Alabama head coach Nick Saban recently revealed on the Pat McAfee Show that he had intentions of bringing Dan Lanning back to his staff after the now-Oregon head coach served as a graduate assistant under him. Speaking from Dublin during the lead-up to today’s game between Florida State and Georgia Tech, Saban praised Lanning's work at Oregon while expressing regret that he couldn't rehire him.
“Dan Lanning’s a really good coach,” Saban said. “He’s done a great job at Oregon. He was a GA for us. I actually wanted to hire him.”
Saban's strategy has long involved developing young coaches and giving them opportunities to grow, with the hope of bringing them back to his staff once they've gained more experience. However, that plan didn't go as expected when other programs, including those led by former Saban assistants, swooped in to hire Lanning and others.
“My theory of having all these young guys on a staff and developing ’em—was to get ’em a job at Memphis State and be able to rehire ’em,” Saban said. “When all these guys started coaching, Kirby (Smart), (Jeremy) Pruitt, Billy Napier, Mike Locksley, they all hired ’em before I could hire ’em. So it kind of blew up on me.”
Lanning, who has quickly risen through the coaching ranks, credited Saban for much of his development.
"I've got so much respect for Coach Saban," Lanning said. "And you're right. The reason I'm talking about process is because I learned that from him. So unbelievable job that he did there.”
Lanning emphasized the importance of consistency, a lesson he learned during his time at Alabama.
“I’ve never been more impressed with the consistency of a coach than Coach Saban,” Lanning said. “And that’s something I appreciate and learned from him—that whenever you get your opportunity, you’ve got to be you. But you’ve got to be the definition of consistency if you want to last in this profession.”
Lanning's decision to join Saban's staff as a graduate assistant proved to be a pivotal moment in his career, despite the financial challenges that came with it.
“For me, it was never about chasing the dollars. It was about chasing the opportunity,” Lanning said. “And it probably ended up being the best decision in my career of picking a place to go where I could learn and be around great people and be around great players. I got to be on staff there with Kirby Smart, Mario Cristobal, Lane Kiffin, Billy Napier, and Mel Tucker. It was just an elite group to be around.”
Lanning added that the experience of coaching alongside such a talented staff and winning a championship during his time at Alabama was instrumental in propelling his career forward.
“Getting to coach with some of those guys and be on staff like that, and we won a championship that year, probably propelled my career more than anything I did,” Lanning said.
Despite Saban's hopes, Lanning has firmly established himself as one of the rising stars in college football, leading Oregon to national prominence while carrying the lessons he learned under Saban into his own head coaching career.
