Three Tests Drew Mehringer Faces With Oregon Ducks Offense

EUGENE – Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning put his trust in Drew Mehringer on full display when he decided to promote him to offensive coordinator in 2026.

Mehringer takes over for former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, who took the head coaching position with the Kentucky Wildcats. While the Ducks are expected to make a deep postseason run in 2026, the path there won’t be easy. Mehringer may deal with challenges that could impact success on the offensive side of the field.

1. New-Look Offensive Line

oregon ducks drew mehringer dan lanning offensive line injury big ten will stein iapani laloulu fox crader immanuel iheanacho — The Oregon offensive line protects the backfield against Oklahoma State at Autzen. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks’ offensive line is one of the areas where the starting unit is undergoing changes. Center offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu returns, as well as offensive guard Dave Iuli. Oregon does lose both its starting tackles to the NFL Draft and 2025 starting offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon.

The program’s offensive line is consistently considered among the nation’s best, becoming a Joe Moore Award finalist again in 2025. One of the Ducks’ biggest offseason wins was returning both Laloulu and quarterback Dante Moore, who now have a season of experience working together.

But the tackle position especially has players with lots of potential, but a lack of experience. Mehringer and offensive line coach A’lique Terry are tasked with quickly finding the right combination of players up front that work best to protect Moore and elevate the run game.

2. Grueling Big Ten Schedule

Oregon’s 2026 schedule isn’t doing it any favors. The Ducks play four games to start the season and then get a bye after traveling to play USC at the end of September. After that, they don’t get another bye in the regular season.

The Ducks’ schedule is headlined by a road trip to play the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road and then hosting Michigan at Autzen Stadium the following week. Oregon has some build up before heading to Ohio State on Nov. 7, but Mehringer is set to play call at one of the most difficult environments in college football in his first season as offensive coordinator.

Fans will have their eyes on how Mehringer does in his new position throughout the season, but there shouldn’t be a bigger regular season test than when the team heads to Columbus. Mehringer and the coaching staff will also need to keep players fresh throughout the tough stretch and rotate who’s on the field with the long season.

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3. Managing Calendar And Injuries

The program already dealt with injuries and a lack of players available at the end of the 2025 season. The potential for that to be an issue again in 2026 increases with the Ducks’ schedule in 2026.

The running back room, wide receiver room and offensive line were positions that all got hit by the injury bug at various points in the 2025 season. It ended up being difficult to find available running backs in the postseason, between injuries and the transfer portal opening. At the moment, there’s still overlap in the calendar between the College Football Playoff and the transfer portal window.

Mehringer will need to make sure he’s prepared for depth to take a potential hit in January. Recovery is crucial for any team looking to make a big run. In the situation that a big injury does occur, Mehringer will need to quickly find out who can fill production and what offensive changes he can make.