Last weekend, Oregon handed Penn State its first loss at a Beaver Stadium Whiteout game in seven years. As in any game and in any sport, the players will get the vast majority of the credit for the team’s success. But coach Dan Lanning’s impact should not be underestimated. As a 39-year-old coach, he is already on a trajectory to have a legendary career.
Dan Lanning’s Come-Up
Alabama’s 2015 coaching staff just might be the greatest of all time. Nick Saban, Lane Kiffin, Kirby Smart, Billy Napier, Mario Cristobal, Mel Tucker, Tosh Lupoi and Dan Lanning were all on that staff. Back then, Lanning was only a graduate assistant, but he has somehow managed to stand out among those names. He is arguably already one of the more accomplished coaches on that staff.
Lanning left Alabama to work with Mike Norvell at Memphis before heading to another legendary program in Georgia. Reuniting with Smart, who was Georgia’s head coach by then, he became the outside linebackers coach.
Lanning was later promoted to defensive coordinator, where he shined, helping the Bulldogs win the 2021-22 National Championship. Only Wisconsin allowed fewer yards per game that season. Considering that defense has historically been the calling card of the Bulldogs, one can argue that Lanning was the second most impactful coach on that staff after Kirby Smart.
Head Coaching Career Off to Roaring Start
Remember Mario Cristobal, one of the legendary 2015 Alabama coaches? While Dan Lanning was in Georgia, Cristobal was making waves in the Pac-12 at Oregon.
In his five seasons at Oregon, Cristobal won two Pac-12 Championships. Luck played a major factor in the latter, as they never really earned their way into the game. However, Cristobal did lead the Ducks to two seasons with over 10 wins, and one of them did lead to a conference championship with no asterisks.
So when Lanning arrived, he had big shoes to fill, but fill them he did.
He helped the team reach 10 wins in his first season in 2022. Although the Ducks still missed the Pac-12 Championship game, it was only up from there.
The next season, the Ducks ended the regular season at 11-1, earning a spot in the Pac-12 Championship. It would be a rematch against the undefeated Washington Huskies, and while the Ducks put up a respectable fight, they lost 37-34.
Competing With The Big Boys In The Big 10
Replacing quarterback Bo Nix after that season was no easy job. Lanning turned to transfer Dillon Gabriel from Oklahoma, and boy, was that the right fit.
Despite entering the Big Ten, one of the two toughest college football conferences, Oregon finished the regular season undefeated. One of their wins included a one-point win over the eventual champion Ohio State Buckeyes, where a genius trick by Dan Lanning at the end of the game made the difference between a victory and a loss.
With 10 seconds to go, Lanning intentionally put 12 defenders on the field to ensure the Buckeyes couldn’t get a big play to move into field goal range.
Oregon willingly ate the penalty because the five-yard penalty would not be enough to move the Buckeyes into field goal range, and the clock ticked for an extra four seconds. Ohio State QB Will Howard scrambled on the last play of the game and slid in field goal range as the clock expired, a second too late to call timeout. Without Lanning’s trick, the Buckeyes would have had time to set up for a game-winning field goal.
Lanning Already a Big 10 Champion
In that inaugural season in the Big Ten, Oregon defeated Penn State in the conference championship game — their offense looked unstoppable. For a coach known for his pedigree on the defensive end, the fact that he put together such an offensive juggernaut is impressive.
They opened the game with three straight touchdown drives, and every play looked seamless. The Oregon offense was the definition of a well-oiled MACHINE.
The Ducks would lose in their first playoff game, a rematch with Ohio State, where they just could not get things going on either side of the ball in the first half. Jeremiah Smith torched them for 187 receiving yards. However, Lanning’s successes last season outweighed his one loss.
Still Undefeated This Year
This year, Lanning returns with his third quarterback in three seasons in Dante Moore. For the third straight year, his quarterback is in the Heisman conversation. This season, it’s even more impressive because Moore did not start at all last season, and his completion rate is much higher than it was two seasons ago when he was at UCLA.
Furthermore, for the second season in a row, Lanning is looking to remain undefeated for the whole regular season. After the win at Penn State’s Whiteout, Oregon’s only comparable challenge remaining is its upcoming game against Indiana. Barring a major choke job, the Ducks essentially all but clinched a playoff spot already.
Not only has Lanning made history already in his young coaching career, but his mindset is well-equipped to handle pressure. The game broadcast showed him smiling often throughout the game in Happy Valley, and he has the utmost trust in his team.
It is important for a coach to look forward to challenges and set the tone for the team, and Lanning does just that. He even brought in legendary sports trainer Tim Grover to speak to the team last year to bolster their mindset.
Dan Lanning is a well-rounded coach and has the results to back it up. He has been a major player behind some of the best offenses and defenses in recent memory. He has the grit to handle the toughest environments and passes it on to his team. It’s only a matter of time before his name is etched in history among the greats.
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