Oregon Football: 3 reasons Dan Lanning is a good hire for the Ducks

1. Lanning has learned from two elite coaches

When doing some research about how Dan Lanning got to the position he was at with the Bulldogs, it dawned on me that he had learned from one of the best in the business as a grad assistant. In fact, Lanning was at Alabama in 2015, learning under Nick Saban.

Even just one year of experience under Saban is good for a decade under most other coaches.

Todd Graham was his first mentor at Pitt and then Arizona State before going to Sam Houston State for a year and then catching on with Saban at Alabama as a grad assistant. He then went to Memphis for a couple of years under Mike Norvell and then Kirby Smart reeled him in at Georgia where he spent a year as outside linebackers coach and then became defensive coordinator.

Lanning has learned from Saban and Smart who are two of the best in the college game right now, but you can’t overlook the fact that he also learned from guys like Norvell, Graham, and even Mel Tucker who was the defensive coordinator before him. He has a lifetime of experience in his short time as an assistant and that is going to help him tremendously in Eugene.

So a great recruiter who happens to be younger and who has learned from some legendary coaches? How can Oregon fans be upset about that?