Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks had a near-perfect season only to see their run halted by Ohio State in the playoffs semifinal. Since then, it seems Lanning and Co. have gone from stride to stride in order to fix their remaining problems and deliver a national title-winning season in 2025. They have the 4th-ranked class nationally and have roped in some world-class prospects in their transfers. Except there was a slight problem.

Well, they had lost a major coaching staff member in Junior Adams, who was crucial to their success in the 2024 season. Mind you, this was the coach who was considered the best in the business coaching wide receivers. He developed and recruited key Oregon prospects like Jurrin Dickey, Jeremiah McClellan, and Dakorien Moore. Furthermore, he also was the one to lead the consecutive recruitment classes of star players in 2023, 2024, and 2025. He was someone who was very central to the offensive strategies executed by the Ducks. But his departure to the NFL surely will affect Oregon, right? Well, that’s where Dan Lanning’s hiring prowess comes in. And here’s why.

After Junior Adams’s departure from the Dallas Cowboys, Dan Lanning didn’t rush on to find a new coach to replace him. Instead, he waited for a week or two and deeply analyzed his prospects. He has just landed on another coach who may well be as adept as Adams at his job. A coach who developed two young prospects at his previous job, who both had almost 1000+ receiving yards in 2024. But who exactly is the man?

Well, he is none other than former Syracuse WR coach Ross Douglas, who had developed Syracuse into a lethal passing offense. He developed players like Jackson Meeks, who had 1,021 receiving yards, including 7 TDs. On the other hand, Trebor Pena had 941 receiving yards on 84 receptions. He not only developed these prospects who had their best seasons under him but also helped Syracuse QB Kyle McCord achieve the feat when he led the country in total passing yards and had the ACC season record to his name. So, the question should not be, will he fit in Oregon or not? The question should be, is Oregon ready for the man?

Well, yes, they certainly are. Imagine a team that was ranked first in college playoffs and won the Big Ten Championship. Now, also imagine a 2025 recruitment class that has prospects like 5-star Trey NcNutt, Cooper Perry, Akili Smith Jr., and 5-star Dakorien Moore. That is Oregon right there. Oregon is not only ready for the man but also has all the ingredients for him to lead them to glory. An Oregon Insider also weighed in on the subject.

Is Dan Lanning learning from Nick Saban’s craft?

The hosts of the SMI College Football Show discussed why Ross Douglas is the ideal candidate for the role and the benefits he will bring to the team. “I think that Oregon Ducks here (Ross Douglas) are getting just one of the great assets in college football and a rising star coach that quickly will outgrow his position. I think in a year or two, he will be just like Adams (a co-offensive coordinator). He may end up being the offensive coordinator one day for the Ducks, but he will be a superstar coach, and Oregon fans, you got yourselves a great one here.“

Surely, the sky is the limit now for Ross Douglas, considering the things he has on his resume already. However, the hosts also talked about Dan Lanning and how he was very akin to Nick Saban when he was at Alabama.

“What Dan Lanning is doing here is kind of analogous to what Nick Saban did in Alabama in a way where he would hire fired head coaches to be assistants and kind of rejuvenate their careers, and a lot of former head coaches wanted to go to Alabama.” Well, that is very apt since we had seen in the Nick Saban era the likes of legendary coaches like Kirby Smart, Lane Kiffin, and Steve Sarkisian. All are the former pupils of the GOAT Saban. But how is that relevant to Oregon? Well, we’re getting there.

“He (Saban) hired former coordinators to restart their careers. Oregon is starting to become the place where you go to be an assistant coach to rise to the ranks to mega jobs, right? And I think that’s what we’re going to see going forward, and once you get that reputation, is that kind of school all the top assistants want to come to you.“ The hosts said about Lanning. Well, that can surely be the case since we have seen previous Oregon coaches like Tosh Lupoi, who came from the NFL and stayed. Furthermore, Junior Adams also departed for the Cowboys. So, there is some sense of a Saban feel to it in Dan Lanning. However, we will have to see if it works in the long run.