Dan Lanning is still only 39 years old. Nick Saban didn't win his first national championship until he was 52. Ryan Day didn't win one until he was 45. Kirby Smart won his first title at 46, in his sixth year of coaching.
Lanning is 32-0 when allowing less than 33 points to the opponent, 35-6 overall, 25-0 against unranked teams, 19-1 in Autzen Stadium, all in his first three seasons as a head coach.
Opposing fans say "he inherited a Lamborghini." In fact, the Ducks were 10-4 and 4-3 in the two seasons prior to his taking over the program in December 2021, and that winter he had two weeks to resurrect the recruiting class before Early Signing Day.
Opposing fans say, "he can't win the big game," the same charge opponents levied against Day and Smart early in their careers, or still throw out when discussing James Franklin. That's a classic case of moving the goal posts: It's only a big game if the Ducks lose.
Lanning beat Ohio State 32-31 in Autzen Stadium, No. 2 versus No. 3. That was a big game until he won it. Oregon topped Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game, No. 1 versus No. 3, 45-37. He won a conference title game in his first year in the league, his third year as a head coach.
The Ducks beat No. 20 Illinois in October. In 2023 they matched up against Kyle Whittingham and No. 13 Utah in Salt Lake City and won 35-6. He's won in the Big House and won at Camp Randall, yet each time he wins "a trap game" or "in a hostile environment" it's no longer a big game after he wins it.
Early in his career he lost three games by a field goal to Washington over his first two seasons. Those early versions of his squad matched up poorly with the Huskies' deep and intermediate passing game and he made game management errors. They lacked a reliable field goal kicker under pressure.
Lanning's addressed those errors. Last November they trounced the Dawgs by four touchdowns. They sacked Demond Williams 10 times and held Dedd Fisch's team to 43 yards rushing. But it wasn't a big game because Oregon won, even though winning it completed an undefeated regular season and propelled them to Indianapolis.
The fact is, people love to hate on the Ducks or troll them on social media. It's simple jealousy. Lanning is a winning coach and a program-builder. The start of his career is exceptional. His future is unlimited.
He's become a better game coach, and only now has he assembled the roster depth and talent necessary to win the biggest games. His teams will play in plenty of them.