Dan Lanning reveals how close he came to leaving Oregon for Alabama

Oct 8, 2022; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

When Nick Saban decided to retire at Alabama, Oregon coach Dan Lanning was quickly floated as a top candidate to replace him. Lanning ruled himself out of contention for the job fairly quickly, but did he even consider the opportunity?

Lanning was asked that question on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast” Friday, and the Oregon coach maintained that he never gave any real thought to speaking to Alabama about the vacancy.

“It was never really a thought in our mind,” Lanning said, via Nick Schultz of On3. “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.”

Lanning was said to be Alabama’s No. 1 target after Saban announced his retirement. However, the two sides do not appear to have ever talked after the Oregon coach shut down any potential interest very quickly. The Crimson Tide pivoted to Washington coach Kalen DeBoer instead.

A former graduate assistant for Saban at Alabama, Lanning is 22-5 in two seasons at Oregon so far.

He is correct that the program has immense potential, and credit to him for wanting to see it through.