Dan Lanning’s first high-profile briefing came in New Orleans in December 2018. Georgia had been omitted from the College Football Playoff. It was preparing to play Texas in the Sugar Bowl, though mostly the Bulldogs were sulking. Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker had left to become head coach at Colorado. Not until Lanning arrived at the Marriott to meet the media was the identity of the interim DC made clear.
Three years later, Lanning appeared from Miami via Zoom. For the moment, he’s Georgia’s defensive coordinator. He’s also Oregon’s head coach. He wore the requisite Georgia regalia for Monday’s virtual interview. If he packed anything in Oregon’s green and yellow, he’s saving it for late-night Zooming. What with the time difference, Lanning is logging something approaching a 27-hour day.
By virture of Lanning’s mighty defense, Georgia is two wins from the national championship. Lanning is also endeavoring to get his Ducks in a row, as it were. It’s complicated, though he sought to simplify: “I don’t clock in and clock out. We work until the work’s done. We’ve had a couple of late nights.”
That “we” referenced Oregon, where it was 5 a.m. as Lanning faced the camera to speak about his other “we,” those being the Bulldogs. “I’m not going to do a disservice to these guys by not finishing this the right way.”
As it happens, Georgia has a history of coaches doing double duty during bowl season. Mark Richt was introduced in Athens as head coach in December 2000, though he remained Florida State’s offensive coordinator for its BCS title tilt. Richt’s offense managed no points in the Orange Bowl, which Oklahoma won 13-2.
Fifteen years later, Kirby Smart was introduced in Athens as Richt’s successor. He stayed with Alabama for a CFP semifinal against Michigan State and the championship game against Clemson. Smart’s defense yielded no points in the first game; it was torched for 40 points and 550 yards by Deshaun Watson in the latter. Bama won, the key moment being an onside kick with 10 minutes remaining that Nick Saban ordered because “we weren’t doing a great job of getting them stopped.”
Lanning’s first game as Georgia’s DC saw Texas seize Sugar Bowl leads of 17-0 and 28-7. The Bulldogs didn’t do a great job of getting the Longhorns stopped, though the failure was systemic. Texas took the game seriously. Georgia didn’t want to be there. It showed.
This time the Bulldogs are where they want to be. The memory of their 41-24 loss to Alabama for the SEC championship is fresh. Lanning described that thumping as “a hiccup.” He also said: “They left a little bit of hunger for us to go out there and play again.”
Before Georgia and Bama can meet yet again, each must negotiate a semifinal. Lanning on Georgia’s opponent: “Michigan plays football. … They use tight ends. … They run hard-mouth, smashmouth.”
What went wrong against Alabama? “They were attacking poor eye discipline.”
Enough football argot. How about some motivational talk?
Lanning: “Every one of our kids would say we came here for one purpose. We came here to win a football game.”
Anyone seeking to characterize this as a simple business trip hasn’t been paying attention. Owing to COVID and omicron, the NHL has called a halt, the NFL has postponed games, and the NBA has seen teams – the Hawks being Exhibit A – decimated by positive tests. On the collegiate level, two bowls were canceled. Texas A&M and Miami removed themselves from their respective games. The four playoff teams live in fear of a forced forfeiture.
Said defensive back Chris Smith: “COVID is pretty much everywhere right now. Can’t really dodge it.”
The Bulldogs, nearly all of whom are vaccinated, are trying to protect themselves. They’re wearing masks. They’re sticking together. Then again, they’re in Miami, which has its charms. Said linebacker Nakobe Dean of Sunday’s dinner: “We ate on a boat.”
As for the defensive hierarchy, Lanning said: “Nothing’s really going to change. … I’ll still be making the calls, but there’s a brain trust that goes into how we operate.”
Technically, Lanning and Glenn Schumann have been co-DCs since 2019. Will Muschamp, hired this season as an analyst and special teams specialist, will join Schumann as co-coordinator next season. There’s also Smart, once the nation’s best DC and never a hands-off head coach. Even with Lanning having dual employers, there’s little chance Georgia’s defense will suffer from a lack of oversight on New Year’s Eve.
Lanning has been to Eugene, Ore., only for the press conference. He’s still a Bulldog, at least until the sun goes down. He has a game to win. The last thing he needs is poor eye discipline.
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