Oregon coach Dan Lanning adamantly denied any potential interest for the for leaving the Ducks to take fill the coaching vacancy at Texas A&M. When asked about being a potentially emerging as a candidate for the gig, the 37-year-old defensive guru didn't hold back.
"I'm not going anywhere — there's zero chance I will be coaching somewhere else," Lanning said. I've got unfinished business here."
The Ducks are off to a 9-1 start in Year 2 of Lanning's tenure with the program. Oregon has a clear path to the Pac-12 Championship Game and earning a berth in the College Football Playoff if they run the table.
Dan Lanning addresses the Texas A&M rumors. pic.twitter.com/WwZnEQCS6a
— Tsunami (@Tsunami_TS) November 14, 2023
Oregon hired Lanning following a successful tenure as defensive coordinator/outside linebackers coach at Georgia from 2018-21. Lanning helped the Bulldogs become one of the top defensive units in the country during his time with the school before getting his first opportunity to lead a program. Lanning is an intriguing name for the Texas A&M job because of his ability to recruit at a high level outside the West Coast.
Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher on Sunday following the Aggies' 51-10 blowout win over Mississippi State. Fisher is owed approximately $75 million in a buyout stemming from a blockbuster, fully guaranteed $95 million contract extension signed in 2021. The contract followed an initial 10-year, $75 million agreement that brought Fisher to Texas A&M from Florida State.
"After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President [Mark] Welsh and then Chancellor [John] Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision," said athletic director Ross Bjork in a statement. "We appreciate Coach Fisher's time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors."
Lanning isn't the only notable candidate for the Texas A&M job. Others include Duke coach Mike Elko, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, Washington coach Kalen DeBoer and Florida State coach Mike Norvell among others.
