The Case For Oregon’s Tosh Lupoi As A Fit For The Oregon State Job

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning is considered to be one of the best coaches in the country, partially because of his ability to hire elite assistants. Former Ducks offensive coordinator in 2022, Kenny Dillingham was hired as the coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils and has resurrected their program.

Current Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein has now begun to be in coaching talks as well. Then there is Ducks defensive coordinator, Tosh Lupoi. Lupoi has been with Lanning since day one in Eugene.

Tosh Lupoi, Future Head Coach?

Oregon Ducks Tosh Lupoi Defensive Coordinator NFL Oregon State Beavers Head Coach Opening Dan Lanning Eugene Corvallis — Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi directs his players during warmups before the Spring Game at Autzen in Eugene April 26, 2025 | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lupoi has been the defensive coordinator for Oregon since Lanning took over as coach in 2022. Lupoi has consistently had a top tier defense that has not had a problem putting players into the NFL.

Prior to his time at Oregon, Lupoi spent time in the NFL as a defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Before that, he was on numerous college staffs.

With this resume under this belt, could Lupoi be looked at for a potential head coaching job? It would be the first head coaching job of his career.

The team just a 45-minute drive north of Eugene is in need of a coach.

Oregon State Beavers Coach Opening

The Oregon State Beavers came into 2025 off a 5-7 2024 season in coach Trent Bray’s first year at the helm. 2025 has been disaster. After an 0-7 start, Bray was fired and replaced by interim coach Robb Akey. The Beavers are currently 2-9 and are in the market for their next coach.

This offseason in college football will be chaotic when it comes to the coaching carousel. Big-time jobs such as the Penn State Nittany Lions, LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, and Florida Gators are just among some of them.

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The Case For Lupoi in Corvallis

Lupoi’s defenses have been elite with Oregon. In each of the past three seasons, the Ducks team defense has been ranked in the top 20 in the entire country. Oregon has been Lupoi's most successful stop in his career.

Oregon State could be a good opportunity for Lupoi. He would take over a program entering their first year in the new-look Pac-12 in 2026, aiming to find their footing. He won’t be expected to win double digit games immediately like some of the programs looking for head coaches. Lupoi would not face the "win-now" pressure in year one, which is a good thing for a first-time head coach. He would be tasked with getting the Beavers program back on track.

He has connections from both the pros and college that he would be able build a staff with. Furthermore, geographically it won’t be a big change from where Lupoi is now, with Corvallis just being 40ish miles away from Eugene.

Will Oregon State offer Lupoi, and would he take the job if offered? Time will tell.