Josh Pate reveals the God's honest truth about Dan Lanning and LSU

Monday on an interview with Blake Ruffino of AYS Sports, an LSU podcast, Josh Pate addressed the speculation that Dan Lanning could be headed to the Bayou.

Ruffino asked him, "Is this even remotely a possibility?"

"I don't think so," Pate said, and then he dove into the reasons why.

"I know Dan fairly well. I know the situation fairly well up there."

"Dan is one of the only people-- in fact he is the only person who has this specific setup that he has at Oregon."

"When you're the head coach at Oregon in the post-Mario Cristobal era, it's important to note that. They lost Mario to Miami, and you've got to understand what that does to someone like Phil Knight."

"When Phil Knight and Oregon believe 'we've got our guy' and he says, 'bye,' the next guy you bring in, once you decide he's the guy and they've long since decided Lanning is the guy, he's not leaving."

Lanning's total deal with the Ducks and Mr. Knight won't be matched by anyone, Pate says.

Add to that, the 39-year-old head coach, his wife and his three boys are extremely happy in Eugene. He's said frequently that he has everything he needs to win at Oregon. The program is currently building a 170,000-square-foot indoor athletic facility, set to open in 2027.

Under construction west of Autzen Stadium, the new facility includes
"practice space, a weight room, a players' lounge, and direct access to the current complex," which will be converted for use by other sports. The project will cost an estimated $250 million, funded entirely by Mr. Knight and other donors.

The commitment to success, starting with retaining their 42-7 head coach, is total. Dan Lanning's not leaving, and before he retires he's going to win multiple national championships at the place where the grass is damn green.

He's got the players, the culture and the vision to win at Oregon. Playing in the Big Ten, they have the national profile and revenue to compete with anyone, even the SEC.