According to reports, Dan Lanning to Oregon football has been “confirmed”. Is this a good hire for the Ducks or a mistake?
What a rollercoaster of a two-day stretch it’s been for Oregon football fans.
On Friday night, reports surfaced that Dan Lanning would be the Ducks’ next head coach but those were immediately shut down by some reputable sources.
Many believed the Ducks were keeping their options open still and looking for the right fit and it made sense because Lanning’s name came out of nowhere.
But on Saturday afternoon, reports surfaced that Lanning was, in fact, going to be the next head coach of the Ducks. It was confirmed by The Oregonian’s John Canzano along with Bruce Feldman.
Deal done Oregon players have been informed the Dan Lanning will be the next University of Oregon coach.
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 11, 2021
This news shouldn’t come as a huge surprise because it seemed like his name was picking up some major steam after the hiring rumors on Friday and even though they were shut down, there was a sense that it was inevitable.
Now that Lanning is expected to be named the next head coach officially within the next couple of days, Duck fans can prepare for the Mario Cristobal replacement.
What to make of Oregon football’s new coach
It’s easy to be frustrated by this hire if you’re an Oregon fan. Lanning has never been a head coach before and he’s only been Georgia’s defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. He’s unproven and young, but does that mean he’s going to fail? Absolutely not.
Mel Tucker, the previous Georgia defensive coordinator before him, was never a head coach in college before he left for the Colorado job and immediately turned that into a Michigan State job where he won 10 games this year and made a New Year’s Six bowl. Both are elite defensive minds and excellent recruiters and have learned from the likes of Kirby Smart and Nick Saban.
Lanning is going to need some support from fans because, with the right resources, he can be a heck of a coach. He needs to hire the right staff and recruit well but he could be a coach who’s in Eugene for a while.
This might go down as one of those massively underrated hires.