Oregon Ducks pay Dan Lanning, double-down on recruiting secret weapon — stability

Andrew Nemec | Mar 6, 2025

5-star cornerback Na'eem Offord and Oregon coach Dan Lanning / Courtesy of Na'eem Offord

On Thursday, On3 reported that the University of Oregon had agreed to new terms with head coach Dan Lanning, agreeing to a 6-year deal that pays him $11 million annually - a $2 million a year raise.

The deal, which still requires board approval, would make Lanning a top-five coach nationally in salary, and keeps his buyout at $20 million.

After finishing as the lone undefeated regular season team nationally and earning the No. 1-seed in the College Football Playoff, Lanning has clearly delivered a national contender to Eugene.

Oregon also set a program record last year for most players selected in the NFL draft (8), a record the Ducks are likely to break in April.

All of that is to say Lanning has been a winning hire for athletic director Rob Mullens and the Ducks.

But the greatest weapon stemming from this week's extension is, perhaps, unrecognized by some - stability.

While Lanning's recruiting efforts - arguably the nation's No. 1 high school/transfer class this offseason - has raised the bar for the program, he is far from the first Oregon coach to find "the grass damn green in Eugene."

Willie Taggart delivered eye-opening recruiting results in his one season in Eugene, but the December 2017 departure to Florida State University saw Oregon's recruiting class crumble.

With a seismic coaching shift just weeks before the early signing period, Oregon suffered 13 decommitments and finished with the nation's No. 18 class.

Equally significant, the Ducks lost six pass-catchers, an outcome that haunted the wide receiver depth chart for years afterward.

Oregon bounced back quickly - perhaps luckily - by promoting tireless recruiter Mario Cristobal, who also left Oregon weeks before the early signing period in December 2021.

Again, the Ducks saw their recruiting class tumble, losing 16 commitments in the 2022 cycle, including projected NFL first-round draft picks Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas) and Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona).

Throw those two coaching-change commitment casualties onto this year's roster and perhaps the Ducks season ends with a trophy and confetti.

As the college football world continues to evolve, it's not just recruiting classes that are affected.

Student-athletes now have the option to hit the transfer portal at the drop of a hat.

Or the movement of a popular coach.

Despite a national championship game appearance just last year and the quick transition from Kalen DeBoer (Alabama) to Jedd Fisch, the Washington Huskies are still feeling the transfer fallout of a coaching change.

Sure, the program was gutted by the 2024 NFL draft, spearheaded by the loss of three first-round picks - quarterback Michael Penix Jr., wide receiver Rome Odunze and offensive lineman Troy Fautanu - but the downturn continues.

This offseason, the Huskies were among 247Sports' biggest losers in the portal.

As folks in Seattle have seen up close and personal, an ill-timed coaching change not only stems momentum, it can also cause a tailspin.

For all the jeers naysayers have tossed at Oregon in recent years about being "offseason champs" with little to show for it, the truth is much more complex.

Oregon has yet to fully benefit from four consecutive years of uninterrupted recruiting success - and those resets are costly.

At the very least, it would've been nice to hang onto Banks Jr., McMillian, Texas tackle Cameron Williams and Cal running back Jaydn Ott - all players who were committed to the Ducks in 2022 cycle.

Next fall, Lanning will have three consecutive uninterrupted recruiting classes at his disposal (2023, 2024 and 2025).

Three. Not four. Not five. Not a fully saturated roster of talent uniterrupted by a coaching change.

Just three.

The same number Mark Helfrich had before his momentum stalled and the same number Cristobal had before leaving for Miami.

Despite its Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State, Oregon has never-before-seen momentum.

The Ducks have signed arguably the nation's best high school/transfer class this offseason and are flirting with the nation's No. 1 class early in the 2026 cycle.

I wonder what this modern football program could accomplish with four-to-five consecutive years of stability.

Turns out, Oregon does too.

And they're willing to pay Lanning to find out.

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