"You've got to pretend you love it even if you don't": Oregon HC Dan Lanning on eating food made by player's mom while recruiting
Oregon's head coach, Dan Lanning, has been working day in and day out to include as many good players on the roster as possible.
During his chase towards building a national championship-worthy team, Lanning has developed one of the deepest quarterback units in the nation by adding former Oklahoma star Dillon Gabriel, who threw for 30 touchdowns and 3,660 yards during the 2023 college football season, along with former five-star QB Dante Moore.
Talking about using different tactics while trying to recruit "good guys," Lanning spoke about things he has to do during his home visits in an interview with Will Compton on his YouTube channel "Bussin with the Boys."
"We've all been in the situations where you go do a home visit, eat one meal, and you're full. And then you've got to go to the next home visit and you do another meal. I mean, they can wear you out because you're going to eat it. Yeah, you've got to eat it. You've got to pretend you love it, even if you don't."
Talking about an interesting incident with Tampa Bay linebacker J.J. Russell, he stated:
"I remember going when I'm in Memphis going to recruit J.J. and I swing by the bank first, because Mom works at the bank. I drop a note in the bank teller and it shoots up the teller pole... Go play pool with his dad. You know, at the local pool spot. Then go over to the school, hang out with J.J. at the school. We play for a commitment right?" (2:10:00)
Dan Lanning expresses criticism over misinformation about Troy Franklin
Former Oregon's WR Troy Franklin, who had two glorious seasons at Oregon, was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round as the No. 102 overall pick. This came as a shock to many analysts, as most people projected him to be a day two prospect ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.
Dan Lanning blamed rumors around star WR's character for having affected his draft stock. In a conversation with Denver Gazette's Chris Tommason, the Oregon HC stated:
"I heard so many things about [how] the guy doesn’t love football. I mean, the guy practices his tail off like football was what he was made for. That’s what he does. He’s an extremely intelligent player who is very smart and works hard to be really good."
He further had high praise for Franklin and spoke about how he is going to fit in with the Broncos:
“The Broncos got a steal there, that’s a great pick for them. … He’s going to run his routes hard every single rep regardless of whether the ball is thrown to him or away from him. He’s going to block. He’s got all the traits you want on the football field. He’s a great teammate.”
Dan Lanning has been making the news for his bold moves in the transfer portal. Fans will be interested to see how the Oregon crew comes together in the upcoming 2024 college football season.