This will be the first year in nearly two decades that legendary head coach Nick Saban will not be leading the Alabama Crimson Tide after he announced his abrupt retirement earlier this year. And Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning could not help but praise Saban for everything he learned from him during a recent press conference.
Dan Lanning did not hold back as he made it clear that he thinks Nick Saban is “the best to ever do it” and expressed his gratitude for everything he learned while coaching under him.
“The G.O.A.T. just retired. The best to ever do it,” Lanning said. “The level of consistency, the way he operated day in and day out — I can’t say I was surprised to see him step away just because of what the game has become and what he did for so long, but I’m grateful that I got to learn from him for a little bit.”
Lanning began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Saban at Alabama for two seasons. And while it was a rather lowly title, Lanning clearly thinks fondly of the experience, saying that he got his “doctorate in football” during those two years under Saban.
“It was a step backward financially. But, for me, I always tell everybody when I went to Alabama, that’s when I got my doctorate in football,” Lanning said. “Coming in, I thought I knew a lot and I realized how much I didn’t know. 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.
“You had Kirby Smart, Mario Cristobal, Mel Tucker, Billy Napier, Lane Kiffin — all those guys obviously went on to be head coaches and then learning from Nick every single day was great for me.”
Clearly, Lanning has a lot of gratitude for Saban.
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