Why Oregon Ducks' NFL Draft, Recruiting Success Is Testament to Dan Lanning

The 2024 NFL Draft and Oregon's spring football game were a large success for Dan Lanning and the Ducks. "You can sleep when you die," joked Lanning

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

Oregon football coach Dan Lanning is building something special in Eugene, thriving within the ever-changing college football landscape.

Lanning is leading the Ducks into Big Ten Conference play with a stacked roster including the nation's best transfer quarterback.... with a sideline full of top recruits.... and just sent a program-record eight Oregon players to the NFL in the 2024 draft.

Oh, and somehow he found the time to travel to Alabama to be with former Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix on night one of the NFL Draft.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

Does this coach sleep?

Lanning beamed and gathered around Nix with his family and the Denver Broncos selected Nix with the No. 12 overall pick. Oregon sending eight players to the league is in part a testament to what Coach Dan Lanning is building in Eugene. 

The college football record for most NFL Draft selections in a single year is held by Georgia (15 players in 2022.) Lanning was with Georgia from 2017-2021 and many of those Bulldogs players were his guys.

No doubt, Lanning's development, program structure and success helped the Ducks become ProDucks. But Lanning gives all credit to his players.

"We love seeing guys reach their goals and aspirations,” Lanning said. “… I think you'll continue to see more and more players drafted here at Oregon. As we continue to develop the roster and develop our players. Credit to them. They earned that opportunity to have that day that they can celebrate and we're really excited for those guys."

It was an 18-hour trip for Lanning to Alabama, who made it back in time to welcome a star-studded recruiting class to Oregon's spring football game.

Lanning takes care of the former Ducks and the future Ducks.

Lanning and the Ducks rolled out the red (green?) carpet for the nation's No.1 recruit, defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart. Stewart is 6-foot-5, 270-pounds and the No.1 ranked player in the 2026 recruiting class, in On3 Industry Rankings.

The present and future is on the mind of Lanning.

"Obviously we're getting ready for this next season, but the season after that is just as important in how we recruit. Events like this are huge for it," Lanning said of the spring game. "There are a lot of recruits out there watching us play, but they're not going to impact us next season. They'll impact the season after that so we have to do a great job of developing the young guys that we have here and continuing to build our roster.”

The 2024 NFL Draft and Oregon's spring football game were a large success for the Duck program. Now, maybe, just maybe, Lanning can catch some ZZZZs.

"You can sleep when you die," joked Lanning on the Pac-12 broadcast.