It has been nearly five years since news broke that former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal was leaving to coach the Miami Hurricanes. Instantly, fans felt stabbed in the back, especially as trauma from Willie Taggart and Chip Kelly's departures came to the surface.
However, since then, the Ducks have been led by beloved head coach Dan Lanning, and things haven't been too bad for fans since he took hold of the reins.
When EA Sports announced which coaches had opted into or out of College Football 26, the Oregon Ducks became even more satisfied with their leadership.
Cristobal, alongside 11 other head coaches, decided to opt out of their appearance and likeness being featured in the newest version of the video game. Lanning, and almost all of the rest of the head coaches in the country, opted in.
Beyond the former Oregon head coach opting out, Duck fans received even more satisfaction when they learned that the despised Colorado Buffaloes head coach, Deion Sanders, had also opted out, once again bringing attention as one of the select few to make that decision.
Head coaches who opted out of College Football 26
- Mario Cristobal, Miami
- Deion Sanders, Colorado
- Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
- Bill Belichick, North Carolina
- Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State
- Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky
- Charles Kelly, Jacksonville State
- Frank Reich, Stanford
- Trent Dilfer, Alabama-Birmingham
- Bryant Vincent, Louisiana-Monroe
- Jason Eck, New Mexico
- Mark Carney, Kent State
Meanwhile, Lanning and other head coaches knew how much it meant to their fans and even their players for coaches to be featured in the game, especially with last year's version featuring non-descript individuals as the teams' head coaches.
Lanning has taken the Ducks to a 35-6 overall record since taking over in 2022. He has led Oregon to a College Football Playoff appearance, a Big Ten Championship, a win in the Holiday Bowl, and a win in the Fiesta Bowl.
Cristobal? Oh, he has gone 22-16 overall at Miami and lost both bowl games he took his team to (2023 Pinstripe Bowl versus Rutgers & 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl versus Iowa State).