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Saturday evening update: It appears that the initial report from Chip Towers of the AJC was correct all along. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic is now reporting Dan Lanning to Eugene, OR.
BREAKING: UGA DC Dan Lanning is expected to be the next head coach at Oregon, per sources. AJC’s Chip Towers first reported the move.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 11, 2021
Update 5:35 p.m. This is a conflicting reports personified. The West Coast Media pushing back East Coast #bias in real time. A Twitter experience to relish.
I believe Oregon will have a coach by the end of the weekend, but not today.
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) December 10, 2021
Also, would be mildly surprised if Ducks hire someone with no HC experience
Update: There has been some conflicting reporting regarding this opening. Lanning is a candidate for the position, but hasn’t been officially hired yet per more reliable sources.
Dan Lanning report is "not accurate,” per reliable source.
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 10, 2021
Report indicated Dan Lanning was leaving Georgia to become Oregon head coach.
Not true, I’m told.
UO source says Oregon has NOT offered nor has the job been accepted by Dan Lanning or anyone else. Georgia DC is a candidate, but is NOT hired. At least not yet.
— James Crepea (@JamesCrepea) December 10, 2021
Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is set to join the Oregon Ducks as the team’s next head coach on Monday, according to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Lanning was among top coaching candidates in this cycle but was passed up for more proven head coaches at previous openings. Oregon seemed willing to take a chance on the young, defensive mastermind, who turns 36 in April. It’s unclear whether Lanning will stay on for Georgia’s College Football Playoff run this season.
The Ducks were forced to make a hire when Mario Cristobal left for Miami, his alma mater. Oregon has typically hired internally, with Mark Helfrich and Cristobal being the most recent notable names. However, the Ducks are not afraid to take chances on up-and-coming coaches as they did with Willie Taggart. There were rumors of Chip Kelly coming back but the Ducks decided to go with a defensive mind instead. This reported move also keeps up with the foundation set by Cristobal by building the team in the image of an SEC program through physical line play and coaches familiar with the recruiting landscape of the south.
Lanning oversaw one of the more dominant defenses the SEC has seen in the last decade, unit that held opponents to seven points or less seven times this season and came away with three outright shutouts. The Dawgs wreaked havoc on opposing offenses, piling up 41 sacks, 12 interceptions and eight forced fumbles, all while yielding just 4.0 yards per play through 13 games.
This bore out with individual honors as defensive lineman Jordan Davis took home both the Bednarik Award and the Outland Trophy while linebacker Nakobe Dean took home the Butkus Award.
Georgia and Oregon are set to play each other next season, so Bulldogs fans will get a chance to see Lanning in action as a head coach from the jump. Oregon finished 10-3 this season and was in the running for the playoff at one point, but got beat by Utah twice in a span of three weeks to push them out of a Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl appearance.