“I wasn’t going to leave for a bad job”: Dan Lanning opened up about interviewing for Ducks amid his Georgia gig

Dan Lanning has coached Oregon for two seasons now, improving his overall track record each year. But before getting the head coaching job with the Ducks, he worked under Kirby Smart as the defensive coordinator for Georgia.

In his recent appearance on the ‘Bussin with the Boys’ podcast, Lanning opened up about interviewing for the Ducks job despite being satisfied working for the Bulldogs.

“I knew I could be picky because I had a really good job. I really enjoyed being the D-coordinator at Georgia, got to coach some really good players you know we were competing for championships there. Got to win the national championship that last year so I knew I had a good job. I wasn't going to leave for a bad job,” Lanning told Will Compton and Taylor Lewan.

According to Coach Lanning, the job has to align with the employer's goals and where a person could grow. He said that he didn't care about how much he was making, but his target was to go to a place where he thought he could win. Oregon was that place for him.

Dan Lanning says a coaching job asks for sacrifices

During the podcast, Dan Lanning also spoke about the downside of being a college football coach. According to him, the profession offers no balance and everyone going there should be ready to make sacrifices.

‘One of those things we sacrifice is itime with our family, so that's not gonna come back. So for me to be the best coach. I can be here in Oregon i'm gonna be eliminating some of that time that I spent with my group,” he said on the matter.

Syndication: The Register Guard: Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during practice with the Ducks Thursday, April 18, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore.

Lanning led the Ducks to a 9-3 finish in his first year in Eugene and went on to lift the Holiday Bowl title. He did better in 2023, going all the way to the Pac-12 conference championship game but ended up losing to the Washington Huskies.

The team went on to lift the Fiesta Bowl title and will now start the 2024 season in the Big Ten.