Dan Lanning and Nike receiving attention from Kirby Smart at SEC media days

Day two of the SEC media days kicked off with Kirby Smart giving a nod to his former rival Nick Saban and his former defensive coordinator Dan Lanning.

Lanning, who is now the head coach of the Oregon Ducks, has received national attention over the past few weeks for his team's NIL value because of Nike.

The company's founder Phil Knight attended the University of Oregon for grad school and has given millions of dollars to the college and the athletic department, as well as millions of uniforms.

When Smart first took the stage in Dallas, he joked around about Saban being denied on day one after forgetting his credential.

"I got in here without a credential today,” Smart said, and yes, Nick Saban smiled.

Up next in the stand up routine was Lanning.

"I wish I could get some of that NIL money Dan Lanning's getting," Smart said.

Reportedly, Nike and Phil Knight have promised the Ducks 'unlimited' NIL money for an unspecified length of time.

Smart also shared that this summer, he studied Phil Knight's philosophies and Nike's growth over the past few decades.

Lanning and his squad are entering the Big Ten and are in search of the program's first-ever national championship.

Meanwhile, Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are looking for their third national title in four years as the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners join their conference.

Lanning was Smart's outside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2018 until 2022 when he took the job at Oregon.

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