Dan Lanning - Oregon HC- on Nike, Coaching in the NFL & AD breaking a QB's collarbone at Pitt

Dan Lanning went from grad assistant chasing Aaron Donald around at Pitt… to one of the hottest head coaches in college football. In this episode of The Inner Circle Podcast, the guys pull him inside the circle for a brutally honest, funny, and surprisingly emotional conversation.

Lanning kicks things off with the real AD origin story — including the scout-team quarterback whose collarbone paid the price for a new zone-read scheme. From there, he explains the one mistake he made last year getting Oregon ready for Ohio State in the Playoff and how he’s fixing it this time as the Ducks prep for James Madison.

The guys dig into how Lanning structures extended Playoff prep, why you can’t give players two weeks of over-coaching, and how he uses Tony Dungy’s Super Bowl approach to keep things fresh. He also opens up on reinventing himself at every stop – Pitt, Arizona State, Georgia, Oregon – and why empowering his staff (instead of micromanaging every decision) changed everything.

Then it gets real: Lanning shares how his wife’s cancer battle and moving his kids across eight states reshaped his goals, why “NFL head coach” came off his mirror, and why he’s determined Oregon will be his last job. His new scoreboard? Passing Mike Bellotti as the Ducks’ all-time wins leader and finally bringing a national title to Eugene.

Of course, this is Oregon, so there’s sneaker talk: Nike perks, favorite Jordan 3s, Grateful Dead Air Force One's, and why he still rides daily in Cortez’s.

Later, the crew pivots to the wild world of NIL and the transfer portal — money vs. fit, real development vs. chasing the biggest bag, and how bad advice from the wrong “agent” can wreck a kid’s career. AD and Matt share how money would’ve changed them at 18, and why hard work and the right situation still print the biggest checks.

Plus: Daniel Jones’ brutal injury in Indy, AD shamelessly recruiting Matt Ryan out of “retirement,” and Aaron’s search for a truly dominant interior D-lineman as he crowns Jeffery Simmons (again) as his Player of the Week.

Lock in, hit follow, and step inside the circle.

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