When you think of the qualities that an elite college football coach must have, you think of leadership, being able to relate to his players, motivating, and recruiting but one that often goes unaccounted for is ruthlessness. Just a hunger to embarrass opponents and step on necks.
Dan Lanning has that.
Not only is Lanning a great leader and an elite recruiter, he's an excellent Xs and Os coach, motivator, he relates to and commands respect from his players, and he is ruthless -- savage almost.
Actually, Lanning is the most savage, ruthless, cold-blooded head coach in college football and it's why his Ducks are ranked No. 1 and just plowing through opponents on their way to a potential 12-0 regular season and No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
This past weekend in Ann Arbor, he showed just how ruthless he is.
Dan Lanning is a SAVAGE 👇
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) November 7, 2024
(via @oregonfootball) pic.twitter.com/zUraezkisk
This is actually just an insane move. Lanning called a timeout at the end of the game while the Ducks were winning big just so he and his players could watch Michigan fans walking out of their own stadium in droves. He called a timeout to tell his team that this is what he was expecting and to take it all in.
"Are you not entertained?" they all yelled as they waved by to Michigan fans.
And this is the type of mindset that's going to get his team to buy in and believe. It's easy to motivate players who love this type of ruthlessness because, well, Lanning isn't going to change. He's going to be this same intense coach throughout his tenure and until he retires and it's why he's going to be widely considered one of the best in college football for years to come.
I don't know about you, but calling a timeout to watch fans leave their own stadium in a blowout win is the most savage thing I've seen a coach do in years.