Dan Lanning promoted Drew Meringher from his previous role as Oregon’s co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach to sole offensive coordinator when Will Stein left for Kentucky.
Seven games into the season, Mehringer is out of a job.
One day after the Ducks fell to 4-3 (2-2 in the Big Ten) with a 21-10 loss to Illinois, Mehringer was fired. He had been with the program since 2022.
The Ducks’ offense has disappointed across several metrics in 2026. Oregon ranks fifth in the B1G in yards per game (423.1) and in passing yards per game (277.7). Its 33.1 points per game is sixth in the conference, while its 145.4 rushing yards per game is 10th.
Going into 2026, the Ducks had never been held to 17 points or fewer in a game under Lanning. That’s now happened three straight games.
In the Ducks’ defense, part of their struggles stems from the absence of Dante Moore, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion against USC on Sept. 26. Moore had 926 yards, nine touchdowns, and zero interceptions before that.
But Dylan Raiola hasn’t developed the way Ducks fans expected when he transferred from Nebraska. After being benched for Brock Thomas in a loss to UCLA, he took over for Thomas against his former team a week later and helped engineer a fourth-quarter comeback. He threw for 246 yards and zero touchdowns, though, against Illinois.
As good as Stein was at grooming quarterbacks in Eugene — he looks to be doing the same with Kenny Minchey in Lexington — Mehringer, a former QB at Rice, hasn’t shown that same quality. That, along with the Ducks’ overall offensive ineptitude, has left them well outside the College Football Playoff discussion and is why Lanning was forced to make a change.
RELATED: Need the moneyline before you lock in a pick? Compare the college football odds across top sportsbooks in one place.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
