If you’re an Oregon Duck fan, you have already come to love head coach Dan Lanning and it may surprise you that 2024 will only be his third season with your beloved team.
From a high school assistant coach to the defensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs under Kirby Smart to the Oregon head coach, Lanning has had one of the most rapid and successful ascensions in collegiate coaching history.
Over his first two seasons with Oregon, Lanning and the Ducks have gone 22-5 overall and they are marching their way into the Big Ten.
Dan Lanning's coaching background
At just 38 years old, Lanning is one of the youngest head coaches in Division I NCAA football.
He is a defensively-minded head coach, proving his defensive prowess while leading the Georgia Bulldogs alongside Smart.
With the Ducks, Lanning has focused on building up community and culture. Oregon finished second in the Pac-12 during Lanning’s first two seasons with the team and the Ducks are projected to be a top team in their first season as a part of the Big Ten.
At the end of both years, the Ducks won their bowl game to cap off impressive seasons under Lanning’s leadership.
Dan Lanning’s contract details
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Lanning signed a one-year extension with the Ducks to ensure his stay in Eugene through 2028.
Currently, Lanning is set to make $7 million annually, a raise from his previous salary of $4.7 million in his original contract at Oregon.
Despite rumors of Lanning leaving Oregon for the Texas A&M and Alabama head coach openings, he has made it well known that Eugene is the place for him.
Dan Lanning’s salary breakdown: bonuses + known stipulations
Lanning’s extension from July of 2023 was for $45 million in total, broken up to $7 million per year with a $200,000 increase each season.
Currently, there is a $20 million buyout for Lanning’s contract with decreases each year.
Each regular season in which he wins 10 games with the team, he will receive (up to three) automatic one-year extensions with Oregon as well as a $500,000 bonus for winning the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Dan Lanning’s salary compared to other coaches
His bonus made him the second-highest-paid coach in the Pac-12 and he is now the fifth-highest-paid coach in the Big Ten, alongside Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.
Ahead of Lanning and Ferentz are Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell, Washington’s Jedd Fisch, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, and USC’s Lincoln Riley.
Fisch, who took over the Huskies program after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, and Riley, who has been with USC for the past two years, join the Big Ten alongside Oregon and UCLA from the Pac-12.
Lanning is tied for the 18th-highest-paid FBS head coach in the nation.