Nick Saban revealed he had hoped to bring Dan Lanning onto Alabama’s staff when Lanning was a graduate assistant in 2015. Lanning, who worked under Nick Saban for that season, moved on to become a linebacker coach and recruiting coordinator at Memphis before eventually being hired by Kirby Smart at Georgia in 2018 and later becoming head coach at Oregon in 2022.
Nick Saban praised Lanning’s coaching skills and explained his strategy of developing young coaches through smaller programs like Memphis, with the goal of eventually bringing them onto his Alabama staff.
Dan Lanning’s a really good coach,” Nick Saban said. “I actually wanted to hire him.” He elaborated that his approach involved nurturing young talent to prepare them for bigger roles, but Lanning was hired by others—Kirby Smart, Jeremy Pruitt, Billy Napier, and Mike Locksley—before he could add him to his team.
As he embarks on his new role with ESPN’s college football coverage, the 2024 season is sure to offer more compelling narratives. The season kicks off on August 24 with Florida State facing Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland, at noon ET on ESPN.
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