College GameDay emanated from Eugene, Oregon on Saturday morning which meant an early start time at 6 a.m. PT local on the west coast. And whether it was the early morning hysteria or loads of coffee, the program was totally off the rails before the sun rose thanks to Pat McAfee and Dan Lanning.
GameDay was at the University of Oregon for their showdown with fellow Big Ten unbeatens, the Indiana Hoosiers. McAfee started the show with his weekly tradition of rallying the crowd with their familiar chants and standing on his chair. We see it every week, but this time McAfee went on an extended run singing the Isley Brothers classic “Shout” while bringing his castmates to hysterical laughter.
It was still in the first hour when Oregon head coach Dan Lanning joined in on the party.
Lanning isn’t like a lot of other coaches in college football, let alone the entirety of major American sports. So when McAfee started with another one of his weekly traditions – somehow finding a way to take his shirt off – Lanning was right there to join him. The pop from the crowd when he finally took off all the layers sounded like when Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III.
In case you’re wondering about the large tattoo Lanning is sporting, it’s a portrait of his wife.
What other major coach is doing that? Let alone before 7 a.m. in the morning. Maybe Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell? And… that’s it? It’s hard to see Ryan Day or Dabo Swinney joining in the party atmosphere like that. But Dan Lanning definitely beats to his own drum, and it certainly seems to be aligned with Pat McAfee.
If the College GameDay star needs a new tag team partner for the next time he steps into a WWE ring, the Oregon coach may be the perfect choice. The only thing missing here was Indiana coach Curt Cignetti running in with a chair shot.
About Matt Yoder