ATHENS -- Georgia will have co-defensive coordinators next season.
Dan Lanning won’t be one of them.
Lanning, 35, will remain with Georgia through the College Football Playoff, before taking over as head coach of Oregon, and Glenn Schumann and Will Muschamp will serve as co-defensive coordinators next season, according to coach Kirby Smart. Lanning and Schumann served as co-defensive coordinators this season for Georgia’s top-ranked unit.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported Friday that Lanning would be the next head coach at Oregon.
Smart confirmed the AJC report Saturday with the news that Lanning would remain for the run at a national championship.
“We are so happy for Dan and his family,” Smart said in a press release issued by the school. “He and Sauphia have been an important part of our Bulldog family for the last four years, and we thank them for all they did for Georgia Football and the Athens community. Opportunities like this are a testament to a successful program.
“While he will coach with us for the upcoming College Football Playoff, we will move forward with Glenn Schumann and Will Muschamp as co-defensive coordinators. Dan and I are both looking forward to preparing for the CFP.”
Credit: Richard Hamm
Credit: Richard Hamm
Muschamp joined the Georgia staff this year as a special-teams coordinator. He also worked with the team’s defensive backs. Schumann also coaches inside linebackers.
Oregon completed a deal with Lanning to replace Mario Cristobal, who was hired by Miami earlier this week. The school confirmed the hiring Saturday night, at which time Lanning issued a statement.
“I am honored and humbled to be selected to lead one of the premier programs in the nation at the University of Oregon,” Lanning said. “I want to personally thank President Schill, the Board of Trustees, athletic director Rod Mullens and Mr. and Mrs. Knight for their trust in me. I’m excited to roll up my sleeves and get to work with our players in the pursuit of championships.”
“It is clear there is a vision and alignment within the entire Duck Nation. We are staged for success and look forward to building on the strong foundation that currently exists in Eugene. Our goal is to win championships and develop our players both on and off the field. I am overwhelmed with gratitude to Coach Kirby Smart and his wife, Mary Beth and to every player, coach, staff member, and person at the University of Georgia who contributed to our success. I thank you. Go Ducks!”
Georgia and Oregon open next season against each other. They play Sept. 3 in a Chick-fil-A Kickoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Lanning, who played at William Jewell College in Missouri, also coached at Pittsburgh, Arizona State, Sam Houston State, Alabama (where he was on the same staff as Smart) and Memphis. He was the inside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at Memphis from 2016-17 before coming to Georgia.
Georgia will face Michigan in a semifinal Dec. 31. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Alabama-Cincinnati game in the other semifinal, the Cotton Bowl, for the national title Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.
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