Dan Lanning Jokes About Himself While Talking College Football Maturity

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning and Texas Tech Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire spoke to the media on Wednesday as part of a joint press conference ahead of the Orange Bowl clash between both teams on New Year's Day.

Lanning discussed the challenges of the current college football landscape with the transfer portal opening in the middle of the College Football Playoff. He also spoke in depth about his relationship-based recruiting approach, joking about modern college athletes being more mature than he would’ve been.

oregon ducks dan lanning joey mcguire transfer portal recruiting texas tech college football playoff injury nfl tosh lupoi — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning holds an orange during the head coaches press conference ahead of Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, 2025, in Dania Beach, Florida. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What Dan Lanning Said

Balancing the Relationship Piece of Recruiting with Understanding the Transactional Piece:

“Venues like this are a great example of the value that players have for organizations. We don't get to coach if there aren't players. As much as the game has changed, a lot of it still has stayed the same. We're in year four here at Oregon, and we've never lost a starter to the transfer portal. I think retention is the biggest piece. I think that's really important, and that's twofold.”

“It always starts for me, what can I control, the relationships. I want to make sure we have great strong relationships with our players. A lot of times guys are going to choose to stay for less, but we also want them to be treated fair, and if they have the opportunity to have success, we want to make sure we're able to maximize that opportunity.”

“That's not just what a school can give a player, it's the recognition a school can create, it's the story that a school can tell. I think Oregon and Texas Tech have both been elite at that. Then it starts at high school recruiting. It's development.”

“Our team has a lot of freshmen that are contributing this year, a lot of guys that have been able to make an impact, and I always say, if you're good enough, you're old enough. When you make an impact, I think stepping out into that water of, okay, I'm going to try this again somewhere else, when you know the known. We know it exists at Oregon. If you work your tail off, you're going to get an opportunity.”

“I think that can be scary. Even if the dollar or the price tag might be somewhere else, the known of being in a program like Oregon, getting the opportunities that you get, that's something you want to take advantage of. Then that's where you hope the relationship matters.”

“We've had some really mature kids. These guys had to make really mature decisions that I don't know that I could make when I was their age. I know I'd probably screw it up and I'd probably have a dorm room full of Natural Ice if I was 19 years old, but it's changed.”

“These guys handle really, really tough decisions and they lean on people, and you hope they get really sound advice. But what warms your heart is the text message you get from a mom about what you've done for my son, from a high school coach of how you've created confidence in this kid, and you hope all those things pay off and they're able to make mature decisions that are big-boy decisions that a lot of these guys don't get faced with.”

“Sometimes that means making a sacrifice and maybe not making as much as you might somewhere else or being able to maximize your value where they're at, and I think we have a lot of guys that have been able to maximize their value here.”

Opening Statement:

"Certainly, honored to be here. First, want to thank the Orange Bowl. The hospitality has been first notch. Really honored to get the opportunity to share a stage with coach McGuire. Both of us started off as high school coaches. I'm sure he's very similar to me in the sense that we pinch ourselves every day to get to do what we do and who we do it with."

"Obviously, Texas Tech has an unbelievable team. And he's right, when you watch it, something we've talked about since we arrived here is our ability to create explosive plays and eliminate explosive plays. When you look at both these teams, they're two of the best in the nation at doing that, creating explosive plays, and certainly two of the best in the nation at eliminating that."

"This will be an exciting game, certainly an exciting opportunity for us. A lot of these last few weeks for us has been about creating that rhythm that you have as a team, and you heard coach just say it's Fast Friday. I had somebody text me this morning about it being Wednesday. I said, 'What are you talking about? It's Friday.'"

"Your clock is off a little bit as a coach, but our players have prepped really, really hard, and there's a ton of respect for Texas Tech and what they've been able to create this year. "

"The team, the way they play, I think that's a true indication of the way coach McGuire coaches. But our guys are really excited about this opportunity to share a field, and it's an awesome venue to get to be a part of. "

Managing the Transfer Portal With the Academic Calendar and the Playoffs:

“More than anything, just being honest. Be honest with your players. The one thing I expect from anybody that enters the portal from our team is communication. The University of Oregon has given you an opportunity. We've coached you really hard. We've built relationships.”

“We expect you to be able to communicate with us on what that looks like. Similar to Coach McGuire, we've talked about you come in here and win this game, you're going to send other people on the road in your organization than normal to help do some of the recruiting for you, and that's why it's important to have a really strong personnel department that can help you with that because if you continue to prepare for games and there's opportunities to recruit, you want to make sure you're able to take advantage of those, too.”

“Then you hope you've built a strong enough roster that they can manage and handle some of the distractions that exist in college football. But these guys are used to it. They're tough. They're resilient. They've dealt with it before. I think every one of them recognize how special it is to be a part – there’s only eight teams left right now, and after this game there will be four teams left.”

“To be a part of something like that doesn't happen a lot in anybody's lifetime. I hope they recognize the importance of that, the opportunity for that. Then the academic calendar is something we all have plans for, and we'll be ready to adjust and adapt as we go.”

“But that's college football over the last four years that I've been a part of it as a head coach is adapt, and you have to being to adapt and adjust, and there will be some learning lessons this year, this off-season that we learn, just like there were last season that we'll continue to adapt to.”

Why the Running Back Room Has Excelled:

“It starts probably with the leadership in that room. Coach Samples done an unbelievable job. But we have a veteran in there with Noah Whittington, and he's worn a lot of hats. He's been injured and came back from injury, but he demands – it’s like having another coach at the position there, and he demands that these guys do it the right way.”

“Then the young guys being able to throw – handle whatever we throw on their plate. You give them a bite, and take advantage of short yardage. You give them a play, and they take advantage of it, and you're like, okay, let's give them more.”

“Those guys have done an unbelievable job of the more that you can give them, the more they can handle, and they've created something that can be really dynamic for us. Once you start talking about the variety of formations and plays that we can run with multiple personnel groups, the fact you can make sure there's a fresh player in there, and then strength in numbers has really just been a mantra for our team this entire year.”

“If we've got to be a 12-personnel team to win, we'll do it. If we've got to be an 11-personnel team, if we've got to play 21, if it's going to be a two-minute drive, or if it's a tight defensive ballgame, we can play in a variety of ways. I think that shows up in moments where you have to lean on your depth and lean on players that have to be ready for their opportunity. We've had a lot of guys that have been ready for their opportunity when their number was called.”

The Team’s Mentality Compared to Last Year:

“You always try to overanalyze that as a coach. You walk in and guys are laughing and you're like, wait a minute, are we too loose? You walk in the room, and everybody is quiet and you're like, okay, are we too tight? I really like where our team is at, their temperament. When they step on the field, it's business. They enjoy spending time with each other. They've had a really clear focus throughout the week, and the result is going to be the result.”

“We've got two really good teams going against each other head-to-head, talent on both sides, good coaches on both sides. So ultimately you want the players to go out there and take the opportunity to go win the game on their own, and I like where our guys are at. I think they've been really focused.”

“I think, again, the repetition of us, the rhythm for us has been a factor that will contribute in this game for us to be able to keep the sequence as much as possible, similar for our players. But I really like where their head is at, I really like their focus, and it's hard to maintain focus at that age for as long as you have to maintain focus in college football right now, so excited to see that result.”

The Best Advice He’s Received Preparing His Team For This Atmosphere:

"Ultimately, both of us get the opportunity to travel on the road, and I think we've really been prepared for moments like that. We've traveled across the country several times this year, something that's prepared you."

"The football field is the same length, same width. You get an opportunity to go out there and compete with your teammates, and I think we both are hoping for a great crowd from both sides, so there's not a lot that's different. Even though there's distractions that exist as you go out to games like this, there's some pomp and circumstance, there's some fanfare, ultimately the game is the same and the guys got to go out there and play the game."

The Process He’s had with Outgoing Staff and Any Positives With Two Guys Getting Head Coaching Jobs:

“I talk about it a lot. I set goals personally for myself, and my number one goal is to help people reach their dreams and goals. And when you see a guy like Tosh Lupoi that I've got to work with for a long time and Will Stein, who I've gotten to work with the last three years, work their tails off to earn opportunities, you're really excited.”

“I tell every recruit that walks in our office, look, I can't promise you who will be here as your coaches because I want to help create their dreams, as well, but I can promise you I'll be here as your head coach. That's a piece that won't change.”

“I'll say both those guys have had unbelievable focus on our team. I think they both recognize they'd never had the opportunities they have if it wasn't for the players at Oregon and the place of Oregon, and I think they feel a term of endearment. They feel like they owe it to our players to give their absolute best on the way out.”

“I remember – this is kind of sentimental for me. Leaving Georgia, I went through kind of the same process. The hotel we're staying in this week, I remember hiring my strength coach, Wilson Love, in that hotel. I remember reaching out to coaches on staff and hiring them during this same process in the Orange Bowl when I was at Georgia, so it's kind of a full-circle moment to see them going through the same things.”

“But I'm very appreciative to the detail that they've put in, the work they've put in, and it's led to some long nights and not a lot of sleep, but I always tell our coaching staff, you can sleep when you die.”

“These guys have worked really hard. They've earned it. I'm excited about their opportunities, and I'm excited about the opportunity to grow through our teams. When there's transition, there's opportunities for new ideas. There's opportunities for us to continue to grow.”

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If He’d Prefer Changes with Recruiting, the Transfer Portal Opening and the Playoff All Clashing:

“Well, I think there's clearly a better way, and I think it really starts with the season moving up … Yeah, ultimately in my mind the vision for this should be every playoff game should be played every single weekend until you finish the season. Ideally the season, even if it means we start week zero, or you eliminate a bye, the season ends Jan. 1.”

“This should be the last game. This should be the championship game. Then the portal opens and then coaches that have to move on to their next opportunities get the opportunity to move to their next opportunities.”

“Certainly, there's some conversation about when high school signing days should be. I think that could go either way because most of us now try to get guys in as mid-year players, and you want them to be able to join your program at semester, which is a challenge.”

“But I think the first really clear indicator of a place that we can make this better is to wrap the season up. Our National Championship game this year is Jan. 19, and that's really hard to envision as a coach that's going out and trying to join a new program and start a staff. It's hard for players to understand what continuity looks like and where are they going to be at and to manage that with visits, the portal, everything else that exists.”

“I think the clear indicator and the clear way to do that is to bump the season up and make sure these playoff games happen a lot faster. I've got a ton of respect for the NFL, but we're a prep league for the NFL. We do a lot of favors for the NFL. We're the minor league in a lot of ways. But there's no money paid from the NFL to take care of college football.”

“In that sense, we've given up some of our days to the NFL. We said, you guys get to have this day, you get to have this day, you get to have this day. Saturdays should be sacred for college football, and every Saturday through the month of December should belong to college football in my opinion.”

How Their Experience and the Last Two New Year’s Day Bowls Helps Them Deal With Distractions:

“Playing football makes you better at football, and playing in big moments makes you better at playing in big moments. Our team certainly has played in a lot of big moments. It's funny, you don't sit back and really think about what you've been able to accomplish because you're always worried about what's next.”

“But this is the winningest group in Oregon history over their four years. There's some new faces in there, too, some guys that weren't necessarily there for the entire ride, but there's been a standard created and an expectation created for this group, and now it's about taking the next step.”

“Really excited. We want these guys to lean on their experience and what they've been able to do. Again, they've prepped really well, and obviously, you're playing a great team. At this point, there aren't any bad teams. You're playing great teams from here on out. Really excited about seeing our guys go out there and execute. “