Dan Lanning Fires Drew Mehringer, But Oregon’s Biggest Test Is Still Ahead

Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s success in recruiting and retaining talent faces a new test after parting ways with Ducks offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer amid a 4-3 season.

oregon ducks offensive coordinator drew mehringer | oregon ducks on si darby winter

Oregon’s third loss of the season brought another round of questions about its offense. By Sunday morning, coach Dan Lanning had made a change at offensive coordinator.

Oregon relieved offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer of his duties following Saturday’s 21-10 upset loss at Illinois. Now at 4-3, the Ducks must navigate a coaching change amid an injury-plagued season that has fallen short of expectations.

Mehringer was with Lanning from the beginning of his Oregon tenure, starting as the Ducks' tight ends coach in 2022. He was promoted to offensive coordinator before the 2026 season, following Will Stein's departure to be head coach at Kentucky.

oregon ducks offensive coordinator drew mehringer | oregon ducks on si Darby Winter

Dan Lanning’s Next Hire Carries Stakes Beyond the Offense

The next big challenge is finding the right replacement while keeping recruits committed and giving current players a reason to believe in Oregon’s offensive direction.

The hire will shape more than the playbook or schemes. It will help shape who wants to join the Ducks and who wants to stay in Eugene.

Retaining talent has been a strength of Lanning’s tenure at Oregon, where he has yet to lose a full-time starter to the transfer portal. Preserving that stability through a disappointing season and an offensive coordinator change will be one of his biggest tests yet.

He has also assembled four consecutive top-10 recruiting classes, including the nation’s No. 3 class in 2024, No. 5 class in 2025 and No. 3 class in 2026 per 247Sports composite. Protecting that recruiting momentum adds another layer of importance to his next offensive coordinator hire. The Ducks' 2027 recruiting class currently ranks No. 2 in the nation.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning talks to the officials as the Oregon Ducks host the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Oct. 17, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Hiring the coordinator is not an easy task, in fact legendary coach Nick Saban said it is the hardest thing to do as a head coach.

Nick Saban’s Early Oregon Concern Carries New Weight

Saban highlighted Oregon’s coordinator transition after Week 2, well before Lanning made the move to dismiss Mehringer.

“I think some of the issue is they have two new coordinators, which is kind of like your second lieutenants when you’re a head coach,” Saban said. “And when you have all these changes on your roster and then you have some guys coming back, I mean, how does that all mesh together?”

Saban explained that finding new coordinators is one of a head coach’s most difficult responsibilities. Two priorities guided his own approach: maintaining the program’s culture and preserving a system players already understood.

Oregon offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer walks the field before the game as the Oregon Ducks host the Portland State Vikings on Sept. 18, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“I didn’t want to hire independent contractors that was going to come in and change everything for 50 players in the room who already knew the system that we were in, that was already successful, that they were loyal to,” Saban said.

Notably, Lanning’s promotions of Mehringer and defensive coordinator Chris Hampton followed that logic. Both were established members of Oregon’s staff who understood the culture and provided important continuity within the systems.

Lanning now must determine who can give Oregon’s offense the direction it needs. He faces two timelines: getting Oregon’s offense through the rest of this season and finding the coordinator who will shape its future. While that search unfolds, the Ducks face the challenge of holding together the talent on the current roster and the incoming recruits.

Who Will Call Plays For Oregon?

Lanning’s postgame comments made clear that the responsibility for righting the ship extends throughout the program.

“We got to evaluate exactly who we are, right? Each person's got to look in their heart and respond and say exactly what they want to go attack and what they can improve and get better, and that's really where the focus has to be on one step at a time, one day at a time, looking for that opportunity for improvement,” Lanning said.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning, right, and Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer talk before the game as the Oregon Ducks host the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Oct. 17, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Through seven games under Mehringer, Oregon’s offense struggled to sustain drives, converting just 35 percent of its third downs to rank No. 107 nationally. The Ducks also ranked No. 88 in rushing offense at 145.4 yards per game. The Ducks ranked No. 40 in scoring at 33.1 points per game, a figure inflated by their 84-point performance against Portland State.

The Ducks are unranked for the first time since September 2022, when Lanning’s tenure began with a 49-3 loss to Georgia.

Oregon now faces No. 20 Northwestern on Halloween, with a familiar face directing the Wildcats’ offense: Chip Kelly. The coach who once led the Ducks is now a common name on "names to watch" for Oregon’s offensive coordinator opening.

Lanning has a more immediate question to answer: Who will call Oregon’s plays for the rest of the season? That certainly will lead his Monday night media availability in Eugene, though he previously declined to detail changes to Oregon’s offensive operations, due to concerns about giving opponents a competitive advantage.

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