Nick Saban shocked the entire college football world on Wednesday when he decided to retire as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. That of course resulted in rumors quickly swirling about who could replace the legend in Tuscaloosa, with Oregon football HC Dan Lanning emerging as a potential candidate. However, he won't be leaving Eugene.

Via Matt Zenitz of 247Sports:

“Dan Lanning, who has been a popular name regarding the Alabama head coaching opening, is staying at Oregon, sources tell 247sports. Reports last night that he was in Tuscaloosa were inaccurate.”

There were indeed reports that surfaced about Lanning being in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday. They were not true. There is a connection between Lanning and Alabama though, which is definitely part of the reason he's been linked to the Tide. Lanning worked as a graduate assistant under Saban back in 2015 before moving to Georgia where he served as the defensive coordinator for three years.

Lanning even announced himself on Thursday morning that he's staying put with an epic video:

During Lanning's time at Oregon, he's done extremely well. The Ducks just went 12-2 in 2023 and he's compiled a 22-5 record overall as the head coach. They just missed out on possibly making the College Football Playoff with a loss to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship.

Alabama meanwhile now heads into a brand new era without Saban, who led them to six national titles and will likely go down as the greatest college coach ever. Whoever does replace Saban has massive shoes to fill. It just won't be Dan Lanning as he will continue to make his mark on the Ducks program.