Lanning Says Michigan Pays Fired Coaches, Answering Whittingham's $50 Million NIL Dig

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Oregon coach Dan Lanning answered Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham’s $50 million NIL remark at his Wednesday press conference, per CBS Sports.
Lanning said Michigan is putting more of its money into coaches it lets go and suggested that makes it harder to sign players.
Michigan plays at Oregon on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Praise on Both Ends, a Pointed Remark in the Middle

Dan Lanning answered Kyle Whittingham on Wednesday, and he wrapped the reply in compliments. Oregon’s head coach spoke at his press conference two days after Michigan’s first-year coach made a $50 million remark about Oregon’s budget on “Inside Michigan Football”, saying Oregon has $50 million at its disposal to outbid everybody. Michigan visits Eugene on Saturday, so the exchange has a game attached.

“I’ve got nothing to say to Coach Whitt other than I think he’s an unbelievable coach,” Lanning said. “I get it. They’re spending more of their money now on coaches they’re letting go. Maybe it makes it hard to sign players.”

A Jab Wrapped in Respect

Lanning kept going. “They’ve signed a couple of guys with what weren’t able to compete with what they decided to do. Maybe a lot of that is tied up in another player, but I don’t know. Coach Whittingham is an unbelievable coach. He’s a Hall of Fame coach. I’ve got nothing but respect for him.”

The remark Lanning answered came from Whittingham on Monday night, and Whittingham opened with praise too. “(Lanning’s an) outstanding football coach, defensive-minded coach; that’s his background, but tireless recruiter,” Whittingham said Monday night. “He really does a great job recruiting. It doesn’t hurt that you have $50 million at your disposal to, in essence, to outbid everybody. Not everybody, but a lot of people. But that’s not his fault. That’s a credit. I mean, that’s a credit to their program and their dedication and desire to win and the support they have.”

Whittingham also described how recruiting has changed. “NIL is really the name in the game in recruiting these days; it’s shifted so much. Used to be the facilities you had, the tradition and all these other things; now it’s these guys got 100 grand more for me. It’s a little bit of a factor, to say the least, but not to take anything away from Dan because he’s an outstanding recruiter just in and of itself.”

The Money and the Mess in Ann Arbor

Michigan’s own spending is a live subject. Michigan State won 15-6 in Ann Arbor, and Whittingham fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck the next morning. Oklahoma made a similar offensive coordinator change earlier this season. Beck was the nation’s highest-paid assistant coach, and his buyout runs to roughly $10 million. The Wolverines score 19.6 points per game.

“The results have not matched our desired outcome, and I felt that a change in leadership was required for our offense,” Whittingham said Sunday. “We need to put our offensive players and the entire team in the best possible position to be successful.”

He added a second statement about Beck. “We appreciate the hard work and effort that Jason has dedicated to the program. Jason is a great man and coach, and unfortunately, it did not work out the way that we wanted it to at Michigan. We wish Jason and his family nothing but the best in the future.”

Quarterback is the other open question. Sophomore Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 player in the 2025 signing class, was benched for freshman Tommy Carr. Underwood completed 58% of his passes with five touchdowns and six interceptions before the change. Carr went 1-2 as the starter, with a win at Rutgers and an overtime loss to Indiana. After the Michigan State loss, Whittingham reopened the quarterback competition for the Oregon game. Lanning mentioned neither Beck nor Underwood by name.

Michigan is spending more than $30 million on its football team this fall. Oregon has one of the most expensive rosters in college football. Michigan has been eliminated from College Football Playoff contention, and Oregon is one loss away from missing it too.

Saturday in Eugene

Michigan has five wins and needs one more for bowl eligibility. The schedule ahead is Oregon, UCLA and Ohio State. Oregon beat Northwestern at home, then won at Ohio State after trailing 14-0.

Lanning had not heard Whittingham’s remark when he previewed the game at his weekly press conference. “I haven’t really been able to pay much attention to them until this week,” Lanning said of Michigan. “I know he’s a Hall of Fame coach for a reason, and he’s won a lot of football games. I’ve been worried about my own problems, not really paying attention to his. I know he does a great job. I’m sure they’ll be prepared to play us.”

Kickoff in Eugene is 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Both coaches have called the other an outstanding or unbelievable coach this week, and both have made a point about money. They meet Saturday with the compliments on the record.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.