Oregon Fires Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer After Illinois Loss

Oregon fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer on Sunday, one day after a 21–10 loss at Illinois dropped the Ducks to 4–3 overall and 2–2 in the Big Ten.

Head coach Dan Lanning announced the dismissal through the school. “I believe a new direction is necessary to move our offense forward,” Lanning said in the statement.

Mehringer joined Oregon as tight ends coach in 2022 and added co-offensive coordinator responsibilities before the 2025 season. He became offensive coordinator this year after Will Stein left to become Kentucky’s head coach.

The Ducks scored a touchdown on their opening possession against Illinois but managed only a field goal after that. Oregon has scored 42 points across its past three games, all played without starting quarterback Dante Moore, who has been sidelined by a concussion.

That stretch produced losses to UCLA and Illinois around a win over Nebraska. The Ducks scored 15, 17 and 10 points in those games, respectively.

Oregon’s dismissal announcement did not identify an interim offensive coordinator or say who would call plays next. Lanning thanked Mehringer for his work with the program and wished him well.

Sources: Oregon’s official dismissal announcement; Chris Hansen’s Register-Guard report.