After the recent firing of now former Texas A&M Football head coach Jimbo Fisher, Aggies Athletic Director Ross Bjork was candid regarding just how wide the search would be for the future head of the table.
“Right now, everyone is a candidate.”
However, with associate head coach Elijah Robinson taking over in the interim role for the remainder of the 2023 season, the longtime assistant deserves a fair shot to prove himself. Still, as we all know, Bjork is already narrowing his options as we speak, which likely includes Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, who is currently fighting for a CFB Playoff spot while sitting at 9-1.
During his annual Monday press conference, Lanning immediately shut down any potential rumors regarding any interest in the recent head coaching vacancies, including Texas A&M.
“I am not going anywhere,” Lanning stated. “There is zero chance that I will be coaching somewhere else. I’ve got unfinished business here. There’s a lot I want to accomplish here at Oregon. My number one priority is being elite here at Oregon.”
Lanning, who is only 37 years old, has risen up the coaching ranks in the last decade, spending four seasons at Georgia under head coach Kirby Smart and serving as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator for three seasons. After leaving Athens (AG) to take on the biggest job of his career thus far with the Oregon Ducks, Lanning has compiled a 19-4 record in his first two years.
One of the primary draws to Texas A&M is the vast number of resources the program offers, one of the selling points for Jimbo Fisher after he left Florida State for the position after the 2017 season. For Lanning, Oregon has provided on that front.
“I am taken care of extremely well here at Oregon,” Lanning said. “I have the resources I need here at Oregon to be really, really successful. I am not motivated by that. I am motivated by winning. I am motivated by being elite here.
Lastly, when it comes to brass tax, every employed coach Bjork will consider likely comes with a significant buyout, including his recent six-year, $45 million contract extension earlier this summer that runs through 2028, which has a $20 million buyout attachment to boot.
Nothing is ever set in stone, but honestly, credit to Dan Lanning for sticking to his commitment, especially with the special season the Ducks have had with so much more to accomplish ahead of the final season stretch.
“Our players deserve my complete focus. Our fans deserve the best product on the field. So it is outside noise. It did not matter before. It does not matter now. I will continue to say it to them blue in the face – I want to be here at Oregon. That has not changed. And that won’t change.”
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