In his first year as a head coach at any level, Dan Lanning succeeded.
Sure, there were a couple of bumps along the way, but Lanning led the Oregon Ducks to a 10-3 season in a strong Pac-12 conference, capping it off with a bowl game win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. After a reality check win Week 1 vs. the defending national champion, and eventual two-time defending champion Georgia Bulldogs, the Ducks were able to rattle off eight straight wins before an injury to QB Bo Nix derailed things late in the year.
Yes, losses against your two rivals, Washington and Oregon State, are always hard to get past for fans, but in the grand scheme of things, Lanning proved in his first year at the helm that he is extremely capable of doing great things with the Ducks.
So is he being overlooked going into his second year?
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I ask that question because at a national level, I don’t think Lanning is getting the credit that he deserves. This past week, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman released his annual college football coaching tiers list. I simply disagree with where Lanning landed.
I’m not suggesting that the 37-year-old signal caller should be considered among the Kirby Smarts, Nick Sabans, or Jim Harbaughs in the sport. I’m not even suggesting that he be compared to James Franklin, Lincoln Riley, or Brian Kelly. I do think that Lanning should be higher on the list, though.
At the moment, Oregon’s lead guy is listed in Tier 5. Here are some other coaches who are with Lanning in that tier: Utah State’s Blake Anderson; Toledo’s Jason Candle; Georgia Southern’s Clay Helton; New Mexico State’s Jerry Kill, and South Alabama’s Kane Wommack.
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No disrespect to any of those coaches just mentioned, but I think that Lanning proved more in his first year with the Ducks than to be grouped that far down on the list.
The top-tier coaches make sense; Nick Saban is in a class of his own at 1A, Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney are right behind in Tier 1B. We see guys like Kyle Whittingham, Lincoln Riley, and Ryan Day in Tier 2. In Tier 3 you have guys like Mario Cristobal, Kalen DeBoer, and Jonathan Smith. That is where I would personally put Lanning if I were to create the list.
I understand that there is a small sample size, and Feldman may want to see more from the Ducks before bumping their coach up in his rankings. I respect that. I also know that, from an inside perspective, the team is on a great trajectory in terms of roster building, recruiting, and schematics. The Ducks are considered among the biggest sleepers in the nation going into the 2023 season, and they could end up making a legitimate run at the College Football Playoff come November and December.
If that all takes place as Oregon fans desire, then Lanning’s place in Tier 5 will look pretty out of place.
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