Oregon to hire Georgia DC Dan Lanning as new head coach

The Oregon Ducks’ search for a new head coach did not last long, and it ends with a surprising pick.

The Ducks are hiring Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning as their new head coach, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Chip Towers reported on Friday.

The only complication is the sides are deciding whether Lanning will remain with Georgia through the College Football Playoff. Sometimes coaches/coordinators will remain with their current program if they are competing in the CFP.

Lanning, 35, has had a meteoric rise in the coaching ranks. He played linebacker at William Jewell College from 2004-2007. Then he worked at schools like Pitt, Arizona State and Sam Houston State, mostly as either a graduate assistant or recruiting coordinator. His big break came when he joined Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama in 2015 as a graduate assistant. In 2018, he joined Kirby Smart’s Georgia staff as an outside linebackers coach. Lanning was promoted to defensive coordinator at Georgia in 2019 and has been leading their top defense ever since.

Oregon has had plenty of recent success and is a very good landing spot for Lanning. They won double-digit games from 2008-2014 and fared very well under Mario Cristobal, who left for Miami.

The Ducks have strong recruiting classes lined up thanks to Cristobal’s efforts and should be able to keep it rolling under Lanning.

Photo: Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK