Dan Lanning recalls biggest lessons inherited from legendary coach Nick Saban: "When I went to Alabama, that's when I got my doctorate in football"

Albeit indirectly, Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning is one of the many coaches to sprout from retired coach Nick Saban's extensive coaching tree. He was a graduate assistant in Tuscaloosa in 2015, when the Crimson Tide beat the Clemson Tigers to win the national championship game before departing for Memphis.

Lanning continued his coaching education under Saban's former assistant Kirby Smart in Georgia as an outside linebackers coach and a defensive coordinator before getting the Oregon job.

During an appearance on the "Joel Klatt Show," Lanning revealed the impact of Nick Saban on his career and the lessons that he learned from the legendary coach (1:52).

"For me when I went to Alabama that's when I got my doctorate in football. Coming in I thought I knew a lot and realized how much I didn't know. Learning from Nick every single day was great for me," Lanning said.

"Whether it's running an organization, schematically, the work ethic required. It was a great step for me in my career to be around some phenomenal coaches on that staff. His consistency, the sun's gonna rise and at 7:25 in Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban's gonna be walking into that office."

Dan Lanning reveals why he did not take Nick Saban's job

When former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban retired suddenly in January, several big names were linked to the job, with Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning considered one of the front-runners.

Ultimately, he decided to remain with Oregon and coach Kalen DeBoer, who was the coach of the Washington Huskies, took the job.

During his appearance on the "Joel Klatt Show," Lanning revealed why he did not take the highly coveted job after all.

“I think it’s more about what exists [at Oregon],” Lanning said. “For me, it’s the first time in my career I feel like I’m somewhere I can be for a really, really, long time for and my family and I think that’s number one.

“I can also never take for granted that Oregon took a chance on me and that means a lot to me," he said. "There’s things I want to accomplish here that I haven’t accomplished yet. I never like leaving a place where I feel like there’s something left on the table and there’s a lot left on the table here at Oregon.”

Dan Lanning will have the chance to write his own story at Oregon with the program's move to the Big Ten and the Ducks being one of the favorites for the conference championship.