Dan Lanning Shuts Down Texas A&M Rumors, 'Zero Chance' He Coaches Elsewhere

Jimbo Fisher's firing created some speculation around Oregon's head coach. On Monday, Dan Lanning put that speculation to rest.

Over the weekend, Texas A&M fired head football coach Jimbo Fisher, paying him $77 million to terminate his contract after going 45-25 in six seasons with the Aggies.

Texas A&M is one of the biggest head coaching jobs in all of college football, and as such it didn't take long for Oregon head coach Dan Lanning's name to be floated as a possible candidate for the vacancy in College Station. 

The Oregon coach is one of the top up-and-coming head coaches in the country. He's a proven winner and an ace recruiter---leading the Ducks to a 9-1 record so far in 2023 and on the doorstep of a return to the Pac-12 title game.

During his weekly press conference on Monday night, Lanning was asked about his commitment to Oregon amid the rumors linking him to the Texas A&M coaching job. 

He emphatically shut them down.

"I think I've been really, really clear here since day one. Everything I want exists right here. I'm not going anywhere," Lanning said. "There's zero chance that I would be coaching somewhere else. I've got unfinished business here. There's a lot that I want to accomplish here at Oregon."

Lanning took things a step further, saying he has everything he needs in Eugene. He's not worried about getting a better contract, and said he has all the tools for success.

"I'm taken care of extremely well here at Oregon. I have the resources I need here at Oregon to be really really successful. I'm not motivated by that. I'm motivated by being elite here."

With a crucial home stretch featuring games against Arizona State and Oregon State to close out the regular season, the Ducks head coach sounds completely locked in. And he expects nothing less of himself.

"Our players deserve my complete focus," he said. "Our fans deserve the best product on the field. It's outside noise. It didn't matter before, it doesn't matter now. I'll continue to say it until I'm blue in the face. I want to be here at Oregon. That hasn't changed. That won't change."

Texas A&M wasn't the only big job that opened up over the weekend, as Mississippi State fired Zach Arnett, and Boise State fired Andy Avalos, a former Oregon defensive coordinator.

The coaching carousel begins at this time every year, but it feels like Oregon fans can finally have some confidence that their head coach is in it for the long haul.

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