After the first day of spring practice Dan Lanning took to the podium in black sunglasses that hid his eyes. It turned out they were due to a minor eye procedure, but the attitude they conveyed couldn't have been more perfect for the first official media session of the 2026 season.
The look only lacked an AMT Hardballer .45 Longslide, the iconic long-barreled, laser-equipped pistol Arnold Schwarzenegger brandished in the first "Terminator" movie. Lanning was all business, tersely dispatching the questions like the Cyberdynde Systems Series 800 Model 101 crushing a child's toy, stepping out of the Ford Country Squire to eliminate the first Sara Connor in the White Pages.
Like his doppelganger, Lanning was lethal and efficient, a red pen clipped to his whistle, sticking to the usual generalities, focused on his work.
A minor eye procedure signifies a new attitude
The Terminator (1984) could’ve been a cheap B-movie with bad effects and corny action. Instead, James Cameron turned a $6 million sci-fi thriller into a genre-defining classic that blended horror, action, and romance and made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star.pic.twitter.com/1Ve06mkoDR https://t.co/KjS2uYr635
— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) March 3, 2026
The attitude serves him perfectly. In year five the coach has earned the right to be unapologetically himself. The program ("progrum") is sound and there's thorough proof of concept. He doesn't have to justify his record, his methods or decisions.
Others can debate his rank among college coaches or ability to win big games. They can question his reliance on analytics, his propensity for big gambles or the decision to stay in-house for two new coordinators. Lanning's here to get to work, not rehash the loss in the Peach Bowl.
Lanning's not really here to answer questions or satisfy curiousity. He's here to win football games, to turn the 2026 squad into the best possible versions of themselves. He's busy. The players are competing, the coaches are prepared for new roles and it's a new season.
Dylan Raiola and Evan Stewart are practicing as are high-potential newcomers like Tradarian Ball, Kendre Harrison and Jett Washington. Linebacker Devon Jackson is healthy. One workout in spiders won't determine this team's destiny, but that new attitude, comfortable in his own skin, sure of who he is and what he's aiming for, might.
When the night desk clerks of the podcast and digital media world lob their questions, the essence of Lanning's answer is as plain as the black sunglasses on his face. FEBU. He saves the light and the explanations for those inside the building.