Oregon's Dan Lanning Takes a Dig at Kyle Whittingham, Michigan

Kyle Whittingham continues to make waves for all the wrong reasons.

Whittingham has made it clear through his words and actions that he does not fully understand some of the traditions of Michigan’s football program. Now, his words are getting him into trouble with other coaches around the country. This time, it was Oregon head coach Dan Lanning.

Whittingham’s Words

Whittingham spoke with his weekly radio spot after Michigan dropped a game to Michigan State 15-6. He was asked about turning the page toward Oregon, and the challenges they present with head coach Dan Lanning.

“Outstanding football coach, defensive-minded coach,” Whittingham said. “That’s his background, but tireless recruiter. He really does a great job recruiting. It doesn’t hurt that you have $50-plus million at your disposal to, in essence, outbid everybody. Not everybody, but a lot of people. But that’s not his fault. That’s a credit. I mean, that’s a credit to their program and their dedication and desire to win and the support they have.”

Whittingham’s recent comments about recruiting have come into the limelight as he’s continued to say that his class for the future is what will turn this program around. He talked about the changing landscape of recruiting with Oregon and Lanning.

“NIL is really the name of the game in recruiting these days,” Whittingham said. “I mean, it’s shifted so much. It used to be the facilities you had and the tradition and all these other things, and now it’s well, this is all great, but these guys got $100,000 more for me. That’s a little bit of a factor, to say the least.

Lanning Claps Back

To nobody’s surprise, Dan Lanning heard Whittingham’s words and was not happy about the insinuation that Lanning’s program was bought and paid for.

“I’ve got nothing to say to Coach Whit other than I think he’s an unbelievable coach,” Lanning said. “I get it, they’re spending more of their money right now on their coaches that they’re letting go so maybe it makes it hard to sign players. But I know they’ve signed a couple of guys that we weren’t able to compete with what they decided to do and maybe a lot of that money is tied up for them in another player I don’t know. But Coach Whittingham is an unbelievable coach. He’s a Hall of Fame coach. I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”

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Oregon Ducks HC Dan Lanning's response to Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham and his comments about Oregon's ability to outbid on recruits.

"I know they’ve signed a couple of guys that we weren’t able to compete with what they decided to do, and maybe a lot of that money is tied… pic.twitter.com/0drEv9DHsz
— Zachary Neel (@zacharycneel) November 11, 2026

What player that Lanning was talking about is unclear, but Michigan clearly has had some turmoil in terms of having to pay coaching buyouts, most recently with offensive coordinator Jason Beck.

The Problem

Much like last week where Whittingham threw red meat into the direction of Michigan State’s program by quipping that the rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State was not the most important to Michigan, but also the Super Bowl for the Spartans, Whittingham’s words continue to create problems for his players.

Saying things in the media puts a bigger target on your back, and Michigan simply is not good enough to back up words that are tossed at other teams.

Whittingham could afford to say that Michigan State will be playing in their Super Bowl if Whittingham’s team was superior. With one of the worst offenses in the country, and a mistake-prone team, Whittingham opened the door for a more motivated Spartans team to come into Ann Arbor and knock them off.

Surprise, that’s exactly what happened.

This time, Whittingham took a dig at a superior team. Oregon looks like the group that was supposed to compete for a national title this season over the last couple weeks, including punking Ohio State in Columbus last Saturday.

What could happen if Oregon is more motivated on Saturday in Eugene? It could get ugly fast.

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