Oregon Hires Georgia Defensive Coordinator Dan Lanning as Ducks Head Coach

It means Justin Wilcox will remain Cal's head coach, but did his interest affect Bears' recruiting?

This time apparently there is no uncertainty. Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning has been hired as Oregon next head football coach, according to several reports, including one from the Oregonian.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution had reported on Friday that Lanning was the Ducks' choice, but a contract had not yet been signed. Several outlets reported that was inaccurate then, but apparently it is accurate now.

What this means for Cal fans is that Justin Wilcox is still the Golden Bears head coach, although his apparent interest in the Oregon job may indicate that Wilcox may be willing to look elsewhere. It is also possible that Oregon is the only head coaching job he would consider since he grew up in Oregon and played his college football at Oregon.

He reportedly interviewed for the Oregon job this week.

Whether Wilcox's apparent interest in the Oregon job affected his Cal recruiting is uncertain. The past few days have been prime recruiting moments since the first day of the early signing period is Wednesday.

Lanning is a two-time finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant coach.

Lanning, 35, was promoted to defensive coordinator at Georgia in 2019 and has called the defensive plays for the Bulldogs since.

Georgia leads the country in scoring defense (9.5 points per game) and is second in total defense (253.2 yards per game). It is against both the run (81.69 ypg.) and pass (171.5 ypg.).

Lanning will succeed Mario Cristobal, who left Oregon to become head coach at Miami (Fla.).

It is unclear whether Lanning will remain Georgia's defensive coordinator through the College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs are scheduled to face Michigan in the semifinals on Dec. 31.

Contract terms for Lanning were not released, but he earned $1.25 million in 2020 and is in the first of a three-year contract that was paying him paying him $1.7 million this season, $1.75 million in 2022 and $1.8 million in 2023. His buyout to Georgia is waived because he’s becoming an FBS head coach.

Lanning is highly rated among recruiters. He is ranked No. 8 in the 247Sports recruiter rankings this season, involved in recruiting seven of Georgia’s 24 commits, including three of the top 200 prospects in the class. .

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Cover photo of Dan Lanning by Joshua L. Jones, USA TODAY Sports

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