College football will be back in our lives sooner rather than later, but now is the time to sink our teeth into delicious news coming out about Dan Lanning, Nick Saban and even Peyton Manning!
From Dan Lanning to Peyton Manning, we've got your college football news covered today, aight.
Lanning is busy planning his second season at the helm of the Oregon Ducks, but we all know where he came from. Prior to flying into Eugene, he used to be Kirby Smart's trusted defensive coordinator at Georgia. Smart held the same role for Saban at Alabama for years. So in a way, Saban's coaching tree grandson played a massive part in slaying the dragon up in Indianapolis.
Between Lanning, Manning and Ohio State planning for global dominance, let's college football!
College football news: No. 2 Ohio State shows those recruiting rankings who's boss!
Once again, Ohio State is looking up at Georgia, and no one else! Second place is not a bad place to be, as No. 2 clearly works for the Buckeyes. With Ryan Day's staff doing terrific work on the recruiting trails, the Buckeyes are now back to having the second-best recruiting class in the 2024 cycle, according to On3's Industry Ranking. Just imagine if Dylan Raiola did not Commit to the G…
Peach Bowl jokes aside, this is actually fantastic for the Ohio State program. The Buckeyes may have lost the last two installments of The Game, and haven't beaten Michigan since COVID, but they continue to be the most prolific recruiting program north of the Mason-Dixon Line. This is why we can never count out the Buckeyes as a serious national championship contender annually.
Frankly, until they beat The School Up North again, Ohio State will not be the team to beat in the Big Ten, even if the Buckeyes seemingly out-recruit everyone. We know that top-flight recruits want to come play for Day in Columbus, but a third straight loss to Michigan would be devastating. He would become 21st century John Cooper and would start to give off Texas Mack Brown vibes.
For now, we have no reason to say Ohio State will be anything worse than a top-six team annually.
College football news: Peyton Manning is really drinking that Joe Milton Kool-Aid
Tennessee football legend Peyton Manning saw the Joe Milton practice experience up close in person at his family's passing academy and is going back to the punch bowl for more of that Orange Vols Kool-Aid. Milton can really sling it. That is simply undeniable. The problem is he rarely plays like he does in practice during games that count. That could be changing, but let's be patient.
Admittedly, this is the second-best team in my alma mater's division. I'm not stupid. Josh Heupel is doing a great job in Knoxville, but he will have to make do without Alex Golesh, Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt this season. Golesh now leads South Florida Bulls. Hooker backs up Jared Goff in Detroit. Hyatt looks to build branches off his limited route tree for one Brian Daboll in New York.
Could Milton be the first Vols star to win the Heisman Trophy? I wouldn't be shocked. The talent has always been there, but it is a matter of putting it all together. Frankly, he is probably the most talented starting-level quarterback in the SEC entering this season. I would love to see him go 11-1 as the Vols starter during the regular season, and get that invite to New York Hooker never got.
If Heupel can build off last year's team success with Milton, then Tennessee can make the playoff.
College football news: How former UGA DC Dan Lanning beat Nick Saban in Indy
While he now leads the Oregon Ducks over in the Pac-12, Dan Lanning's last game calling plays for the Georgia Bulldogs was the stuff of legend. After falling to the Alabama Crimson Tide in Atlanta a few weeks prior, Lanning hit the film room hard. He mentioned that film study was key in being able to stifle Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young by picking up on one of Bill O'Brien's tendencies.
In layman's terms, Lanning found a tell in what O'Brien liked to do offensively calling plays on third down and obvious passing situations. It had everything to do with how the Crimson Tide used the running back as somewhat of a safety valve for Young to dump the ball off to. It allowed for the Georgia defense to overload in the direction of the running back to shut off half of the field of play.
Given that Saban is a defensive-minded coach as well, he gave fellow Bill Belichick disciple O'Brien too much leeway in calling plays for the Crimson Tide offense. You have to give credit to Lanning and the rest of the 2021 Georgia defensive staff for seeing and exploiting this one tell. Admittedly, these are all great coaches. No wonder Lanning's first time in the big chair is at a place like Oregon.
Lanning may have worked for Saban too, but we are looking at the next great Power Five coach.