Was Dan Lanning offered an Alabama job? Looking at Oregon HC's coaching job rumors
When Nick Saban announced his retirement in January, many considered Dan Lanning as a potential replacement for him at Alabama.
To be fair, many names were brought up—Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin and Mike Norvell, to name a few. However, there was a consensus that Lanning was near the top of the shortlist. Others even claimed that Lanning was offered the job, but that he turned it down and it was then that Kalen DeBoer got the call.
Shortly after Saban's retirement, there were also rumors of Lanning being in Tuscaloosa to attend an alleged job interview in January. He put an end to the hearsay during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show the same week that the rumors came out.
“My phone’s blowing up and it’s like, ‘Dad, it says you’re in Tuscaloosa right now,’” Lanning said. “I was like, ‘We’re watching Jason Bourne. Focus on the movie.’ I put my phone on do not disturb. It interrupted what we were in on last night.”
Some rumors persisted about Lanning being offered the job ahead of DeBoer, but his $20 million buyout ended the hiring process. However, later conversations with The Athletic dispelled rumors that he was offered the gig in the first place.
“When you’re in a situation where your answer is already going to be no, people don’t ask you those questions.”
Did Dan Lanning work for Nick Saban at Alabama?
Lanning worked for Saban during the 2015 season, when he was a graduate assistant at the championship-winning team. He still holds fond memories of that time.
"I still have a voicemail saved on my phone from Coach Saban when he called, that’s one of those ones you don’t never delete. But called and had an opportunity to go be a (graduate assistant)," Lanning said via Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
"You know I went and interviewed but to go be a GA at Alabama... Got to be on staff with Kirby Smart, Mario Cristobal, Lane Kiffin, Billy Napier, Mel Tucker, it was just an elite group and then obviously Nick Saban. So getting to coach with some of those guys and being on a staff like that and we won a championship that year, it probably propelled my career more than anything I did."
And that was probably one of the main reasons why he was considered a top candidate for the Alabama job. At the time, the media was looking for a young up-and-coming coach in the Saban coaching tree. With Kirby Smart and Steve Sarkisian holding important jobs at Georgia and Texas, Lanning seemed to fit the bill better than most. However, it came as a surprise to see the Tuscaloosa school go for DeBoer as he had no prior relationship with Saban.