Oregon head coach Dan Lanning used to coach linebackers at Georgia. However, he has not quite found the same success at the position in Eugene as he did in Athens so the Bulldogs are reportedly using that struggle against him with negative recruiting.
It is an interesting strategy considering their history.
These two college football programs are intrinsically tied to each other by nature of their coaching staffs. Very few coaches have a deeper knowledge of Lanning than Smart. Very few coaches have a deeper knowledge of Smart than Lanning. Who will win out?!
Oregon and Georgia are battling for linebacker Brayton Feister.
At 6-foot-2, 238 pounds. Brayton Feister rates as a four-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2027. The Ohio-native ranks as one of the top 15 linebackers in the country and one of the top-150 players overall. He holds 35 scholarship offers from schools all over the country. However, it looks like his decision will come down to Georgia and Oregon with Ohio State also in the mix.
Feister played middle Archbishop Hoban High School last season. The Max Preps All-American recorded 133 tackles with 39 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in 12 games.
If that was not impressive enough, he also ran the ball 116 times for 1,098 yards and 17 touchdowns at running back. Feister also bench presses 455 pounds, squats 605 and runs a 4.51-second 40 with a 41.9-inch vertical.
The Buckeyes hope to keep the in-state linebacker in state. However, it seems like the Ducks and Bulldogs are the frontrunners. As things currently stand, I would be surprised if he did not end up in Eugene. We’ll see.
Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are negative recruiting against Dan Lanning.
Dan Lanning played linebacker at Division-II William Jewell College from 2004-2007. He was hired to coach outside linebackers at Georgia in 2018. Kirby Smart promoted him to defensive coordinator in 2019. Oregon hired him as head coach in 2022.
Although Lanning comes from a defensive background with a focus on linebackers, the Ducks have not produced a lot of NFL talent at the position over the last four seasons. Only Bryce Boettcher was drafted in the fourth round this past April.
It has been a glaring issue that Lanning and his staff are working hard to change with the 2027 recruiting cycle. Brayton Feister would be a big addition.
However, according to Andrew Nemec of West Coast Biased Recruiting, Georgia is using Lanning’s tenure at Oregon against him.
“Rumblings have swirled that the Bulldogs have taken to negatively recruiting Oregon’s recent history at the position to try to pull out the victory.”
If anyone would know about Lanning’s history with linebackers, it would be Smart and the Bulldogs. It’s a good strategy.
Georgia can tell Feister (and other recruits) that it was actually the program who sent multiple linebackers to the NFL and not the coach. What has Oregon done since he took over? Fair point. Will it work? We’ll find out if/when Feister commits on Saturday.