Oregon Ducks head football coach Dan Lanning has been on the job a few months now, and it would seem he’s accomplished a few key tasks. First, he consolidated a bad recruiting situation and maintained a respectable class ranking coming in fresh of Mario Cristobal’s departure. Second, he hired a staff of young and dynamic coordinators that seem ready to unleash the full talent of this experienced roster, and blaze up the recruiting trail.
Third, be a tourist. The guy has done everything you could imagine someone from the South doing while on vacation in Oregon, of all places.
Here he is courtside at a Portland Trail Blazers game a few weeks back, wearing a boss pair of sneakers. The guy seems like a legit NBA fan who got the chance to sit courtside at a game and took full advantage. Kudos to him! Here’s another snapshot he took while attending the perfunctory, “I’m the new football coach speaking at a college basketball game,” event.
Instead of looking stern and austere amid the fans, Lanning is chopping it up in the student section and having a great time! It makes sense considering he’s 35-years-old and probably remembers the glory days of his own college career (he is a college football coach after all).
And finally to top it all off, Lanning visited a Ducks baseball game and looked to devour a modest bundle of nachos. Given, it wasn’t the most impressive display of cheese and chips, it’s still awesome to see a guy from Georgia try and integrate himself into a state’s culture. You just have to hope as a Duck fan that exuberance can translate to wins, next fall.