Getty Image
The football team at the University of Oregon has taken full advantage of the NIL Era with the help of billionaire superfan Phil Knight, but head coach Dan Lanning attempted to minimize the impact money has had on the program after Kirby Smart suggested it’s given the Ducks an inordinate boost.
The Oregon Ducks have historically benefitted from their relationship with Phil Knight, who graduated from the university before co-founding Nike en route to racking up an estimated net worth of more than $33 billion.
Knight has donated over $1 billion to his alma mater over the decades while frequently using Nike’s partnership with its athletic program to flex the company’s design muscles.
Earlier this month, Rick Neuheisel shared what he suggested is common knowledge in Eugene by saying the 86-year-old has offered the school an “unlimited” NIL budget to work with in the hopes of seeing its football team win a national championship in his lifetime.
On Tuesday, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart referenced that supposedly neverending stream of cash during a press conference where he recalled meeting Knight and his wife before saying, “I wish I could get some of that NIL money that he’s sharing with Dan Lanning.”
Lanning had the chance to address the NIL issue during a recent conversation with ESPN where he didn’t explicitly acknowledge the amount of money Knight has poured into a program that was only ranked behind Ole Miss on the list of the top transfer classes this season.
He noted Oregon is far from the only school that’s taken advantage of the new NIL rules, saying:
“The reality is, find a top-10 team in college football right now that doesn’t have great support.
Do we have a lot more than everybody else? I think that’d be an exaggeration or we’d never lose. Everyone else right now is focused on our ice cream cone, and if I’m busy looking at theirs, that means mine’s melting.”
Lanning (who worked under Smart as the defensive coordinator at Georgia before heading to Oregon) echoed that sentiment when he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday while throwing a lighthearted jab at his former boss.
"I think it's impressive that guys like Kirby Smart have been signing the number one class in the nation without any NIL money 😂😂
Kirby is a great mentor and I wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for him" ~ @CoachDanLanning#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/78uOI655LC
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 25, 2024
That’s the kind of banter you have to love.