Dan Lanning Turns Heads with Surprise NFL Visit During Oregon's Bye Week

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning appears to be relying on every resource available during the 2026 season.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning takes the field as the Oregon Ducks host the Portland State Vikings on Sept. 18, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The No. 15 Oregon Ducks are on a bye week after defeating then-ranked No. 12 USC Trojans, but that does not mean that Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks are necessarily "resting." In fact, Lanning was spotted as a guest of Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald at Seattle's practice on Thursday, Oct. 1.

Dan Lanning Visits Seattle Seahawks, Mike Macdonald

Lanning has talked about meeting with NFL teams in the past, like when dealing with more travel and a longer season, and this time, the Ducks coach may be looking to learn something from the defending Super Bowl champions up in Seattle.

Sep 20, 2026; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald looks on in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dan Lanning a visitor at Seahawks practice today. pic.twitter.com/LAYogWDYeO

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) October 1, 2026

Macdonald, like Lanning, is a head coach with a defensive background, formerly serving as the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. Macdonald also brings some college experience to the table, spending time at both Georgia and Michigan, making him quite the valuable resource for Lanning to learn from during the bye week.

While the two may be conversing about scheme and practice habits, the two could very well be talking about coaching philosophy in general given some of the similarities of their team meetings.

Similarities Between Dan Lanning, Mike Macdonald's Coaching

The Seahawks were featured on Hard Knocks during the offseason, providing fans a glimpse into the coaching style of Macdonald as well as the culture that he's built in his early career as a head coach. Multiple clips of Macdonald on the HBO and NFL Films production went viral, but one in particular stands out because of the resemblance it bears to one of Lanning's team meetings with the Ducks.

During training camp, Macdonald told the story of former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson convincing Michael Jordan to play a new style of offense that connected the entire team instead of focusing solely on Jordan. Like Macdonald, Lanning not only focuses on connection in his program, but the Oregon coach often pulls from other sports like basketball, or even movies, to help get a point across to his team.

12/19/1990; Detroit, Michigan USA; Bulls' Michael Jordan with the ball during a seasonal game of the 1990 NBA Season, at The Palace of Auburn Hills. | USA TODAY Sports

"So why do I tell you guys that story? Like, in the NFL guys, I really believe this, that the secret sauce of the NFL is connection. What if everybody was on the same page going int he same direction, playing off one and each other, building each other up not caring who gets the credit. And just going, and going, and where could that take us?" Macdonald told the Seahawks.

"What if we could get this whole building involved in just creating this vision of who we want to become all the time? This is how we know when we go into games that we have the competitive advantage, because we have this in our corner," the Seattle coach continued.

Connection is one of the DNA traits that Lanning centered the Oregon program on, alongside growth, sacrifice, and toughness. Different position units on the Ducks will often post about meeting at their position coach's house for dinner or participating in activities together, and the team will often go on different themed-retreats.

Lanning hosts a leadership retreat, a coaches retreat, and even the Ducks' defensive linemen spent a few days on the Oregon coast to build connection and also train on the beach.

Up Next for Oregon Ducks

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the sideline as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Coaches will often spend time recruiting during the bye week, and Lanning could very well be hitting the road to visit some high school games on Friday night. Still, the Oregon coach appears focused on his current team and leading the Ducks through another Big Ten schedule.

The UCLA Bruins are up next for Oregon, a team that Lanning compared to the 2025 Indiana team that upset the Ducks and eventually one the national title. With one loss already, Lanning and company have a small margin for error in order to reach the College Football Playoff.

Oregon and UCLA will kickoff from Autzen Stadium at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 10.

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