In less than three years, Dan Lanning has put his stamp on the Oregon football program. So, it’s obvious that the Oregon Ducks head coach would love to bring some blood connections to the camp. After all, Lanning is the father of three wonderful sons- Caden, Kniles, and Titan. A father and son jointly ruling the CFB landscape isn’t a new trend. We have seen the famous Lane Kiffin and the Monte Kiffin duo. While this goes in college, the now Georgia Bulldogs HC Kirby Smart served his father, coach Sonny Smart, back at Bainbridge High School. The recent time witnessed the debut of North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick to load his family troop in the Tar Heels. But Lanning refuses to follow the ex-NFL head coach’s footsteps.

When Lanning is at the Ducks camp, he is the most sincere coach to be around. And when he switches to dad mode, he is the coolest father. The 2024 season had been a bit tough for the head coach to wade through the new landscape that came with the Big 10. But obviously, Lanning did make his kids feel proud of their dad. While Oregon requires the head coach’s undivided attention, he balances things pretty well, enjoying the little pleasures that life has to offer. For instance, back in May last year, when the Lanning fam went out together for a sunny stroll, he did not forget to upload the video on IG. “Blessed” – was the caption. Having three sons, the fans are already envisioning them assisting their father in Eugene.

Can they be blamed for having such expectations? After all, Tar Heels HC has already brought the trajectory. Bill’s son, Steve Belichick, spent last season as the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington. Before that, he had a successful 12-year stint on the defensive coaching staff of the New England Patriots. Now that his father thought of giving college football a shot, he serves as the defensive coordinator for the Tar Heels. The same goes for Belichick’s other son, Brian Belichick. He started his career at New England as a scouting assistant, then transitioned to being a coaching assistant. Between 2020-2023, Belichick’s son served as safeties coach. He now joins North Carolina as defensive backs/safeties coach. For the ones having the same expectations from Lanning and his sons, it’s time to pop your bubbles. During a conversation with On3’s J.D. PicKell, the Oregon HC revealed, “They will not show up this spring.” 

Lanning continued, “They will not show up this spring. I got three boys, all of them completely different… I’d say my football player is Titan, that’s my youngest. He’s right in the thick of 7-on-7 right now so he enjoys it but you won’t see those guys – you won’t see them calling any plays in spring game.” His youngest son inches more towards actual gridiron action than playcalling and is the player in the making. The proud father calls him an “utility man” who switches between multiple positions- running back, wide out, defensive back until he figures out what fits them the best. However, Lanning’s exposure to coaching did come early. 

Dan Lanning: The coaching wizard

Lanning started coaching with Pittsburgh as a graduate assistant in 2011. Back then, he was just 25 years old. The next season, he switched to Arizona State, State, before moving to Sam Houston State as a defensive backs coach. And hereby, Lanning had hit the accelerator when it came to his coaching career. Every new season, he kept on changing not just bases, but roles too. In 2016, he transferred to Memphis, where he served as inside linebackers coach. The very next season, he was named outside linebackers coach at Georgia, where he later upgraded to defensive coordinator in 2019.

Being the nation’s top assistant coach, Lanning was twice a Broyles Award finalist. In his three-year stint at Eugene, his program participated in 41 games. They have won 35 and lost 6. CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson agrees, as he recently graded Lanning’s three seasons in Eugene as an ‘A’. As per the analyst, the Oregon HC’s 35 wins are the most of any coach who was hired in the same offseason as Lanning.

And as we all know, a big factor of success in college football is the art of recruiting. Dan Lanning is a magician in that arena, too. He had signed the best recruiting class in the Ducks’ program history in the 2024 cycle. In no way was Lanning feeling content with this achievement. And guess what? He outdid himself by signing a higher-rated class in 2025, holding the No.4 rank as per On3’s 2025 Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings. That’s how the fans’ wish to see another Lanning don the headset gets bigger. But bad luck!