Well, it’s started.
Oregon’s Dan Lanning – the former Georgia defensive coordinator, it should be remembered – has stated on record that he won’t be leaving the Ducks for another position (Oregon coach Dan Lanning says no chance he’ll leave Ducks).
“Everything I want exists right here,” Lanning said Monday. “I’m not going anywhere. There’s zero chance that I would be coaching somewhere else. I’ve got unfinished business here. … We have the resources, the tools, anybody that can’t understand why you would want to be at this place, doesn’t understand exactly what exists here.”
Of course, what likely spurred this on was the firing of Jimbo Fisher from his position as head coach at Texas A&M University, where boosters have spent $76 million to retire Fisher from coaching – and are looking to hire someone who can bring a championship to College Station.
The 37-year-old Lanning has the Ducks ranked No. 6 in the College Football Playoff standings, with time left in the season, just one loss and still with the chance of winning a Pac-12 Championship and also getting into the top four. He’s 19-4 as Oregon’s head coach.
And he’s one name that keeps surfacing in an A&M search that’s just beginning – unless, of course, A&M already has its man, and the search is just window-dressing.
Among the other names legitimately being tossed around, and heard by The Football Beat (and we have boots on the ground, so to speak, in College Station – we’re based in Texas):
- University of Texas-San Antonio head coach Jeff Traylor, an up-and-coming name that was a highly-successful high school coach here about 3 1/2 hours away in Gilmer, Texas and has had assistant coaching stops at Texas and Arkansas.
- Duke coach Mike Elko, who knows the A&M climate – he’s a former Aggie defensive coordinator.
- Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, who appears to have absolutely no ties to Texas or the south, or southwest coaching or recruiting at all – not sure where this rumor is coming from, but we’re on it.
- Ed Orgeron, the former (currently semi-retired) coach at LSU, who led the Tigers (or is it “Tigahs”?) to the 2019 CFP national championship, with Joe Burrow at quarterback. This is largely fan-driven, and booster-driven, but it’s out there.
Now, from the “pipe dream” department, but what TFB is hearing:
- Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin’s name is being tossed about, but again, this seems to be largely fan-driven and not sure why – if the Aggies’ biggest dream is to win championship and to beat Alabama (I’m often not sure which order they place their priorities on there), Kiffin hasn’t done either, and he just signed a new contract with the Rebels last year.
- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. In terms of big ones, this would be a whale. The general consensus among coaching circles is Swinney is waiting to see what Alabama coach Nick Saban will do – Swinney is from the Birmingham, Alabama area, went to and played at Alabama, and is thought to one day desire to be the head coach there, to follow in the footsteps of his former head coach and mentor, Gene Stallings. Stallings, of course, is also a former coach and member of the board at Texas A&M, which has deep pockets. If Swinney is, as many suspect, tiring of his time at Clemson and not willing to wait much longer on Saban – if he’d like to coach in the Southeastern Conference, money is likely not an object to him. He’s already one of the highest-paid coaches in college football. But this would give him a venue to do it.
Lanning has issued his denial. Let’s see who follows. And let’s see how long before A&M places its cards on the table.
The 12th Man statue in front of Kyle Field on the campus of Texas A&M University, at College Station, Texas. (Photo by MITCH LUCAS – THE FOOTBALL BEAT)
