Oregon head football coach Dan Lanning is firm in his decision about his future: he does not want to switch to being an NFL coach anytime soon. He made it crystal clear in his recent statement on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast.
"No, I used to want to," Lanning said unequivocally.
"I think you figure out — like we talked about earlier — where do you really fit? Like, where’s your niche? And I do feel like this age group is the group that I connect with unbelievably."
The Ducks' head coach argued that he already has experience working across several sports, decorating his resume. Yet, he feels the best in his current situation as a college football coach.
"I was a D-coordinator and hadn't been a head coach, right? I coached a third-grade basketball team in high school, right? So they gave me an opportunity. Why not do it here? That’s the piece. There's definitely a different quality of life, appreciation in the NFL. They're not recruiting and [wearing] a lot of the hats [we] wear, but every job's got pieces that you’re not in love with. But this is a place that I love doing it," Lanning said.
Lanning quashed any remaining semblances of doubt saying, "And then more than that, I always think back to it seems like everybody's always thinking about, 'What's next, what's next, what's next?' And for me, I'm more of the 'Thank you.' Like, I get to do this here. I can't imagine going to do this somewhere else because of the opportunity that Oregon's given me."
The Ducks were a blockbuster in the 2024 College Football Playoff as the undefeated No. 1 seed on the table and the Big Ten Champions.
Even though they fell to Ohio State in the CFP quarterfinals, Oregon left its mark and a glimmering hope to be better next season. The cherry on top is that a majority of their core team from 2024 is returning alongside a strong QB, Dante Moore.
It is only fair for him to concentrate solely on his current job, especially when his program is already touted to be a National Championship contender.