Dan Lanning Had Refreshingly Direct Response About Texas A&M Opening

While college football coaches typically give non-committal denials about interest in other jobs as the carousel spins, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning took a refreshingly definitive approach on Monday when asked about the possibility of leaving the Ducks.

Texas A&M parted ways with head coach Jimbo Fisher less than 24 hours after the Aggies' 51-10 victory against Mississippi State, which also canned its head coach, Zach Arnett. Fisher's departure, which resulted in a buyout larger than the Gross Domestic Product of Tuvalu, leaves an opening at a school with deep pockets and a desperation to win.

Several outlets, including Newsweek, listed Lanning as a potential replacement for Fisher. Lanning has different ideas for his future, which he clarified during his Monday press conference.

"I'm not going anywhere," Lanning told reporters. "There's zero chance that I'll be coaching somewhere else. I've got unfinished business here. There's a lot that I want to accomplish here at Oregon. My number one priority is being elite here at Oregon. We have the resources, the tools and anybody that can't understand why you'd want to be here at this place doesn't understand exactly what exists here."

Even with Lanning's emphatic denial, there's still reason for skepticism. There's a long history of coaches saying they wouldn't leave their current job for greener pastures and only to sign somewhere else shortly after.

Perhaps the most famous is seven-time national champion Nick Saban, who said he wasn't a candidate for the Alabama opening while he was the head coach of the NFL's Miami Dolphins. Considering Saban's success with the Crimson Tide, he made the right move. However, there was lots of scorn at the time.

"A lot of coaches hang on to these moments. They don't do anything or don't say anything," Lanning said when elaborating on why coaches don't give firmer answers. "One, because they don't want egg on their face when they decide to do something else. Two, because they're concerned about things that I'm not concerned about. Like getting a better contract. 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 [a new contract]. I'm motivated by winning. I'm motivated by being elite here."

Lanning is in his second season as the Ducks head coach and the squad is 19-4 since his arrival. He came to Eugene after serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia and winning the 2021 national championship.

Oregon is 9-1 this season after last week's victory against Southern Cal. The Ducks' only loss was against the No. 5 Washington Huskies. Oregon enters Tuesday's CFP ranking reveal at No. 6 and is the highest-rated one-loss team.

"Our players deserve my complete focus," Lanning 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."