“Unless he’s coaching a big game”: CFB world trolls Dan Lanning after he gets lauded by Seattle Seahawks Coach

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning received praise from Seattle Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald on Thursday. MacDonald discussed the Ducks coach while discussing his presence in the Oregon Football Coaches Clinic.

The event will be held in April, but the current Seahawks head coach had some high praise for the Oregon coach, whom he faced once in college while MacDonald was at Michigan and Dan Lanning was a part of Kirby Smart’s Georgia staff.

“I think he’s one of the best football coaches in the world and his track record shows that. A ton of respect for how he runs his program. (It will) be an honor to go talk with him and talk ball, ” Mike MacDonald said.

Despite Lanning leading the Ducks to an undefeated regular season and Big Ten title in 2024, some fans didn’t quite agree with the Seattle coach. While Oregon entered the CFP ranked No. 1 as the only undefeated team they were easily defeated 41-21 by the Ohio State Buckeye. Some fans aren’t quick to forget.

"Unless he's coaching a big game," a fan said.

"Ohio State begs to differ." another fan wrote.

"You’d think the NFL would be interested in him if this was true. But he hasn’t even got a whiff. Not even Alabama offered him a job when it had an opening…." another fan said.

Not all fans reacted negatively to MacDonald’s words. There was also plenty of support for Dan Lanning, who took over at Eugene ahead of the 2022 season. Lanning has kept the Ducks among the top programs in college football for the last three years, leading them to a Big Ten title in their first year in the conference.

"Game recognize game," a fan wrote.

"Good to know there's one person in the state of Washington that knows ball." a fan added.

"And yet there are dumbass fans who still talked about getting rid of him after one loss," another fan wrote.

3-star safety commits to Dan Lanning’s Oregon program

Another name was added to Oregon’s class of 2026, as Eau Gallie High School safety Xavier Lherisse committed to the school on Wednesday, becoming the tenth athlete to join Dan Lanning’s program.

Lherisse was the 24th-ranked safety according to 247 Sports and is the first defensive back in the class to commit to the Ducks. He was considered a three-star athlete.

So far, Lanning has secured seven four-star commits and three more three-star players. The Ducks have been solid in recruiting, with the 2025 class ranked fifth in the nation.