Thirty-five year-old, first time head college football coac, Dan Lanning was introduced to the Oregon media, Monday. Sporting a yellow tie and “O” pendant on his chest, the former Georgia defensive coordinator laid out his vision for the program with an eager and earnest tone. "We will be relentless in our pursuit of excellence and we will be built on what we do, not what we say," Lanning said. "My job here is to build a winner.
"This is not going to be a one hit wonder." That kind of promise is exactly what Duck fans have been looking for during this coaching search.
Mario Cristobal’s departure from the program to accept the head coaching position at the University of Miami furthered a troubling narrative across the Oregon Ducks fanbase. Many worried the head coaching position had become a springboard for other opportunities (see Chip Kelly and Willie Taggart).
It’s in that vein that Lanning attempted to cool those waters by assuring media and players that his tenure in Eugene would be a long one. We're going to be methodical in our approach. We're going to focus on the process. We're going to compete to a standard everyday, the Oregon standard,” he said during the press conference.
"I've only been here for a couple of days and I really haven't come up for air yet," he said. "But it's already starting to feel like home."
Lanning is fortunate to enter the program at a time when the roster is exceedingly talented and young. It’ll be interesting to see how he develops this recruiting base and mentality for years to come.