Not long after Dan Lanning posted a video on social media making it clear he was staying at Oregon, the coach gushed over Nick Saban and the time spent with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

It was widely speculated that Lanning was a primary target of the Tide, a day after Saban announced he was retiring. The Oregon coach never said – nor was he asked – if he was offered the Alabama job.

Lanning, who joined “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday, had nothing but praise for the 72-year-coach he worked under as a graduate assistant. In fact, he still has a phone message from Saban, dating back years.

“The GOAT, man,” Lanning told McAfee. “On my phone I have a voicemail saved of the very first time Nick ever called me. It pops up as ‘unknown calle’r or ‘no caller ID,’ so I didn’t answer it. It was the greatest thing I ever did because now I have a voice message on my phone for the rest of my life. When I was a DB coach at San Houston State that popped up, so I have that saved, and it is something I still cherish.”

That message resulted in job under Saban at Alabama in 2015 as a graduate assistant. That year, the Tide beat Clemson 45–40 for the national championship game.

“Working for Nick was the most influential years of my career,” Lanning explained. “I got to work with Nick, Kirby (Smart), Lane (Kiffin), Mario (Cristobal), Mel Tucker, Billy Napier, it was an all-star staff of people I got to be associated with. I felt like I got my doctorate in college football that year.”

The speculation since Saban’s retirement, he said, is a compliment but he wasn’t distracted by the noise, even if his son was.

“Getting your name put into the conversation speaks to what we are doing right here, right now,” Lanning said of Oregon. “This decision has been made for me since I took this job. I love what we have hear. I love the support and the administration. We’ve got the things built that we can be that team.

“It wasn’t a distraction last night. My 13-year-old son Kaden and I just started watching the Jason Bourne movie. My phone was blowing up.

“He said, ‘Dad, it says you are in Tuscaloosa right now.’ I’m like, ‘We’re watching Jason Bourne. Focus on the movie.’”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.