University of Georgia

Oregon hires Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning to be head coach

By WSBTV.com News Staff
By WSBTV.com News Staff

ATHENS, Ga. — Losing a team’s top assistant coach is often the side effect of having a successful college football program.

On Saturday, the University of Oregon made it official and announced they have agreed to hire Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning to be their next head coach.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Chip Towers first broke the news Friday.

The Ducks were looking for a new coach after Mario Cristobal left to take the head coaching job at the University of Miami.

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Lanning was hired by Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart in 2018. He was promoted to defensive coordinator for the 2019 season after Mel Tucker left for a head coaching job.

Lanning released a statement through the Oregon Football program.

“I am honored and humbled to be selected to lead on of the premier programs in the nation at the University of Oregon. I want to personally thank President Schill, the Board of Trustees, athletic director Rob Mullens and Mr. and Mrs. Knight for their trust in me. I’m excited to roll up my sleeves and get to work with our players in the pursuit of championships. It is clear there is a vision and alignment within the entire Duck Nation. We are staged for success and look forward to building on the strong foundation that currently exists in Eugene. Our goal is to win Championships and develop our players both on and off the field.

“I am overwhelmed with gratitude to Coach Kirby Smart and his wife Mary Beth and to every player, coach, staff member and person at the University of Georgia that contributed to our success, I thank you.”

Lanning will stay on with Georgia through the College Football Playoff before taking over the Oregon program. It will be his first head coaching job.

The Bulldogs announced that inside linebacker coach Glenn Schumann and former Florida and South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp will be co-defensive coordinators for the 2022 season.

Under Lanning, the Bulldogs led the country in defense during the 2021 season. The 35-year-old had been considered one of the most in demand assistant coaches in college football, despite never being a head coach.

Oregon was 9-3 during the 2021 regular season after losing in the Pac-12 Championship game to Utah 38-10. The Ducks will play Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl game on Dec. 29.

Ironically, the interim head coach for the Ducks is former UGA wide receiver Bryan McClendon. McClendon is the team’s receiver coach.

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In another ironic twist, Lanning’s first game as the Ducks head coach will be Sept. 3, 2022 when Oregon makes the trip to Atlanta to square off against his old team, the Georgia Bulldogs, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic.

The Associated Press contributed content to this story

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Decatur High School senior scored her best basket ever Ellie Rapp is a special needs student at Decatur High School and she is on the basketball team. With the help of her teammates, she was able to score.

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