Oregon Football HC Dan Lanning Doesn't Let NIL Negatives 'Creep Into Our Place'

Dan Lanning of Oregon football has the right mindset when it comes to NIL in his locker room.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning takes notes during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

The Oregon Ducks football program will face a challenge like never before next season, joining the Big Ten. With Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and other Pac-12 schools entering, the Big Ten has a chance to be the best conference in all of college football by a wide margin.

Oregon had an impressive season a year ago, losing to Washington 34-31 in the Pac-12 Championship.

Head coach Dan Lanning did a great job in the transfer portal, landing 14 players. Of those 14 recruits, six are four-stars, and one of them is a five-star.

Dillon Gabriel was the biggest addition, as he's set to take over a job that was once carried by Bo Nix and Justin Herbert.

Landing Gabriel likely cost them a ton of NIL money, but that's not the biggest factor when it comes to recruiting for the 38-year-old head coach.

Appearing on an episode of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," Lanning spoke about how negatives around NIL "don't creep into our place."

"If you have a program that's making guys better every day that they enjoy being a part of, that does a good job of taking care of their players, you're gonna be able to retain great players and develop great players.

"You're also gonna be a place that people wanna come to. Players talk, they know what it's like in the locker room, they know what it's like to be a part of a team. We're lucky here to have a great culture that our players really embrace. Those things that can be negatives around NIL, they really don't creep into our place."

Oregon seems to have a positive outlook on the ever-changing NIL landscape. And while it doesn't creep into their locker room, it's still a big part of the success they've found in recent seasons and the success they'll find in the future.

ESPN ranked them as the No. 4 team in the nation in their preseason rankings, a sign of what's to come for the Ducks.