College football season is right around the corner and as fans get ready to watch the Ducks take the field, a couple questions still remain. Those questions are what Dan Lanning will establish as his identity at Oregon and what he has to offer the Ducks.
At the end of 2021, the University of Oregon announced that Mario Cristobal would not be returning as the head coach. Cristobal who had been with the Ducks since 2018 left the team in order to return to Miami as the head coach of the Hurricanes. Lanning then stepped in and is the 35th coach that the University has seen.
Lanning, who is originally from Missouri, started his football career on the field as a linebacker at William Jewell College for three years. His coaching career began after college at Park Hill South Highschool and from there has only climbed the ranks. Lanning has spent time at Arizona State, the University of Memphis, and the University of Alabama all before he was hired at the University of Georgia in 2018. Lanning was hired as the outside linebackers coach but was promoted to defensive coordinator after his first year. He was with the Bulldogs from 2018 until 2021 when he was hired by the University of Oregon. This will be Lanning’s first time as a head coach and fans are anxious about how he will do with the team. Lanning signed a six-year, $29.1 million dollar contract. Giving Lanning plenty of time to find his footing at the University of Oregon.
The Ducks have welcomed Lanning to Eugene with open arms and are excited to see how the season will play out. However, the Georgia verse Oregon game will not be Lanning’s coaching debut with the Ducks. In April Lanning had the opportunity to coach the spring game. The game was exciting to watch with the yellow team winning 31-21. The spring game has fans excited to see what a new head coach can do for the Ducks. The season will start on Sept. 3 in Atlanta against the Bulldogs. This game is exciting for many reasons but one of the main reasons is that Lanning just left the Bulldogs for the Ducks and now has the chance to show his old colleagues what has can do as a head coach.
With football camp coming to the end of its first week fans are anxiously awaiting the first game. The Ducks are in for an exciting season with games against some new and old opponents. As football camp continues, the countdown is on till the first game of the 2022 season.
Northwest Sports Desk 