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Georgia football: Oregon made the right choice in poaching Dan Lanning

Savannah Leigh
Savannah Leigh

Dawn of the Dawg

Defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Dan Lanning during warm-ups before the start of the Georgia G-Day Spring game on April 17.(Photo By Joshua L Jones/ Online Athens)

Well, after all the rumors on Friday surrounding Georgia football defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, it turns out they were true, and he is heading to the West Coast.

The Ducks wised up and picked one of the best up-and-coming coaches to take over an Oregon program that could be a force.

Initially reported by Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Dawg reporter Chip Towers, so many disputed the rumors. Still, it turns out sometimes trusting your gut and reporting it pays out, and with Tower’s experience, it did just that.

Oregon nailed their coaching hire by poaching Georgia football defensive coordinator Dan Lanning.

Lanning will get a chance to prove himself, and after being around head coach Kirby Smart for the past three years, he had a good mentor.

While it’s understandable why Georgia and Lanning initially denied the rumors, they likely wanted to tell the players and recruits before it broke all over the interwebs. Instead of having a Notre Dame situation that could cause some damage, you know.

Lanning will make a great head coach as long as he gets an excellent supporting cast around him. It’ll be interesting to see who he picks for his staff.

He has turned Georgia into one of the most elite defenses throughout his three years as the defensive coordinator. This season, he helped coach a team that gave up just 124 points and 9.54 points on average.

In a statement, head coach Kirby Smart said that Lanning would continue to coach the Dawgs throughout the College Football Playoff, but Glenn Schumann and Will Muschamp would be co-defensive coordinators.

The Dawgs will benefit from having all three running collaborating moving forward. Maybe Schumann and Muschamp will bring something new to the table to give Georiga an edge.

It’s great to see Lanning sticking around for the rest of the playoffs, as that shows what kind of character he has as a person and coach.

Savannah Leigh

Savannah Leigh

Savannah Leigh has covered University of Georgia athletics for over six years on Bulldawg Illustrated, Dawn of the Dawg and at the Brunswick News. She has also covered the PGA Tour, amateur golf and local sports in Coastal Georgia. She is the current Editor and primary content creator on Dawn of the Dawg while also contributing on-air segments with various college football and golf YouTube and podcast channels, applying her knowledge and passion for both sports, especially the Dawgs.