Dan Lanning Leapfrogs Chip Kelly In Notable Oregon Ducks Coaching Milestone

It’s been quite the beginning to coach Dan Lanning’s tenure with the Oregon Ducks since he started in 2022. After the Ducks picked up another top-three win over the Penn State Nittany Lions under the guidance of Lanning, conversations continue to emerge about where Lanning ranks among all-time Oregon coaches.

Lanning now holds the top winning percentage of any coach who was with the program for two or more seasons, which was previously held by legendary Ducks coach Chip Kelly.

Lanning Surpasses Kelly in Winning Percentage

oregon ducks dan lanning chip kelly big ten transfer portal recruiting nil autzen stadium college football playoff rose bowl — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field during warmups as the Oregon Ducks face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sept. 27, 2025, at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In his fourth season with Oregon, Lanning is 40-6 with a .870 winning percentage. He’s won 18 conference games in a row, including an 11-0 start to the program’s tenure in the Big Ten conference. Lanning has also helped the Ducks to the longest nonconference winning streak, the longest regular season winning streak and the longest road winning streak.

Kelly went 46-7 with a .868 winning percentage in four seasons at Oregon. The former Ducks coach led the team to the Rose Bowl in 2010 and 2012, the Fiesta Bowl in 2013 and the BCS National Championship Game in 2011.

Ultimately, Kelly exited the program to coach in the NFL from 2013 through 2016. There’s been debate about whether or not Lanning may do the same or take a potential opening with another college football program, but he’s expressed over the past couple of seasons that he’s content in Oregon.

Lanning helped the Ducks to the postseason in 2024, where they once again played in the Rose Bowl. They ended up falling in the College Football Playoff (CFP) quarterfinal to the Ohio State Buckeyes, where Kelly happened to be the offensive coordinator.

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Ducks Continue To Look for Title No. 1

While Kelly had consistent success during his time at Oregon, he never ended up winning a National Title with the program. Can Lanning be the first coach to win the most important game with the Ducks?

After Oregon defeated Penn State to win the 2024 Big Ten Conference Championship, the Ducks doubled down on that major victory by taking down the Nittany Lions in the White Out at Beaver Stadium. The week 5 victory marked the eighth win in program history over a top-three opponent and the first one to come on the road since 2021 when the Ducks beat No. 3 Ohio State.

Lanning’s showcased his ability to guide Oregon to victory against top opponents both at Autzen Stadium and on the road – even when it’s an environment with over 111,000 opposing fans. The next step for the fourth-year coach is winning a CFP game and advancing to the National Championship.

“We got to go attack our flaws, figure out what we can improve. This program is about growth. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman or a senior. It doesn’t matter if you’re a offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator, a graduate assistant or quality control coach, you got to grow,” Lanning said after the win against Penn State.

“A head coach, got to grow. I got to get better,” he continued. “I learned from this game. We learned from that game in the Rose Bowl. This is going to be an opportunity for us to keep learning and keep getting better.”

The next regular-season test for Lanning and the Ducks will come in week 7 after the bye week. They’ll face another top-10 team in No. 8 Indiana at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 11.