Dan Lanning isn’t leaving Oregon.
When Nick Saban announced his retirement from Alabama on Wednesday, Lanning immediately emerged as the rumored frontrunner to replace him. Less than 24 hours later, Lanning put those rumors to rest on Thursday, tweeting a video in which he confirmed he is staying in Eugene.
— Dan Lanning (@CoachDanLanning) January 11, 2024
Although multiple reports on Wednesday indicated that Lanning had traveled to Tuscaloosa to interview for the Alabama job, those reports were inaccurate, according to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Lanning is considered to be one of the top young coaches in the sport and was viewed as a logical replacement for Saban given that he was a graduate assistant at Alabama in 2015 and has additional SEC experience from his four years as an assistant at Georgia. Lanning, however, has been adamant that he wants to “be here in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me,” and his Ducks appear poised to be immediate contenders in the Big Ten as they join the conference in 2024.
The 2024 season, in which Oregon will host Ohio State at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 12, will be Lanning’s third with the Ducks.
With Lanning off the board, there is no clear frontrunner to replace Saban at Alabama. The Crimson Tide are working to find Saban’s replacement quickly; according to 247Sports, the team was informed after Saban’s retirement that Alabama hoped to hire its new head coach within the next three days.
