Has the NIL Era Passed Dan Lanning By?

Sorry for the over dramatic headline but it does cut to the heart of my question. Clearly the U of O is a front running NIL super power and can collect as much 4-5 star talent as anybody. My question is that are the things that Lanning is a master at no longer relevant?

First I want to state that I absolutely love Lanning as the head coach and want him to succeed and also understand that some steps backward are inevitable for even the best teams sometimes. This is more about how the trend seems to be heading as the tone of the NIL era becomes clearer. And that tone to me seems to be heading away from the Lanning style of coaching.

I have never seen a coach be able to fire his team up on game day like Lanning. His pre game speeches and weekly themes to work on have me ready to run through a wall. His players also have shown immense loyalty and even in the first few years of NIL, the only ones hitting the portal were 3rd and 4th stringers that just weren't going to see the field.

But as the NIL monster grew, I think it began to outweigh team/ coach loyalty as the college free agent was born.

At the end of last season, the Ducks finally got their first taste of it. Most of the teams running back room hit the portal even as the Ducks were heading to a semi final date in a rematch with Indiana. Try to imagine key players leaving a Final Four team at the peak of March Madness. It's practically unthinkable and yet it happened to the Ducks.

Then after the season was over, the real exodus began. Players that were looking at second and even possible first string roles abandoned the team in droves looking for better payouts and playing opportunities. Just like that, Lanning's prized recruiting class was decimated before it ever had a chance to impact the game. More recruits and portal additions have been brought in but I think the modern attitude of the players has changed.

I think they are now more concerned about their market value and what their agents have to say than their coaches. I think Lanning's once excellent motivational methods no longer work on guys more interested in building their brand and eyeing their next deal. I believe that his in house coordinator hires were a mistake and better ones need to be brought in but I also think that a bigger underlying issue is at play.

This may also explain how less rah rah and more business like or transactional coaches like Cristobal are having more success lately. I don't know what the answer is and as mentioned before I still love Lanning as the coach, I'm just concerned the game has moved on.