I don't see Lanning flying the coop just yet. Yes, that day will come but I think he's intelligent enough to know that he doesn't have the experience yet to go take on a helm anywhere. If he plays his cards right, bides his time, and does this the right way, he'll have his choice of SEC schools to go to when the time is right.
But if he jumps too soon, he can make a very consequential career mistake that he may or may not rebound from. I find it interesting in this day & age that coordinators are so short lived. It is a testament to how respected a coaching staff is to have its coordinators poached, but at the same time, there's been a downward trend in the lifespan of a coordinator in power 5 conferences: especially the SEC. And my thought on that is that a couple of years on a successful SEC team as a coordinator doesn't make one head coach ready. There's way more to it than that.
Pruitt was cited, but I can think of many other examples.
Coordinators would do very well to take a page out of Kirby's playbook and settle in to a position, really grow & mature as a coach, learn the ins and outs, enjoy some success, and then wait for the time to be to their choosing to launch out on their own career.
Look at Sam Pittman.
