In the landscape of college football, compiling a roster of the top 21 coaches without including Oregon Ducks’ Dan Lanning would be a tough sell for many enthusiasts and analysts alike. Yet, despite the high praise Lanning often receives, his name was conspicuously absent from the Dodd Trophy preseason watchlist, the pinnacle of coaching honors in NCAA football, which was unveiled early Monday.
Eligibility rules exclude first-year coaches with their current teams from making the list, leaving out newcomers such as Kalen DeBoer and Jedd Fisch. However, this rule does not account for Lanning’s omission, sparking curiosity and debate among fans and commentators.
The preseason watchlist features several prominent coaches across the primary conferences, with notable mentions including:
– Jeff Brohm of Louisville and Mario Cristobal of Miami, both from the ACC, sporting APRs of 982 and 1000, respectively.
– Ryan Day of Ohio State and James Franklin of Penn State from the Big Ten, with APRs of 1000 and 959, respectively.
– SEC coaches like Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss and Kirby Smart from Georgia, showing strong academic and athletic leadership with APRs of 993 and 972.
However, one potential explanation for Lanning’s exclusion could be the Academic Progress Rate (APR) performance of his team. The Oregon Ducks scored a 941, not only the lowest among the Big Ten but also the program’s worst performance since the 2009-10 season. Comparatively, Franklin’s APR of 959, the lowest among those coaches recognized, still stands significantly higher than Oregon’s.
It’s worth noting that on-field coaching prowess is a strong suit for Lanning, prompting debates about the weight given to APR scores in evaluating coaching performance. The Dodd Trophy committee will update its watchlist midseason, which could either expand or narrow the field further, potentially reconsidering candidates like Lanning based on both academic and athletic performances throughout the season.
For now, the omission remains a notable talking point among college football’s ongoing discussions, highlighting the complex interplay between academic accountability and athletic excellence in collegiate sports.
