Dan Lanning takes a jab at his mentor Kirby Smart on the Pat McAfee Show during Big Ten Media Days week

Ever since SEC Media Days when Kirby smart made his comments on Oregon saying, "I wish I could get some of that NIL money [Phil Knight of Nike]'s sharing with Dan Lanning" there's been constant buzz surrounding both programs.

Oregon has been continuing their dominance on the recruiting trail this summer. So much so that they've joined the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, and LSU atop the 2025 team class rankings. Apparently Kirby Smart isn't a fan of this ascension. Immediately after making his comments fans from around the country scoffed at the hilarious notion that Georgia somehow didn't already have plenty of NIL money of their own.

Apparently, Dan Lanning found it rather amusing as well. As Dan Lanning was doing a number of interviews during Big Ten Media Days this week he chose to join the Pat McAfee Show and decided to poke fun at his former boss, Kirby Smart in saying:

"I think it's impressive that guys like Kirby Smart have been signing the number one class in the nation without any NIL money this entire time."

The two coaches of course have a history together, so a fun little jab here and there between the two should be expected. Lanning's final stop before becoming the Oregon Ducks' head coach was with the Georgia Bulldogs as the defensive coordinator. Lanning's unbelievably stacked defense was a huge reason why Georgia was able to end the 40-year championship drought for the Bulldogs following the 2021 season. And since he's been with Oregon, Lanning has continued building incredible rosters. He continued on NIL by saying:

"Obviously Coach Smart took a little shot at us...I don't think it's a secret. If you want to be a Top 10 team in college football you better have great support. We have that...It's the 300 teams we went to this spring to visit. It's the 23 satellite camps. It's when [the recruits] come to your campus. It's our staff. Our alignment with our entire university that makes recruiting work."

There's much more that goes into recruiting than just NIL. For many recruits it's still very much about relationships, development, and real true opportunity. Being elite in all of those areas is what the best programs in the nation all have in common. Both Georgia and Oregon are building championship rosters now year in and year out as college football enters its most competitive era ever with the first 12-Team College Football Playoff kicking off this fall.

It's still very early, but Lanning could very well be the next Kirby Smart or Nick Saban if he continues leading the Oregon Ducks on the trajectory they're currently climbing. That level of success may not happen as those two greats have set an incredible standard. But either way, let's hope we continue getting good fun back and forth jabs and jokes between some of the greatest coaches in the best sport in the world.

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