EUGENE — Dan Lanning is the Oregon Ducks’ new head football coach.
Lanning, who previously served as Georgia’s defensive coordinator, arrived in Eugene on Sunday and met with his team. He was formally introduced at a press conference at 2 p.m. Monday.
Here are a few highlights from today’s news conference (check back for a full transcript):
UO PRESIDENT MICHAEL SCHILL
“Welcome everyone. This is a really, really exciting moment and I’m thrilled to welcome Dan Lanning and his family to the University of Oregon family. Dan you are joining an exceptional athletics department, a world-class university and a wonderful community. Under Rob Mullens’ leadership Duck football is the model of excellence, creating outstanding experiences for our student-athletes and consistently competing at the very highest level. We are among the best of the best.
“When Rob went out looking for a new coach he sought a leader who could match the caliber of our program and then take it even further and he found that in coach Lanning. I’ve learned a lot as all of you have about coach Lanning overt the past week. Some of you may have come across the story in the media of how coach Lanning sought out and landed his graduate position at the University of Pittsburgh. That measure of drive and of focus, that resonates with me. It’s a prerequisite for excellence. I’m so happy that Dan is bringing that focus to our University of Oregon football team.
“First and foremost and even more important than wins and losses is the welfare of our student-athletes. As a premier academic institution this extends to their physical safety, their academic progress and their mental health. When I spoke with coach Lanning on Saturday afternoon we talked about this and I’m pleased that he shares our values and our commitment sin this area. Along with our incredibly passionate Ducks fans I’m so pleased to welcome coach Lanning and full of excitement and hope for Duck football.”
OREGON AD ROB MULLENS
“Thank you all so much for joining here in Sanders Hall. This is an exciting day for the University of Oregon. I want to begin by thanking president Schill and the board of trustees for their unwavering support of Oregon athletics and for their support during this search process. We are all so fortunate to work at a university with strong values, which is committed to excellence in every endeavor, including athletics. I also want to thank members of our staff for all of their efforts during this week as well as the valuable input and guidance of those who love this institution and those across the country whose opinions I value.
“When we set out to find the next great leader for Oregon football there were certain must-haves for our next coach. The next coach must possess: A demonstrable commitment to the student-athlete, high integrity and character, elite expertise in football, a championship mentality, a vision for what our program can be and the path to get us there, a commitment to this university and those who loves it. As you might imagine we believe we have one of the nation’s premier head coaching jobs and the interest was commiserate with what we offer: World-class facilities, incredibly passionate fans and supporters, a national profile and a history of sustain success. We were thrilled interest from far and wide and to speak with several candidates who met our criteria. Ultimately Dan Lanning stood out among the rest. His commitment to his craft and his profession is striking. From small college player to high school coach, from graduate assistant to recruiting coordinator, from position coach to defensive coordinator, Dan has excelled at every opportunity at six different colleges. What he’s done over the last few years with the Georgia defense is beyond phenomenal.
“While great at both, Dan is so much more than X and O’s and recruiting. What our student-athletes will find is what we found in our conversations with Dan, a humble, hard-working, compassionate, energetic coach, capable of leading an elite football program. Our student-athletes, our staff and our fans will love having Dan as the leader of this program. He will a tremendous head coach for the University of Oregon. On behalf of Oregon Ducks everywhere I want to welcome Dan, his wife, Sauphia, and their three sons: Caden, Kniles and Titan, to this Oregon family. It is my honor to introduce the next head football coach at the University of Oregon, Dan Lanning.”
DAN LANNING
“Man, it feels great to be a Duck. I always admired this program from afar. The only word that i can really use right not to describe this feeling is grateful. I want to personally thank Rob Mullens for putting his faith in me and giving me this incredible opportunity. There’s been a shared vision throughout this process and in this organization and for us to be successful here Rob and my visions’ aligned and that was really key and it feels like a perfect fit. I wouldn’t be here today without your commitment, your long-term vision for the building of this football program and I know how proud you are of what Oregon can be and I know where we’re headed. To president Schill, the board of trustees, Mr. and Mrs. Knight, the entire community of Eugene and Oregon I thank you. This place is special and we were welcomed with open arms.
“To our former players, I am a servant to you. Whether I have coached you or not we want you to know this is a program you can be proud of and part of. This is a place that your involvement is very important to us. We want you back. Even when you leave home, this place should always feel like home for you.”
• “I appreciate your faith in me and I promise to repay that faith with sweat and a bucket. This place deserves that. Our staff will operate with lunch pail mentality. We’ll be relentless in our pursuit of excellence and we will be built on what we do, not what we say.”
• Thanks Georgia coach Kirby Smart and his wife for their belief in him and giving him the opportunity to lead the Bulldogs defense.
• “It’s always been about the players. They’re the only thing that matters. The players make this thing tick.”
“Why I coach, ultimately this is about the game that I love Coaches because it’s the game he loves. “My heart beats faster when I say the word ‘football.’That’s the way that I truly believe; I feel strongly about that and coaches in football have poured so much into me. I feel like I owe it to the game to be ab;e to pour it back.
“Why Oregon? (Foremost), the Oregon players. There is a team here that I feel really strong about, there’s an alignment here that I feel strong about. The resources, the support from the administration, the fact that this place is a perennial winner, Eugene and this community, its fan base and I a place that I can say I’m going to be proud to raise my family. A place that takes tremendous pride in their program. Those things all matter to me.”
“My job here is to build a winner and this is not going to be a one-hit wonder; we have to build this the right way. It takes every single one of us. This program is staged to compete and to win championships. We won’t shy from expectations and our goal is to compete for national championships here. But I won’t sit here and spend all my time talking about national championships. We’re going to be methodical in our approach. We’re going to focus on the process. We’re going to compete to a standard every day, the Oregon standard. We will build on the foundation that has already been established here and we will create those championships teams. But just as important as creating championship teams we’re going to create championship fathers, we’re going to create championship husbands, we’re going to create championship men that the University of Oregon and our alumni and fan base can be proud of.”
“The foundation for sustained success will be built on connection. Connection that will attack recruiting, player support, player development. These three things seem simple but these three things are going to take all of us, it will take all of us and I mean all of us. I’m talking coaches, fan base, alumni, donors, former players, academic support, professors, trainers, sports science, strength coaches, recruiting department, ops department, everyone from our local and our global community. No stone can be unturned in order for to recreate what I know we can create at the University of Oregon.
“On offense, defense and special teams we will attack. The word ‘passive’ will not exist in our system. We will apply pressure and move on the field with aggressive but disciplined approach.”
“We want to be progressive, effective and united. We will assess every facet of our program to avoid being stagnant. Our approach throughout the organization will be built on being life-long learners. We are going to be willing to be on the cutting edge. We are going to be willing to change. We are always going to strive ot hire the brightest and the best to be a part of our staff. Together we will work to have our players leave this university in the best versions of themselves. As our staff we’re going to approach everything and the way we do it that’s going to give us a competitive edge. We’re going to go forward with our program on relying on some old-school principles, some tough edge, but building hard work, dedication and toughness with a creative approach.”
• Position coaches will be first line of support for players and in recruiting.
“Don’t be afraid to chase your dream. There isn’t a dream too big. If you have a hunger and a passion to do something, don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it. In fact, let that fuel you. I can speak as a person who’s blessed beyond measure to arrive here sit here and know that my dreams have become reality. Your dreams can become reality too if you’re willing to hunt.”
On balancing being at Oregon and at Georgia:
“I’m willing to negotiate for some more hours in the day. We’ll running out of hours. First off I’ll say there’s tremendous support here at the University of Oregon. I’m fortunate enough there’s tremendous support there at Georgia for this approach. I feel like I owe it to our players there and excited to be a part of that process. The College Football Playoff is certainly unique but you just work. That’s the only thing I know how to do is roll up my sleeves and work. I think we’ve been here, we landed right around 12 yesterday and we’re going to continue to work. The first thing I said to Rob was how can quick can you get me to the office, I want to meet this players I want to get around our team so that’s where it starts for me. I owe it to our players to give them my best every single day.”
On why he’s ready for this job having not been a head coach:
“I’ve been ahead coach before. When I was in high school I coached a third-grade basketball team, we were damn good. We were good. More importantly than that, I like to speak to quality of experience and I don’t think there’s very many coaches that can sit up here and speak to the quality of experience of working for guys like Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Mike Norvell. I’m a lifelong learner; both my parents were teachers. My approach in coaching is if you’re not learning you’re not getting better. I pour into that every single day. I believe that if I’m not getting better then I’m getting worse. I’ve continued to learn whatever seat I’ve sat in. I’ve been detailed in my approach in what I’ve watched and how they’ve done and I’ve said to myself how would I do it if I was in that seat. I think the quality of that experience for me is what has made it special.”
• Says he’s been blessed on his journey.
• Attacking and explosive plays will be key to offense.
On hiring timeline:
In my opinion, right is more important than fast. We’re going to be right. We’re going to be right in our approach when it comes to hiring staff. We’re going to be right in our approach when it comes to bringing players into our program. We have ot move quick, we have to be efficient but it doesn’t mean we have to make a wrong decision. We have time. There’s unlimited resources here at this place and there’s really good people in this organization that we can lean on and that’s what you have to be willing to do is you have to delegate, find the right people to lean on and you have to have some people that are patient and ready to hear from us.”
On his brother talking to Ducks fans via Twitter Spaces Friday night:
“I didn’t know about that. In fact, we were talking right before I walked into this room and I was briefed on that. If that got me the job man I owe him. I’ll tell you this, I love my family and I know my family loves me. That’s exciting to know that he was in there battling for me. I’m learning more and more about these Twitter Space deals, I don’t know a ton about it but I haven’t had a chance to really look up. As soon as I got here it started in that office and I haven’t got to leave much beyond being around our players. Thrilled that my brother could do that, that’s exciting, but I didn’t know a lot about it until just before we came in the room. In fact, I still haven’t called my parents to tell them I took the job at Oregon yet. To give you an idea I’ll be making a call to my brother soon but that hasn’t hit there yet.”
On what led to his driving to Pittsburgh for the GA job in 2011.
“I think I’ve always been fortunate enough to recognize opportunity. There was a spark beyond that. To start that 13-hour drive there were several years of sending letters out to schools and an approach of me trying to break my foot into the door and what sparked the 13-hour drive was a phone call that Keith Patterson gave me before that drive to say hey there might be a chance. That’s kind of where it was left, there might be a chance. The fact that there might be a chance was enough of a chance for me to say I’m going to get in my car in go get the job. I’ve said it to my players, people have heard me say it before, but if you do something and you’re passionate enough you’ll never feel like you work a day in your life. That’s why you get into a car to drive 13 hours to go sit in front of a coaching staff that you might not have an opportunity with but the fact that you might, that’s an enough for me.”
• Started a list of potential staff hires when he was a GA at Arizona State in 2012. List is long and it takes a special fit.
On recruiting philosophy:
“The brand of Oregon has never been stronger. We can go in any home and we can go attack and sign the best players here at the University of Oregon. That approach is not going to be a fast approach. That approach doesn’t just happen on Wednesday. It’s going to start withe players on this team currently; it starts with the guys that are here. My phone is plugged in and it’s going to be ringing and I’m going to be on it from here all the way until Signing Day and I’m looking forward to connecting with every single person associated with our recruiting class. I know there’s some really strong players in here that I’m extremely excited about and that communication has definitely already started but looking forward to building and strengthening those relationships. But we can go get any player in the nation with this place, with our resources. So I’m excited to that. That’ll be our approach. If the best player is five minutes away, then we’re going to go get the best player that’s five minutes away. If the best player is 13 hours away, then we’re going to go 13 hours away to get the best player.”
Says he wants to earn trust from players and fans:
“I’m not asking for you to trust me, I’m asking for an opportunity to earn your trust. But I also say my situation is unique. If William Jewell College comes calling, I love William Jewell College but I’m staying at Oregon and I’m going to stay at Oregon as long as I can stay at Oregon and as long as Oregon will have me. This is no other for me. This is a premier job in the nation, not just this league, in the nation. It was going to take a premier job for me to leave the situation I was in. I’m thrilled to be here because I know what we can do here. There doesn’t have to be a next step for me. This job can be the final step.”
• Regarding 2022 season-opener vs. Georgia: “What an opportunity.”
