A whirlwind.
That’s how Oregon Ducks head football coach Dan Lanning described the last seven months of his life during Pac-12 Media Day. He went from being the defensive coordinator of one of the most dominating defenses in recent memory to being hired as a head coach on the other coast.
Lanning even had to go back to Athens, GA one more time in order to coach the Bulldogs in the national title game against Alabama. Despite flying coast-to-coast, recruiting for another school, finding a home for his family, and learning the Oregon roster, he managed to coach UGA to victory.
“It’s been a whirlwind and a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s fun piecing together the talent.”
Lanning has plenty of talent to work with thanks to some returning players and the 54 newcomers to the roster that he and his staff worked tirelessly to bring to Eugene. He also had to convince a few players, such as Seven McGee, to stay Ducks and give the new coaching staff a chance. The fruits of that labor are expected to pay off immediately in 2022.
“Obviously, we can recruit at a really high level. It’s also about bringing in coaches that are about relationships and development,” Lanning said. “I feel really strongly we brought in a great coaching staff that is built on relationships, not just effort, not just a sales pitch. That’s not our approach. It’s built on real relationships.”
Almost as soon as Oregon athletic director, Rob Mullens hired Lanning, the defensive-minded coach relied on relationships to find the guy who would run his offense. As it turned out, Kenny Dillingham was that guy.
“Kenny is a guy I obviously have a ton of respect for. We see the game very similarly,” Lanning said. “He’s a teacher. He’s a guy that came up from grassroots but obviously is extremely intelligent, and sees the game in a unique way. Really thrilled to bring him aboard.
“Kenny is the guy that made sense when it came to QB development and see the game the way I saw the game, having a system. Excited about the direction of our offense and the job he’s done with our offensive staff. There are some great pieces to that puzzle on that offensive staff with him, with Junior Adams, Drew Mehringer, Carlos Locklyn, and Adrian Klemm. (They have) great experience on that side of the ball that’s going to help us be dynamic.”
Now with the whirlwind dying down some, Lanning’s focus can solely be on Oregon, which means very good things are about to happen for the Ducks at the expense of other Pac-12 teams.