Dan Lanning has been spectacular in his first season as a head coach. Oregon is up to No. 6 in the AP Top 25, winners of eight straight after a Week 1 loss. The Ducks have gotten better each week. They’ve scored at least 41 points every time during the winning streak.

So, naturally, his name is going to come up as a possible candidate when a job like Auburn comes open.

According to Auburn Daily, a Sports Illustrated affiliate, Lanning and Auburn have ‘mutual interest.’ Here’s the crux of the report from Auburn Daily’s Lance Dawe:

Our sources have confirmed that there is mutual interest between Auburn and Lanning, who is nine games into his head coaching tenure with Oregon. Other reports have confirmed that Lanning and Auburn have been in contact.

It’s unclear what other reports Dawe is referring to. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg has written that Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin is the frontrunner but Liberty’s Hugh Freeze is the candidate to watch. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman has written that “it’s probably too soon for Auburn to make this kind of move” with regards to Lanning.

247Sports’ Auburn team site reported this past week that Lanning was merely a candidate Auburn “will look into.”

And then there was this, from longtime Oregon columnist John Canzano:

Auburn fired coach Bryan Harsin on Oct. 31 after less than two seasons on the job.

The things that would make Lanning attractive to a school like Auburn are obvious. He’s from the Kirby Smart coaching tree and has seen what a successful SEC program looks like. He’s regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country. And he’s pushed all the right buttons in his first season as a head coach.

Would Auburn, which has just two double-digit-win seasons since beating Oregon in the 2010 BCS National Championship, be viewed as a better job than Oregon? It’s possible. The last two Oregon coaches before Lanning left Eugene for another Power Five coaching gig.

But the Ducks appear to be on their way to a fourth consecutive Pac-12 championship game appearance and they’re two wins away from a third double-digit-win campaign in consecutive full seasons.

It would be quite the move to discuss jumping ship in the middle of that campaign after less than a year in charge.

Update (Monday, Nov. 7, 8:15 p.m. PT):

Lanning met with reporters Monday for his regularly scheduled Monday press conference and offered an emphatic denial of reported interest in the Auburn job.

“I think there’s a little bit of a problem in society today with people looking for what’s next and where there’s an opportunity,” Lanning said. “The reality is the grass is not always greener (elsewhere). In fact, the grass is damn green in Eugene. I want to be here in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me. This place has everything that I could possibly ever want, my family could ever want. I’ve got an 11-year-old that’s lived in eight states. The last thing I want everyone to do is leave.

“I want to enjoy this opportunity here. It’s been a phenomenal place for us. When you talk about things that align, things that match your vision and what you’re looking for as a head coach, Oregon checks every box for me.”