Dan Lanning has helped make the Oregon Ducks an elite national championship contender since taking over as the program’s head coach back in 2022. He seems like the kind of coach that could lead the program for many years to come.
Since taking over as the head coach, Lanning has led Oregon to an impressive 41-7 record. He has gone 27-4 in Big Ten conference play as well over the last two years. Lanning seems to be very happy with his current job status.
While it seems unlikely that Lanning would leave the Ducks, rumblings have started picking up.
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A couple of high-profile coaching jobs have opened up over the last two weeks. Penn State decided to move on from James Franklin and the Florida Gators have now decided to fire Billy Napier as well.
That being said, Lanning has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Florida to look into as it looks to replace Napier.
Paul Myerberg of USA Today has named Lanning as a top candidate for the Gators to look into. He did admit that Lanning leaving Oregon is unlikely, but he thinks the call is worth making for Florida.
“This would be a kick-the-tires phone call with no downside for Florida. Lanning would very likely turn down the opportunity, given he’s already established himself at a Big Ten school with tremendous financial advantages and an intensely strong support system,” Myerberg wrote. “But the 39-year-old former Georgia assistant might also be intrigued by the challenge and the chance to return to the SEC. The Gators have to ask, basically, and they’d better be ready to make him the highest-paid coach in college football.”
In addition to Lanning, Myerberg also named a few other intriguing candidates. He suggested names like Lane Kiffin, James Franklin, and Urban Meyer as well.
Read more: Texas Longhorns Facing Pressure to Make Shocking Arch Manning Decision
Oregon will likely do whatever it has to do to keep Lanning in town. He currently has a contract with the Ducks that runs through the 2030 season. There is almost a zero percent chance that Lanning would leave Eugene.
While it’s a very unlikely scenario, the Gators should still make a call. If he would consider the Florida job, he would be a perfect candidate to take over the program and lead it into the future long-term.
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