Drew Mehringer has walked into Oregon with a reputation that has the Ducks sounding pretty fired up about what’s coming next on offense.
The buzz around the new coordinator is coming from inside the building, and the language is loud. Quarterback Dante Moore said Monday he’s eager to lean into Mehringer’s plans, pointing to the way he studies the game and gets the offense lined up the right way.
"I'm excited about trusting his game plans," quarterback Dante Moore told reporters on Monday. "Coach (Will) Stein did one hell of a job here.
He pushed the group and kept the offense operating the way it was supposed to operate. I hope he does great things at Kentucky, but Coach Mehringer is a scientist.
He's really smart and does a great job dissecting defenses and making sure we have the right play called."
That kind of comfort matters, especially when the quarterback and the play-caller are speaking the same language. Oregon had stretches last season when the offense could feel a little too easy to read under Stein, but the feeling around Mehringer is that he brings something sharper and less predictable.
Offensive lineman Kawika Rogers didn’t hold back when describing what the Ducks think they’ve got in their new coordinator.
"He's like Albert Einstein for football. He's the man," Rogers said.
"He'll look at it for five seconds and turn around and tell you what they're in, what the D-Line is in, tell you where they're going to rotate, what coverage they're in, everything. He can tell you what play to run, what play to pass, if we should pass, RPO.
Coach Mehringer is like that."
Mehringer’s own description of his approach matches that image of a coach who wants to make the whole operation better by sharpening the individual pieces. He said the goal is to put players in the best position and keep expanding what they understand, not just on each snap but in how the game actually works.
"I think we're all just trying to do the best we can to put them in the best position possible and continue to educate them on more than just what they do on any given play, but how the game works and what can prepare them to play at the next level and play for as long as they possibly can," Mehringer said. "I think anything like that is great. You've just got to go out, get a little bit better every day, keep teaching them and keep growing."
With the talent Oregon expects to have on offense in 2026, Mehringer is stepping into a spot where those ideas should get a real test fast. The Ducks believe they may have one of the best offenses in program history, and now they’ve handed the keys to a coordinator they’re openly calling one of the sharpest minds in football.
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