Oregon approved a revised contract for coach Dan Lanning late last week — yep, another revision — that places the fourth-year coach in the sport’s salary stratosphere.
There have been more amendments to Lanning’s deal than the Constitution, or so it seems. This is the fifth edition since he accepted the job in December 2021.
The latest version runs through the 2030 season — that piece did not change — but his total compensation will increase by about $2 million annually. Grand total: $65.4 million over the six-year span.
That’s an average of $10.9 million annually, which means the only coaches earning more than Lanning (based on 2024 figures) own multiple national championships: Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.
Lanning does not have any national titles.
He hasn’t even won a playoff game.
But he’s 35-6 in three years, with wins over Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Washington and USC, plus the 2024 Big Ten championship. Oregon believes in him, deeply, and has been extremely proactive on the compensation front:
— The original agreement, signed in December 2021, ran through the 2027 season.
— In the summer of 2023, before his second year, Lanning received a raise and extension through 2028.
— Late in his second season, he received an automatic one-year extension (through 2029) following Oregon’s 10th win.
— Late in his third season, he collected victory No. 10 and earned another year (through 2030).
— And last week, he was awarded the amended deal with a hefty bump in pay.
Extensions, alterations, amendments — whatever term you apply, they have come fast and furious.
And you could make the case that Lanning, even at $10.9 million annually, remains a screaming deal.
The same goes for Smart, Swinney, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and all the sport’s most successful coaches.
The value winning football brings to the university writ large is immeasurable because of the brand-building provided by television and social media.
Here’s just one example: Oregon’s 14 games last season generated a combined audience of more than 60 million viewers, according to audience data available on SportsMediaWatch.com.
One way the media industry judges value is by tallying the cumulative consumption of a single product, or the total viewer hours.
In college football, viewer hours differentiate between one game that draws 10 million viewers and five games that each draw 2 million viewers. Yes, the total number of eyeballs on the Ducks would be the same either way. But when spread across five games, the industry-within-an-industry known as Oregon football would, in theory, be reaching a much wider audience.
It’s easy to calculate viewer hours: Multiply the average viewers per game by the number of games, then multiply by 3.5 hours (standard broadcast time).
Using that formula and the audience data from SportsMediaWatch, the Ducks generated 250 million total viewer hours in 2024, a school record. (The figure includes the Big Ten championship game, which drew 10.5 million viewers, and the Rose Bowl, which drew 21.1 million.)
It’s safe to assume the audience included teenagers who could apply for out-of-state admission to Oregon, thereby driving the acceptance rate down and the profits up. (Full-cost tuition: cha-ching!)
That’s just one example of the value proposition connected to a football coach who averages 11.7 wins per year.
Another is directly linked to maintaining success on the field during the most turbulent time in the history of college sports.
The Ducks have clearly concluded that Lanning is the ideal fit for the program during the era of NIL, the transfer portal and revenue sharing (assuming the settlement terms of an antitrust lawsuit are approved next month).
Lanning is coaching the team, managing a roster of well-paid players and overseeing the business that is Oregon football. And that business generated $109 million in the 2024 fiscal year in direct revenue.
The instances of indirect revenue — the donation made to Oregon’s School of Computer and Data Sciences by an alumnus energized by the football team’s success — are more difficult to quantify but indisputably significant to the overall health of the university.
Success on the field during this tumultuous era depends, to a great extent, on stability. And stability depends, to a great extent, on offering contract terms that will both satisfy the head coach and ward off potential suitors.
Which brings us to one final point: the defensive aspect of an aggressive move.
With the latest edition of Lanning’s contract, the Ducks have further insulated themselves on two fronts. The $10.9 million will keep him happy, while the $20 million buyout will scare away potential suitors just as the coaching carousel enters what could be an epic stretch.
One glance at the landscape suggests some of the most prestigious corner offices in the sport could be vacant by the end of November.
LSU’s Brian Kelly is entering a crucial season after losing four games in 2024 and finishing the season unranked.
The same goes for Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, who is a mere 22-17 in three years.
The seat underneath Florida’s Billy Napier is scalding.
Auburn’s Hugh Freeze just went 5-7.
LSU, Florida, Oklahoma and Auburn: Four SEC blue bloods with the wherewithal to pay top dollar — and they could all be looking for head coaches nine months from now. The carousel could include Florida State and USC, as well.
Each of those schools owns multiple national championships.
So yes, Oregon was playing defense when it approved Lanning’s latest contract change.
And it was playing offense.
It was assessing the full load of Lanning’s responsibilities at the start of a new era in roster management.
And it was responding to the total impact of his success on the athletic department and the university.
Against that sweeping backdrop, $10.9 million a year just might qualify as a bargain.
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