Oregon's Lanning: Talk of unlimited NIL funds is 'fantasy'

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning tried to dispel the notion that his school has a wealth of resources to fund its NIL program.

"I think anyone that thinks that we have unlimited NIL money is living in a fantasy world. I mean, that sounds awesome," Lanning told The I-5 Corridor's Tyson Alger on Thursday. "We do have great support here. That's no secret. But we're not the highest bidder, and we're certainly not winning battles just because of NIL.

"It's great that we're going toe to toe with the big dogs because we are one."

Lanning's comments come a couple of weeks after former Washington coach Rick Neuheisel claimed Nike co-founder and Oregon alum Phil Knight is supplying the school with unlimited resources for NIL purposes. Oregon has long been associated with Nike, with the brand producing several eye-popping uniforms as part of its apparel deal with the school.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, whom Lanning served under as the defensive coordinator, further prodded Oregon at SEC media days this week. Smart joked he wished he had "some of that NIL money that (Knight has) been sharing with Dan Lanning."

The Ducks have been trending in a positive direction since Lanning's arrival in December 2021. After leading Oregon to a 10-3 mark in his first season, the 38-year-old pushed the program to a 12-2 record in 2023, capped by a 45-6 win over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl.

After assembling an impressive 2024 recruiting class, Oregon has once again been making waves with its 2025 class. The Ducks currently hold verbal pledges from five-star receiver Dakorien Moore and legacy commit Akili Smith Jr., among others.

Oregon is expected to be ranked in the AP Top 25 to begin the season after luring talents such as Dillon Gabriel and Evan Stewart via the transfer portal.

The Ducks will kick off their inaugural season in the Big Ten against Idaho on Aug. 31.