The Oregon Ducks had a terrific season in 2024, led by head coach Dan Lanning, a rising star in college football. On Thursday morning, it was reported that he received a massive new deal making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation — but the universities’ faculty and students may feel the effects.
Dan Lanning Agrees to Massive Extension With Oregon While UO Professor Prepare for Strike
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has agreed to a new contract, reportedly spanning six years and averaging close to $11 million per year. ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report the news.
Can confirm that Dan Lanning has agreed to a new contract at Oregon, which is pending board approval. His salary will average close to $11 million annually and the deal goes six years through the 2030 season. Yahoo Sports first reported the deal. pic.twitter.com/Oc8pM1ahWc
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 6, 2025
The deal comes at a curious time, however.
On Feb. 18, University of Oregon students received a carefully cultivated joint email from UO faculty members stating that a faculty strike is on the horizon, possibly as soon as the beginning of spring term — which begins on March 31.
The email stated, “Since 2014, in-state tuition has increased by 37%, and out-of-state tuition is up 10%. Yet UO continues to deprioritize faculty. Adjusted for inflation, admin salaries are up 5.5%, but faculty salaries are down 5%.”
While the exact number has not been publicized, Lanning’s new contract worth close to $11 million establishes him as the second-highest-paid head coach in the Big Ten, slotted behind Ohio State Buckeyes’ Ryan Day ($12.5 million AAV) and ahead of USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley ($10.1 million AAV).
According to the UO faculty, they do not share the same placement in terms of salary in the Big Ten.
“Your UO faculty are the lowest paid in the Big Ten,” the email read. “About 28% of UO faculty make less than $50,000 dollars. Your tuition should be going toward keeping and hiring great people to teach you — not just administration growth.”
Those numbers are jarring — but it goes without saying that Lanning is terrific at the job he does.
Since arriving in Eugene, Ore., in 2022, Lanning has compiled a 35-6 record in three seasons, establishing himself as one of the best coaches in college football at only 38 years old.
The 2024-25 season was one to remember for the Ducks, as they were ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for eight consecutive weeks to finish the regular season.
They defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten title game, claiming the conference championship in Oregon’s first year in the league. That led them to being named No. 1 in the College Football Playoff, presenting themselves with a first-round bye.
A 41-21 Rose Bowl loss to Day and the eventual national champion Buckeyes ensued, putting a damper on the season.
Despite that, Lanning, in his first head coaching job after assuming the defensive coordinator role with the Georgia Bulldogs, has inspired new life into the Oregon football program.
In the vast world of college football, the reward of a large extension is justified. However, at the university level, his extension is sure to raise eyebrows and potentially infuriate the Oregon faculty members; the new deal, in effect, proved the faculty’s point.
The contract does still need board approval, as Thamel reported, but rarely does that ever change things.
At the end of the day, the Ducks’ football program is the biggest money-maker for the university. Numbers haven’t been reported yet for this past season, but in the entire year of 2023, the football program raked in $80 million for the university.
That 2023 team ended with a 12-2 record and a Fiesta Bowl berth, a far cry from a 13-0 regular season, Big Ten title, No. 1 seed in the CFP, and a Rose Bowl appearance.
Lanning’s contract is well deserved. He’s clearly a rising star in college football, and the university is smart to lock him in for another six seasons as reports have already surfaced of other college football programs — namely Alabama — as well as NFL organizations looking into Lanning’s candidacy for their vacant head coaching positions.
KEEP READING: Lanning Continues To Build Oregon’s 2026 Recruiting Class with 4-Star Commit Xavier Lherisse
But it does come at a peculiar time, with a potential rippling effect to the universities’ faculty and students alike.
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