Dan Lanning was officially announced as the new head coach of the Ducks yesterday and is now tasked with putting together a staff to ensure success in his first head coaching job at one of the top programs in the Pac-12.
Right alongside a strength coach, many would argue that the next most important hire a coordinator-turned head coach can make at his first head coaching stop is the coordinator on the opposite side of the ball.
According to a report today from Bruce Feldman, Lanning has his sights set on Florida State offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham to move west with him.
The two previously worked together at Memphis a few years ago, when Lanning coached the inside linebackers and served as recruiting coordinator and Dillingham held the coordinator title.
Dillingham, a prior selection for the AFCA's 35 Under 35 Leadership program, is one of the youngest coordinators in the Power Five ranks and at 31 years old has already served as a play caller at some of college football's premier programs with stops at Auburn and Florida State as well as Memphis.
He famously got his start as a young high school coordinator that would hang around the facility at Arizona State around a rising Mike Norvell, landing an analyst position with the Sun Devils in 2014 before following Norvell to Memphis.
There, he worked his way up quickly with a new role each year, starting as a graduate assistant, then as quarterbacks coach / tight ends coach before being named offensive coordinator in 2018.
In 2019, he left to be the offensive coordinator at Auburn, and reunited with Norvell when he took the Seminoles head coaching job.
The first two years in Tallahassee haven't been as productive as most would hope, as the Seminoles are just 8-13 over the past two seasons and the offense hasn't ranked higher than 72nd nationally. However, those that have been paying attention have noticed incremental strides from the Seminoles offense in a handful of areas this season.
Just a few days out from early signing day, making a splash with an offensive coordinator could go a long way with recruits.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
SOURCES: New Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is targeting FSU OC Kenny Dillingham to join him with the Ducks as the offensive coordinator. They coached together on the Memphis staff a few years back.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 12, 2021