and unwavering support of our program.

“Our relentless pursuit of excellence for the Oregon football program will continue to include an innovative and aggressive approach to student-athlete support, world-class facilities, and all program dynamics as we push forward, and I look forward to all of the great days on the horizon for our student-athletes and Duck fans.”