Dan Lanning talks about turning down Alabama to remain in Oregon

admin | January 28, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Dan Lanning, the coach of Oregon, was immediately mentioned as a leading contender to succeed Nick Saban after the Alabama head coach chose to resign.

Lanning eliminated himself from consideration for the position quite rapidly, but did he give the opportunity any thought?

When Lanning was questioned about it on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast” on Friday, the Oregon coach insisted that he never really considered talking to Alabama about the opening.

“It was never really a thought in our mind,” Lanning said, via Nick Schultz of On3. “I love Coach Saban and, gosh, I can’t tell you how much he’s done for my career and where I’m at. But I think we can make Oregon the best job in college football, and that happens with focusing on where we’re at.”

Lanning was reportedly Alabama’s top target following Saban’s retirement announcement. But when the Oregon coach swiftly put an end to any potential interest, it does not seem like the two have spoken again. Instead, the Crimson Tide turned to Kalen DeBoer, the coach of Washington.

Lanning, a former graduate assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama, is 22-5 through two seasons at Oregon. He is right, the program has a lot of potential, and we should give him credit for wanting to see it through to the end.