If you’re making a list of the best 21 coaches in the world of college football, it’s going to be pretty hard not to put Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning on there.
However, the Dodd Trophy, the most coveted national coach award honor in the NCAA, released their preseason watchlist on Monday morning, and Lanning was nowhere to be found.
There is a stipulation that coaches in their first year with their current teams are not eligible, which explains why someone like Kalen DeBoer or Jedd Fisch is off of the list, but it’s hard to find a reason for why Lanning is not on there.
Here’s who was on the preseason watchlist:
| Coach | School | Conference | APR (2022-23) |
| Jeff Brohm | Louisville | ACC | 982 |
| Mario Cristobal | Miami (FL) | ACC | 1000 |
| Ryan Day | Ohio State | Big Ten | 1000 |
| Dave Doeren | NC State | ACC | 984 |
| Eliah Drinkwitz | Mizzou | SEC | 997 |
| Kirk Ferentz | Iowa | Big Ten | 993 |
| James Franklin | Penn State | Big Ten | 959 |
| Marcus Freeman | Notre Dame | Independent | 1000 |
| Mike Gundy | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 965 |
| Josh Heupel | Tennessee | SEC | 965 |
| Brian Kelly | LSU | SEC | 977 |
| Lane Kiffin | Ole Miss | SEC | 993 |
| Chris Klieman | Kansas State | Big 12 | 1000 |
| Lance Leipold | Kansas | Big 12 | 1000 |
| Mike Norvell | Florida State | ACC | 997 |
| Brent Pry | Virginia Tech | ACC | 990 |
| Lincoln Riley | USC | Big Ten | 987 |
| Steve Sarkisian | Texas | SEC | 997 |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | SEC | 972 |
| Dabo Swinney | Clemson | ACC | 997 |
| Kyle Whittingham | Utah | Big 12 | 971 |
Of course, the APR, or Academic Progress Rate, score for the Oregon Ducks may be the biggest factor. Oregon’s score of 941 is the worst in the Big Ten Conference, and the lowest Oregon has had since the 2009-10 season.
The lowest score of any coach on the watchlist is James Franklin, with Penn State’s score of 959.
That may be the only reason that Lanning is not on the list because he certainly stacks up alongside the rest of the nominees in coaching acumen on the field.
The Dodd Trophy will announce a midseason watchlist in a few months, either adding to or narrowing the field down as they try to identify the eventual winner.
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