Dan Lanning didn’t bite when asked about Kyle Whittingham’s comments on Oregon’s NIL spending, but he made sure to leave a little sting on the way out.
Whittingham, in his first season at Michigan, praised Lanning’s recruiting work earlier this week while also suggesting Oregon’s financial muscle has been a major edge. He called Lanning “an outstanding football coach, defensive-minded coach; that’s his background, but a tireless recruiter,” before adding, “It doesn’t hurt that you have $50 million at your disposal to, in essence, to outbid everybody.
Not everybody, but a lot of people. But that’s not his fault.
That’s a credit. I mean, that’s a credit to their program and their dedication and desire to win and the support they have.”
Lanning was asked about it on Wednesday and kept his response measured, at least at first.
“I’ve got nothing to say to coach Whit other than I think he’s an unbelievable coach," Lanning said. "I get it.
They’re spending more of their money right now on their coaches that they’re letting go, so maybe it makes it hard to sign players. But I know they’ve signed a couple of guys that we weren’t able to compete with what they decided to do, and maybe a lot of that money is tied up for them in another player.
I don’t know. But coach Whittingham is an unbelievable coach.
He’s a Hall of Fame coach. I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”
The money conversation has followed Oregon for a while now, and it’s not hard to see why. The Ducks have signed top-10 recruiting classes in each full season under Lanning and top-5 classes in the last three cycles.
Oregon also has one of the most expensive rosters in the country this season, with many estimates putting it above $40 million. Whittingham’s “outbid everybody” line stood out, especially with Michigan also backed by major donors and a roster said to exceed $30 million.
The two programs have taken very different paths this season. Oregon shook off a slow start and a wave of injuries, fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, and then got back on track with ranked wins over Northwestern and Ohio State to push itself back into the playoff picture. Michigan, meanwhile, has been stuck with one of the worst offenses in the country, fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck after a stunning 15-6 home loss to Michigan State, and has drawn criticism for Whittingham’s comments about Michigan culture, including his line that there are “no more trophy games” on the schedule.
One of the biggest names tied to Michigan’s spending is quarterback Bryce Underwood, a five-star recruit reportedly receiving more than $3 million this season. He was benched a month ago and hasn’t had a role since, with Tommy Carr now starting at quarterback.
Lanning and Whittingham do have a history from the Pac-12 days, when Whittingham was at Utah, and there’s clearly respect between them. Still, the exchange has added some extra edge to a matchup that was already going to draw attention.
Oregon and Michigan are set to kick off at 12:30 p.m. PST from Autzen Stadium on Nov. 14.
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