Dan Lanning contract, explained: Why Nick Saban disciple turned down Alabama to stay at Oregon originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Oregon Ducks face Penn State on Saturday night. In his fourth season in Eugene, head coach Dan Lanning is aiming to guide the Ducks to another double-digit win campaign.
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Fans are also hoping for a second straight trip to the College Football Playoff. Earlier in 2024, though, speculation swirled that Lanning might leave Oregon for Alabama.
When Nick Saban retired that year, Lanning, a former Saban assistant, was viewed as one of the Crimson Tide’s top candidates to replace him. Instead, he chose to stay in Eugene and was rewarded with a lucrative new contract.
Here’s a closer look at the Alabama speculation, Lanning’s decision to stay, and the details of his new deal.
Dan Lanning contract details
In March of 2025, Lanning inked a new contract with Oregon that makes him one of college football’s highest-paid head coaches. His new deal goes through the 2030 season, and raises his annual salary to $11 million.
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The extension includes a pretty hefty raise for Lanning, as his 2024 salary was $8.2 million. Lanning is 39-6 over his four seasons with the Ducks.
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Dan Lanning Alabama coaching timeline
Lanning worked his way up the coaching ranks for more than a decade before landing his first head coaching job at Oregon. He began as a high school assistant from 2008 to 2010 before joining Pitt as a graduate assistant in 2011. He then spent two seasons at Arizona State, earning a promotion to recruiting coordinator in 2013.
After a stint as defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Sam Houston State, Lanning joined Nick Saban’s Alabama staff in 2015 as a graduate assistant. The Crimson Tide went 14-1 that season, defeating Clemson 45-40 in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
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He later spent two years at Memphis before being hired by Kirby Smart at Georgia, where he served from 2019 to 2021 prior to taking the Oregon job.
In 2024, Saban revealed he had wanted to bring Lanning back for an on-field role.
“Dan Lanning is a really good coach and I actually wanted to hire him,” Saban said in August of last year.
“My theory about having all these young guys on my staffs and develop them was to get them a job at Memphis State and then be able to re-hire them,” Saban continued.
Unsurprisingly given his previous connections to Alabama, Lanning was reportedly a “top target” by Alabama after Saban’s retirement:
In Jan. 2024, Lanning was just coming off of his second season in Eugene, getting a pair of consecutive double-digit win years. The Ducks went 10-3 capped off with a Holiday Bowl victory in 2022, and finished 12-2 with a Fiesta Bowl victory.
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More:College football picks, predictions against the spread for Week 5 matchups
Why Dan Lanning didn’t take Alabama job
But in the end, Lanning ended up remaining in Oregon. He seemingly put the rumors to bed after posting this video, which included Lanning talking about the grass not always being greener. The video included text that read “If you’re scared your coach is leaving, then come play for us. The Ducks aren’t going anywhere and I’m not leaving.”
Lanning spoke last August about whether or not he even considered taking the Alabama job.
“It was never a part of our thought process,” Lanning said on The Paul Finebaum Show as transcribed by Sports Illustrated.
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“I’ve got so much respect for Coach Saban,” he added. “And you’re right: the reason I’m talking about this process is because I learned that from him. So unbelievable job that he did there. But there’s so much to take care of here at Oregon. That’s always been our focus.”
Lanning wasn’t the only coach to turn down the Alabama job. Other big names rumored to be targeted by Alabama in Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian both turned it down and got big contract extensions as a result.
Highest-paid coaches in college football
As you can see, Lanning’s new deal makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
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Here’s the full list of highest-paid college coaches, via USA Today. Their list was last updated in 2024, but other coaches, like Ohio State’s Ryan Day, have inked new deals since then:
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Kirby Smart, Georgia: $13.28 million annually
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Ryan Day, Ohio State: $12.5 million annually
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Dabo Swinney, Clemson: $11.13 million annually
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Oregon’s Dan Lanning : $11 million annually
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USC’s Lincoln Riley: $10.04 million annually
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Texas’ Steve Sarkisian: $10.03 million annually
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Florida State’s Mike Norvell: $10 million annually
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Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer: $10 million annually
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LSU’s Brian Kelly: $9.975 million annually
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Kentucky’s Mark Stoops: $9.013 million annually
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Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin: $9 million annually
