3 reasons Dan Lanning would take Kansas job, 3 reasons he wouldn’t

ATHENS — If there’s one thing Dan Lanning has learned working for Kirby Smart, it’s to have a plan for everything.

The question Georgia football fans have for Lanning is if his plans are to take the head coaching job at Kansas if offered, or does he plan to return for another season with the Bulldogs?

There’s a chance the decision has already been made. Schools, agents and coaches are good at keeping secrets.

Lanning, 35, has been considered a serious candidate for the Jayhawks’ head coaching job, according to those with direct knowledge of the Kansas football program.

On the surface, the Jayhawks job might not seem like such a threat when one considers its status as a perennial Big 12 bottom-dweller.

Kansas hasn’t won more than one conference game in a season since a 4-4 campaign in 2008.

There’s nothing fuzzy about the math: The Jayhawks are 7-98 in Big 12 games over the past 12 seasons.

The next head coach will be the sixth head coach in the last 13 years, with none of the past five coaches lasting more than four years.

So why — or why not — would a promising coach like Lanning leave the security of his role as the Georgia defensive coordinator for a downtrodden program like Kansas?

PODCAST: Brandon Adams discusses Dan Lanning Kansas rumors

First, the 3 reasons why Lanning would take the Kansas job if offered:

Money

It’s the bottom line, regardless of how coaches want to spin it, and everyone has their price. Proper etiquette is to mention other reasons and pretend the money works itself out when it’s actually the other way around.

There’s nothing wrong with a coach wanting to assure themselves financial security and grant their family with the sort of life-changing wealth that comes with FBS head coaching deals.

Consider, new UGA senior analyst Will Muschamp was making $4.4 million per year as South Carolina’s head coach in 2020 before agreeing to a $12.9 million buyout after getting fired following the season.

Kansas is desperate to make a strong hire in the aftermath of the Les Miles debacle.

Lanning is the sort of up-and-comer that could make Jayhawks fans and donors believe enough to open up their pocketbooks, and he has the sort of energy it would take to put the light of a .500 season at the end of the tunnel.

Kansas committed to spending $350 million on its athletic facilities within a 3-to-6 year window back in 2017, with football its primary target for improvement.

When one considers Georgia boasts of $170 million in football facility upgrades since the start of the 2016 season, it shows just how serious the Jayhawks are about wanting to turn things around.

Family

Lanning is a native of the metro Kansas City area, and taking the job in Lawrence — a mere 35 minutes away — would bring him closer to his family roots.

It would also bring him back closer to his collegiate roots, with his playing career also taking place in metro Kansas City at William Jewell College in Liberty.

Many people never leave their hometowns, and for those who do, there’s a unique attraction to return and share the knowledge and success they have gained.

Mel Tucker and Shane Beamer are two former UGA assistants who left the rarity of secure coaching positions and headed for familiar turf and greener pastures.

Tucker left Colorado to become head coach at Michigan State, where he began his career as a GA for Nick Saban. Beamer returned to South Carolina, where he served on Steve Spurrier’s staff from 2007-2010.

WATCH: South Carolina HC Shane Beamer discusses role Georgia football played in his career

Lanning was announced to have received a $475,000 raise in February, elevating his salary to $1.7 million, the highest on the UGA staff and third-highest among SEC defensive coordinators.

But Kansas could be talking about a deal that would triple that amount annually and provide a guaranteed buyout easily worth more than eight figures.

Opportunity

Lanning calls the defenses and the fronts, and it’s clear Smart has great respect for him and gives him the sorts of freedoms and autonomy creative and successful people need to want to stay in their positions.

But there’s nothing like the front seat of the bus, and Lanning has had to envision himself in that role while considering other head coaching job opportunities, such as Memphis.

More recently, Lanning turned down the Texas defensive coordinator position, recognizing that would have been a lateral move without the same sort of talent on the field around him and job security.

Kansas’ dismal record and reputation come with an attractive element for the next head coach: It would be hard to do any worse, and the expectations would be so low that winning one day could lead to a downtown parade.

Coaches like Lanning have programmed themselves to believe they can overcome any situation and defeat any opponent with the right amount of effort and preparation. Why? Because they drill that into players every day.

Lanning needs to look no further than former UGA offensive line coach Sam Pittman for inspiration, in terms of the challenge Kansas would present. Pittman took an Arkansas job no one else of note seemed interested in and turned around the direction of Razorbacks football.

Now, the flip side…..

3 reasons why Dan Lanning would choose to stay at Georgia

Family

That family thing is a big deal, and most fans don’t realize just how much power and influence the wife has in this sort of decision. So, who is to say Mrs. Lanning — Sauphia — is ready to uproot their three young children for Kansas?

It’s not that Sauphia Lanning couldn’t handle a move — she absolutely could. The folks who knew the Lannings in Memphis saw that Sauphia is just as tough and determined of a person as her husband, having undergone months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of bone cancer at the age of 28.

Staying or leaving the Athens area is a discussion the Lannings have had before. If Dan Lanning decides to stay at UGA for now, the family will have that discussion again. Only they know what’s best for their family, and when the time will be right for him to cash in on the reputation he has built leading the Bulldogs’ defense.

Championship goals

Lanning hasn’t had his shot at the College Football Playoffs as the defensive coordinator of the Bulldogs yet, but the 2021 season looks promising.

Georgia has led the nation in run defense the past two seasons and has a defensive front that looks as good as any program in the nation.

Lanning also has the sort of ninjas in Nolan Smith and Adam Anderson at outside linebacker this season that make his job dialing up pressures a joy.

It’s hard to know exactly what promises Lanning has made to himself about his goals and priorities. But it’s safe to say that wearing a national championship ring on recruiting visits would certainly impress future prospects and command more zeroes in future paychecks wherever he lands next.

Fit

Coaches like to say “when you know, you know.” It’s the same pitch they give recruits considering playing for them. Does the school feel right? Do you see yourself having success here?

If sources are correct that Lanning has conducted an initial Zoom interview with Kansas, that’s one thing. But if he has stepped on that Lawrence campus in person and looked around, felt the right breeze …..

Or maybe it’s the warmth and familiarity Lanning feels each time he steps off a flight at Athens-Ben Epps Airport that keeps him with the Georgia Bulldogs for now.

There’s also the comfort and security of not having to be in the spotlight after every defeat to explain what went wrong, or why one player is starting over another who is seemingly equally good or deserving.

What would Lanning say after a 62-9 loss to Oklahoma, like the Jayhawks suffered last season? What could he say? Who is the last great head coach to come back from a 62-9 loss in the FBA ranks and make something big of their career?

Nick Saban was 43 years old when he lost the first game of his career as a Power 5 head coach to Nebraska, 50-10 in 1995.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and his Tigers suffered a 70-33 loss in the 2012 Orange Bowl that Swinney still talks about as a defining moment, in terms of how the program elevated after that.

Kansas, meanwhile, won the 2008 Orange Bowl over Virginia Tech 24-21, followed that with an 8-5 campaign in 2008, and hasn’t had a .500 season or more than one conference game since.

Ultimately, Lanning might feel he doesn’t fit in with a program that has finished over .500 in league play only one time (2007) in the last 25 years dating back to 1995.