Dan Lanning told me this week that he has a hectic summer in front of him. His calendar doesn’t just include football and family. The University of Oregon coach also has to plan the Richmond High School Class of 2004 reunion.
“In high school,” he explained on Thursday, “I thought it would be a good idea to be class president. Now, I’m in charge of every reunion. Somewhere in here outside of getting to be the head coach at Oregon and this football team, I’ve got to find time this summer to set up a 20-year high school reunion.”
I spoke with the UO coach 1-on-1 this week. We talked about his new quarterbacks, the fact that Oregon sold more than 10,000 new season tickets, and what personality trait he won’t tolerate in a recruit.
Lanning said he saw U2 perform in Las Vegas at the Sphere and we traded family movie recommendations, but I was mostly struck by how grounded, comfortable, and settled Oregon’s coach sounds right now.
Any first-time head coach will tell you the first season on the job is a blur. The second 12-month period is spent fixing and fine-tuning the things you’d have done differently. Lanning is 22-5 at Oregon and headed to season No. 3. He’s off to an encouraging start in Eugene, but the program’s Big Ten debut feels like a major pivot point.
Lanning on his new quarterbacks, Dante Moore and Dillon Gabriel:
“I’ve been really happy with the way these guys have handled the speed of the game.”
On season tickets being sold out:
“We have unbelievable fans who have supported us for years. This is a great example of how it’s growing and getting better.”
On recruiting good people who can also play well:
“What they do screams so loud I can’t hear what they say. You really get a feel for that when you get around players you’re recruiting. What are they like with the school counselor? What are they like with their family? How do they treat their mom? All those things kind of stick out to us. Not every single guy that we sign on our team is going to be a Boy Scout, but you look for guys who are going to be a great fit for the culture we’re trying to build.”
On whether he’s backed away from a player based on the way he treated his mom:
“Absolutely, yeah. I think you back away from people based on how they treat people. That’s part of the art of this. There’s a lot of people who are really talented football players.”
Quarterback Bo Nix is gone. Lanning will watch his former QB and center, Jackson Powers-Johnson, get selected high in the upcoming NFL Draft. Lanning told me he’s proud to have played a “small role in their success.”
In recent months, he’s fielded calls from scouts asking what schemes and packages he was comfortable running with those players, and what they responded well to. But mostly, Lanning’s focus has been on preparing Oregon for a regular season that will be spent trying to reach the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis.
It’s too soon to go down that rabbit hole, isn’t it? Comparing and contrasting Ohio State and Oregon? Wondering if Lanning’s Ducks can win at Michigan as they did by a 39-7 score in 2007 under Mike Bellotti? Debating how big the Washington game will feel now that it’s scheduled during rivalry week?
I need to see UO’s spring game a week from Saturday at Autzen Stadium first. I want to watch Gabriel and Moore. Also, study Lanning’s defense. So many questions. Among the biggest, are the offensive and defensive lines physical enough to avoid being steamrolled by the top Big Ten teams?
The Pac-12 champion made the College Football Playoff national title game only twice in the decade. Oregon got there in the 2014 season (a loss to Ohio State) and Washington made the national championship game last season (a loss to Michigan). The Pacific Time Zone representatives were clobbered by the Big Ten champions by 22 and 21 points respectively.
The rushing totals in those games were glaring. The Ducks got outgained on the ground by the Buckeyes by a margin of 296-132. And Michigan outrushed Washington 303-46. The day after the Wolverines won the title, I asked Chip Kelly what he made of the stunning rushing disparity.
Kelly, now the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, summarized it for me: “Big people beat up little people.”
Lanning and his staff have spent the offseason addressing recruiting, trying to get better, and preparing for the transition to a new conference. Also, there’s the matter of where to hold the class reunion. It’s been two decades since Lanning walked the campus as senior-class president at Richmond High.
“I’m committed to going to that 20-year reunion at Hometown Pizza,” Lanning told me.
Why not? The place has plenty of room and got four stars on Yelp. I can imagine some of Lanning’s former classmates — who know him as “Daniel” — can’t wait to walk up and say: “Hey Daniel, what are you up to these days?”
I appreciate all who support, subscribe, and share this independent writing endeavor. Please consider a subscription or a gift subscription for a family member or friend:
