Ducks Digest

Dan Lanning Listed Among Early Lead Candidates for Texas A&M Job

Jimbo Fisher's firing kicks off this season's coaching carousel.

Max Torres

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The Texas A&M Aggies announced the firing of head coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday morning. They will pay him $76.8 million he is due to buy him out of the remainder of his contract.

ESPN's senior college football writer Pete Thamel listed Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning as an early lead candidate to replace Fisher in College Station.

Other names included alongside Lanning include Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, Duke head coach Mike Elko, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell, UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman, USC senior offensive analyst and quarterback coach Kliff Kingsbury and Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Lanning is in his second season as Oregon's head coach and has led the Ducks to a 19-4 record, including a 2022 Holiday Bowl victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels. He also signed the No. 16 and No. 9 recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

The 2023 season has been a notable one for Lanning, as he's helped the Oregon defense take a significant leap from the 2022 season, making improvements getting after the quarterback, defending the run and forcing turnovers. Quarterback Bo Nix is in the thick of the Heisman Trophy conversation and the Ducks are playing some of the best football in the country.

The Oregon head coach has established himself as one of the top defensive minds in college football and joined the Ducks after he served as the defensive coordinator on the Georgia Bulldogs for three seasons and helped them capture a national championship in 2021. 

He also coached under Nick Saban as a graduate assistant at Alabama.

Lanning signed a six-year, $45 million contract extension over the summer that keeps him in Eugene through the 2028 season.

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Max Torres
MAX TORRES

Max Torres is the publisher and lead editor of Ducks Digest. He's covered the Oregon football and recruiting beats for four years. He's based out of Long Beach, CA and travels around Southern California and the country covering top high school football prospects.

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