Dan Lanning, a defensive coordinator at Georgia for the past two years, has been hired as Oregon’s new head football coach. The University of Oregon had to fire Willie Taggart after starting just 2-6 in 2018 with an offense that was ranked 72nd nationally and last among Pac-12 teams.
The “Oregon finalizes football coach search, hires Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning” is a headline that came out on December 4th, 2017. On December 3rd, 2017, it was announced that the Oregon Ducks had hired Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning to be their next head coach.
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Uggetti, PaoloESPN
Dan Lanning, Georgia’s defensive coordinator, was named Oregon’s next football coach on Saturday, according to the school.
Lanning, who is just 35 years old, joined Georgia in 2018 as a linebackers coach before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 2019. He’s coached the Bulldogs’ defense for three years, and they’ve produced two top-10 teams, including the best defense in the NCAA this season.
Prior to joining Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s staff, Lanning worked as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh, as a recruiting coordinator at Arizona State, as a defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Sam Houston State, and as a linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at Memphis. In 2015, he worked as a graduate assistant on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama.
The Ducks players were told of Lanning’s hiring on Saturday afternoon. The school made the announcement through press release a few hours later. On Monday at 5 p.m. ET, Lanning will be officially presented on campus.
“Dan is a great, high-energy football coach who will give our football student-athletes with a world-class experience,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement. “He is a fantastic recruiter and talent development, and we will continue to contend for championships while creating an atmosphere in which our football student-athletes can reach their full potential in the classroom, on the field, and as individuals.”
Smart published a comment before the announcement, but after rumours of the hiring circulated.
“We are quite pleased for Dan and his family. “He and Sauphia have been a huge part of our Bulldog family over the last four years, and we appreciate all they’ve done for Georgia Football and the Athens community,” Smart said. “Opportunities like these are proof of a well-run program.”
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“We will continue ahead with Glenn Schumann and Will Muschamp as co-defensive coordinators while he coaches with us for the next College Football Playoff. Dan and I are both excited to start studying for the CFP.”
Mario Cristobal, who has been in Eugene since 2018, opted to return to his alma school, Miami, and replace Manny Diaz as the Hurricanes’ next coach less than a week ago, forcing Oregon to leap into the coaching carousel.
In the announcement, Lanning said, “It is apparent there is a vision and harmony across the whole Duck Nation.” “We’ve set ourselves up for success and are looking forward to expanding on Eugene’s solid foundation. Our mission is to win championships while also developing our athletes on and off the field.”
Cal’s Justin Wilcox, BYU’s Kalani Sitake, and even former Oregon coach Chip Kelly, who is now at UCLA, have all been connected to the Ducks position. Mullens ultimately chose a first-time head coach who guided Georgia’s defense to an SEC East championship and a CFP spot.
Cristobal, Smart, Mel Tucker (Michigan State), Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss), Billy Napier (Florida), and Lanning are the six current head coaches on the 2015 Alabama coaching staff.
Interim coach Bryan McClendon, who played at Georgia and was a member of the staff from 2007 to 2015, will lead Oregon in its upcoming Alamo Bowl battle. There are more connections to be made. The clubs will play one other at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 3 to kick off the 2022 season.
Chris Low and Adam Rittenberg, both senior writers for ESPN, contributed to this article.
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The “sauphia lanning” is a new head coach at Oregon. He was hired on November 27, 2017 and will be the youngest head coach in college football history.
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