Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning recently broke down the reasons behind the biggest flips that often happen on National Signing Day. Lanning is coming off another great year, finishing with an 11-1 record and probably going to the College Football Playoff. They are currently ranked No. 5 in the country as per the AP Polls.
Lanning claims that he believes in building long-term relationships and that it has been central to his recruiting strategy. He suggested that he doesn’t need to boast enough about what they are building in Oregon, as the results speak for themselves. They certainly do, as last year, Lanning led Oregon to an unbeatable 12-0 record in the regular season.
“Yeah, I think this game, as we all recognize right now, is really fluid,” Lanning said. “I think the season is still going on, right? And right now you’ve got signing day going on. You’ve got coaching changes going on. There’s a lot of chaos that happens in the moment.
So for me, it’s more about being a listening ear and saying, ‘Hey, look, I appreciate wherever you’re at, and I’ll be a fan for you wherever you’re at. But if you’re here, here’s what you can expect — and the proof is in the pudding, in the results we’ve been able to create.’ And being a guy who’s open for communication, along with the rest of our staff, and building some of those lifelong relationships, a lot of times those really pay dividends down the stretch.”
"Building some of those lifelong relationships…pays dividends down the stretch"@CoachDanLanning breaks down the science behind BIG FLIPS on signing day 🦆
MORE: https://t.co/k5MBWtNIIX pic.twitter.com/j2CsobqtSS
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) December 3, 2025
However, many fans took an issue with Lanning’s recruitment strategy, with some even blaming him for overspending.
“easy to see why” one fan wrote, while uploading a meme.
easy to see why pic.twitter.com/fLqxKtOuCZ
— East Los Buddy (@Moneyline_RAY) December 4, 2025
“Difference is the relationships Oregon builds are all based on monetary transactions,” another fan commented.
“Used car salesman. They can only attract recruits by offering money,” one fan wrote.
“Yeah “relationships” and throwing giant bags of Nike cash at recruits,” one fan commented.
“Dan lanning be lying that boy throwing million dollar bags all over the country without shame 🤣🤣🤣” one fan posted.
“Lifelong handshakes with wads of cash more like it, idk why Lanning acts like it’s him when vey knows it’s Phil’s money,” another added.
Why Dan Lanning’s Oregon Is Accused Of Overspending While Recruiting?
The reason behind fans accusing Oregon of overspending has to do with their close ties with the apparel giant Nike’s co-founder, Phil Knight, who wishes to see Oregon win the national championship. He has openly stated that he will help the program in any way possible to achieve that dream. That ensures that Oregon is never light on money when it comes to recruiting, giving Lanning a green light to flip the blue chip recruits.
On his radio show, former Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy recently claimed that Oregon “spent close to $40 million last year alone” on its roster.
“I think Oregon spent close to $40 [million] last year alone,” Gundy said. “So, that was just one year. Now, I might be off a few million… Oregon is paying a lot, a lot of money for their team. From a nonconference standpoint, there’s coaches saying they should [play teams with similar budgets].”
Meanwhile, Lanning, when asked about Gundy’s remarks over Oregon’s overspending, the head coach defended the program while saying:
“If you want to be a top-10 team in college football, you better be invested in winning. We spend to win. Some people save to have an excuse for why they don’t. … I can’t speak on their situation; I have no idea what they got in their pockets over there.”
Overspending or not, Oregon has been enjoying good success on the field.
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