'Not Going Anywhere': Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning Shoots Down Rumors Of Texas A&M Aggies Coaching Job

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning seems content in Eugene for the 2024 season and beyond despite being linked to the Texas A&M Aggies opening.

Texas A&M is in the market for a new head coach after the firing of Jimbo Fisher, but one of the top candidates seems to be removing his name from any conversation. 

Oregon's Dan Lanning told reporters Monday evening that he plans on staying with the Ducks past the 2023 season amid his name being linked to the Aggies' opening. Lanning mentioned his appreciation of being mentioned with other programs, but part of the reason he's coveted is due to what other programs are looking for. 

Lanning, 37, believes he has everything to win a championship in the Pacific Northwest. 

“I think I’ve been really, really clear here since Day 1, everything I want exists right here. I’m not going anywhere," said Lanning. "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. My No. 1 priority is being elite here at Oregon and we have the resources, the tools — anybody that can’t understand why you would want to be here at this place does not understand exactly what exists here."

Lanning's rise to the top of every coaching radar shouldn't come as a shock. He began his coaching career as a Pitt graduate assistant before stopping at Arizona State, Sam Houston State, Alabama, Memphis, and Georgia. 

Hired away from Athens following Mario Cristobal's departure to Miami, Lanning is 19-4 overall at Oregon, including 9-1 this season. The Ducks feature one of the league's most aggressive offenses, headlined by Heisman-contending quarterback Bo Nix, running back Bucky Irving, and receivers Tez Johnson and Troy Franklin. 

With two weeks left in the regular season, Oregon is poised to make the Pac-12 championship game for a potential rematch with Washington. Currently, the Ducks are sixth in the College Football Playoff rankings, thus presenting even more of a challenge for Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork to finalize any potential deal.

"A lot of coaches hang onto these moments and they don’t do anything or don’t say anything, No. 1 because they don’t want egg on their face when they decide to do something else, No. 2 because they’re concerned about things that I’m not concerned about, like getting a better contract," said Lanning "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 winning. I’m motivated by being elite here."

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning runs out to the field with players before a game against the California Golden Bears at Autzen Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Bjork, who's closing in on his fifth season as A&M's athletic director, said he plans to hire Fisher's replacement within the next month, though the timing could change due to other programs' potential postseason chances. Bjork noted the timing of Fisher's firing and the hiring of a new coach correlates to the other significant dates in the coming weeks. 

The early transfer portal window opens on Dec. 4. Early Signing Period is on Dec. 20. 

“You’re either moving forward, or you’re stuck,” Bjork said of A&M's current status Sunday evening. “I use that analogy of driving down a four-lane highway. I drive fast, 75-80. And somebody is in the left lane going 55 and won’t move over. We were that car going 55.”

Fisher, who finished 45-25 in six seasons in College Station, will be owed over $76 million to buy out his contract after inking a four-year extension in 2021 that raised his annual salary from $7.5 million to $9 million through 2031. Fisher is owed $19.2 million within 60 days, then $7.2 annually through 2031. 

Lanning and Oregon agreed to a new six-year, $45 million extension in July that will keep him with the Ducks through the 2028 season. The new deal increases Lanning's salary from $4.7 million to $7 million this season and will increase by $200,000 each year through the duration of the deal. 

Lanning's contract also included a $20 million buyout that would need to be paid to Oregon if another school wanted to hire him before the end of his contract in 2028. 

"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’m going to be here at Oregon," said Lanning. "That hasn’t changed. That won’t change.”

Other potential candidates for the Texas A&M opening include Duke's Mike Elko, Florida State's Mike Norvell, Kansas' Lance Leipold, Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin, UTSA's Jeff Traylor, and Washington Kalen DeBoer, among others.