Oregon coach Dan Lanning has seen his name floated for various job openings around the country. Especially since the LSU job recently opened up with the firing of Brian Kelly.
But you can probably go ahead and scratch Lanning off any coaching search lists. He’s happy where he is. On The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday, Eisen asked Lanning about his interest level in leaving Oregon.
“It’s zero. Yeah, I’m not leaving Oregon,” Lanning said. “As long as I win, that’s what I always tell my kids. If your dad wins, we’ll be at Oregon. So I’ve got to win. That’s how it changes.”
The implication, of course, is that the only way Lanning is leaving Oregon is if he’s fired. And that seems a long, long way off, given how remarkably successful he’s been there so far.
Less than 24 hours ago, though, Dan Lanning’s name was floated for the LSU job on ESPN. The suggestion came courtesy of analyst EJ Manuel, the former Florida State quarterback. Speaking on SportsCenter on Wednesday, he floated the idea of LSU snatching up the current Oregon head man.
“You know what, when I first thought about this, I was thinking James Franklin, but I do feel like the LSU fanbase may not like that just because coach Franklin recently getting let go there at Penn State,” Manuel said. “So I’ll go to a coach that’s still coaching right now. Dan Lanning at Oregon makes a lot of sense.”
Of course, Lanning would have made plenty of sense. He’s one of the most successful coaches in the country right now, doing it at an extremely high-profile place.
The bigger question, of course, was whether that might be even a remote possibility. Lanning is remarkably well compensated at Oregon, with his deal featuring some truly unique perks that probably wouldn’t be easy to replicate elsewhere.
Manuel seemed to indicate he realized how big a pull it would be. He didn’t necessarily address how feasible he viewed it, though. Now, it’s clear… Dan Lanning isn’t obtainable for LSU unless he’s flat-out lying.
“I really think this would be an out-of-the-park hire, one, because of his energy,” Manuel said. “I think you need somebody at LSU that can come in there, rally the troops, and then also get the buy-in from the fanbase, get the buy-in from the donors.”
Now in his fourth year at Oregon, Dan Lanning has compiled a 42-7 overall record, with a 28-4 mark in the Big Ten. He has also been to two New Year’s Six bowl games, including a College Football Playoff appearance last season. And he certainly appears to have the Ducks headed for another this season.
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