Dan Lanning just finished up shop on an extremely successful second season as the Oregon Ducks’ head coach, leading them to a 12-2 record and a win in the Fiesta Bowl.
Could this end up being the end of Lanning’s career in Eugene? It’s possible now that all-time great Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has shockingly announced his retirement.
According to this note from college football insider Brett McMurphy, Lanning is currently the favorite to replace Saban in Tuscaloosa.
There certainly is a connection here. Lanning, 37, served as a graduate assistant under Nick Saban with Alabama back in 2015. He’d be a natural replacement, especially with a built-in recruiting advantage compared to Oregon.
Dan Lanning career record: 22-5, 2-0 in bowl games
Lanning’s college football coaching career started back in 2011 as a graduate assistant for Pittsburgh. After that, he was an assistant with the Arizona State Sun Devils for two seasons before making his way to Alabama.
He then serve as an assistant with Memphis before ultimately making his way to Georgia as an outside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator.
As for Alabama, the program is going to be looking for a new head coach for the first time since all the way back in 2007 when Nick Saban made his way over from the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.