The entire nation took notice of Dan Lanning's coaching prowess in Week 7 when he purposefully ran time off the clock by sending 12 of his players on the field against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Even the NCAA made rule changes in the middle of the season because of the loophole that Lanning took advantage of.
As Lanning garners more and more national recognition, award committees are also taking notice of the Ducks' head coach.
Most recently, Lanning was named to the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Trophy watch list among 19 other elite head coaches in college football.
Among the other leaders on the list are none other than Clemson's Dabo Swinney, who won the award in 2011, and LSU's Brian Kelly, who won the award in 2018 when he was still with Notre Dame.
Believe it or not, his job with the Ducks is Lanning's first-ever head coaching gig in his career. So far, he has led Oregon to a 28-5 overall record with wins in the 2022 Holiday Bowl (28-27 vs. North Carolina) and the 2024 Fiesta Bowl (45-6 vs. Liberty).
“This esteemed group of coaches knows what it takes to win both in football and in life,” said Gary Stokan, the President and CEO of Peach Bowl, Inc. “Each coach has exhibited success on the gridiron, but it’s their leadership over their young student-athletes in the classroom and the community that truly sets them apart.”
Also read: Is Oregon's Dan Lanning the smartest head coach in all of college football?
The Dodd Trophy, which is managed by Peach Bowl Inc., said the trophy is "college football's most coveted national coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity."
If you ask Oregon fans, Lanning embodies all of those characteristics and more while shaping the hearts and minds of the young men on the Ducks football team.