In the wake of Nick Saban’s abrupt retirement as head coach at the University of Alabama, many people’s first instinct was that Oregon’s Dan Lanning would be the one chosen to take over in Tuscaloosa.
Lanning is considered one of the brightest young minds in all of college football. He has history with Saban and the Tide and was looked upon as a possible eventual replacement for Saban.
However, virtually nobody thought the legend would be retiring THIS soon.
To his credit, Lanning got way ahead of the noise and reaffirmed his commitment to Oregon almost immediately after the shocking news of Saban’s retirement leaked.
But just how close did he come to throwing his hat in the ring for the Tide job???
Appearing on The Ryen Russillo Podcast, Lanning stated: “It was never really a thought in our mind. I love Coach Saban, and, gosh, I can’t tell you how much he’s done for my career and where I’m at … But I think we can make Oregon the best job in college football, and that happens with focusing on where we’re at.”
Did Dan Lanning ever consider pursuing the head-coaching job at Alabama?
He joined @ryenarussillo and shared his answer: pic.twitter.com/zikfWPc5RN
— The Ringer (@ringer) January 26, 2024
He emphasized that the Alabama job was never on the table and expressed his dedication to the Ducks program.
“I made a commitment to players. People see the commitment publicly, but they don’t see when you sit down with a coach with a family and tell them that you’re gonna be here and what that looks like,” Lanning explained.
“Some coaches say that and it doesn’t necessarily mean anything … For me, that means something.”
(You have to respect the hell out of that.)
I’ve heard some statements like that before……. Oh yeah his old boss.
— DC Indy Dawgs (@DRCHomeServices) January 27, 2024
Lanning, who signed an extension last year keeping him at Oregon through the 2028 season, also highlighted the success the Ducks have achieved under his leadership.
In his first two seasons, Oregon boasts a 22-5 record with bowl wins concluding each year.
Had his Ducks beat the Washington Huskies in this year’s Pac-12 Championship Game – like a lot of people thought they would – Oregon would’ve most likely punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff.
And bama fans will think Kalen was their #1 choice 😭😂
— Geaux Ducks (@GeauxDuck) January 27, 2024
Of course, Alabama decided to hire the coach who beat Lanning in that Pac-12 Championship Game – Kalen DeBoer.
Did Dan Lanning seriously consider taking the Alabama job? 👀
Full SNAPS episode:
📺 https://t.co/IerxyNb7rc
🎧 https://t.co/nDhf07MPgB pic.twitter.com/vn4GW5RXZl— T-Bob Hebert (@TBob53) January 30, 2024
Were you surprised the Tide went with DeBoer?
Not that they could have hired him against his will, but do you think Lanning would have been the better choice had he been interested and available?
Do you think Lanning will be an Oregon-lifer? … Or will he ultimately head to another program down the road? Or possibly the NFL???