With Nick Saban retiring, it's left a lot of room for speculation as to who the next head football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide will be, but it appears we can rule out incumbent Oregon Ducks head coach and former Alabama staff member Dan Lanning.
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Dan Lanning, who has been a popular name regarding the Alabama head coaching opening, is staying at Oregon, sources tell @247sports.
Reports last night that he was in Tuscaloosa were inaccurate.https://t.co/hpJcG23c66 pic.twitter.com/QbBBXDYWcb
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 11, 2024
On Wednesday, there were reports he was in Tuscaloosa, but those were inaccurate, 247Sports says.
The report came from KVAL CBS in Eugene, Ore.
"As we did report before, I do, I previously worked in Alabama - in Tuscaloosa. Of course, I do have some sources there," said anchor Brandon Kamerman. "We did confirm that Lanning is in Tuscaloosa - in Alabama. It doesn't mean the job is signed - the contract is signed, but he's there and what I was told is that the players were told a decision will be made in the next 72 hours."
As mentioned, Lanning started at Alabama as a graduate assistant with Alabama. From there, he coached under Kirby Smart before taking the Oregon job.
"I think I've been really, really clear here since day one," Lanning said in November. "Everything I want exists right here. I'm not going anywhere. There's zero chance that I would be coaching somewhere else. I've got unfinished business here. There's a lot that I want to accomplish here at Oregon."
If we needed any further proof Lanning was staying, he dropped a minute-long video on X.
— Dan Lanning (@CoachDanLanning) January 11, 2024
Toward the end of the video, text comes across the screen 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..."
The video ends with the 37-year-old Lanning smoking a cigar.
Now, we look ahead to the Ducks with quarterback Dillon Gabriel and whatever is next for Lanning, the program, and the Crimson Tide without Saban.
